Put A Bird On It! – DIY Embroidered Throw Pillows

Have I told you about my vintage blue velvet chesterfield sofa? Well, I have a vintage blue velvet chesterfield sofa. And she’s beautiful! And when I got her, she was just begging for some colorful throw pillows. So I made some! But not just your average Plain Jane basic square pillows – I made embroidered pillows trimmed with poms! I’ll tell you how….

Selecting Fabric

Though wary of it at first, I’ve started to buy most of my fabric online. It’s so convenient! Especially if you create a mood board with screenshots of the fabric swatches to help bring everything together.

03 mood board — Part of my living room mood board that helped me pick out my fabric

Cut Fabric

I bought pillow forms that are 18″ on each side, so I cut my fabric just slightly larger than that – at about 19″ on each side to allow for the seams. I ordered more fabric than I needed so I could be sure to center the design I wanted to focus on – the birds.

Finish Edges

I always recommend that you finish the edges of your fabric before working with it. This will keep it from fraying. Use a surger or the zig-zag stitch on a regular sewing machine.

Embroider

Using yarns that match the colors on my fabric, a yarn needle, and an embroidery hoop, I made stitches in the printed fabric with the corresponding colors. I tried to imagine how the different feathers would look and added texture by going in different directions. Using the printed fabric as a pattern made it very easy!

Sew Pillows

Once I embroidered all the areas I wanted, I continued to sew the pillow cases as usual. Place the right side of fabric together and sew along the edges, leaving a gap on the last side for turning the pillowcase inside out and stuffing it with the pillow form. Once the form is inside, stitch the opening closed.