Ruffled Pillows

To finish off my new duvet cover (I'll post that pattern tomorrow) I made coordinating ruffled King sized pillows.

Here's What You'll Need:

• 2 yards fabric (or 1.5 yards + a King pillow case)
• Coordinating thread (I just used white)
• Sewing pins

1. Read all instructions before starting! Cut fabric into 1 (20.5"L by 36.5"W) rectangle for pillow top (***watch for placement if you have a repeat pattern that you want to go a certain way***), 6 (4" by 29") strips and 2 (20.5"L by 23"W) rectangles for back pillow panels (or cut the seams off your pillow case and cut to measure 20.5" by 22" ***the finished edges on the king pillow case (that hemmed opening that you put your pillow through) should not be cut but used for you new back pannel opening***
2. Sew ends of strips together (remember right sides kissing). Iron seams. This will be your ruffle. Fold and iron 1/2" top of sewn strips and again. Sew down and iron for a neat finish. ***I did this to save material. If you would like the ruffle to have fabric showing on both sides then make your strips 8" by 29" instead and increase your fabric yardage 1/2 a yard when purchasing. Fold in half with right sides showing, iron, then baste (a bast stitich is a loose stitch and a 4 on most machines) the cut ends together to hold in place.
3. With a ruffle foot, ruffle your sewn strip at the cut end. If you don't have a ruffle foot then baste stitch 2 rows as close to the top of fabric as you can (as shown above). Make sure you do not back stitch and you leave plenty of thread on your ends.
4. Take the thread that is coming out of the back of your fabric and gently pull to scrunch fabric. This is how a ruffle is made. Push the ruffle along the fabric. If it gets stuck then pull from the other end. If it breaks DO NOT WORRY. That is why we have two rows. Just pull from the unbroken thread. If that breaks too, DO NOT WORRY! Just baste stitch where the thread was broken and pull from there.
5. Lay your large rectangle pillow top fabric down (the 20.5" by 36.5" piece) right side up. It's time to pin your ruffle to it! Gently open up your ruffle by pulling and moving the ruffle to fit around the perimeter of your rectangle. Once that is done pin your ruffle to the rectangle. Remember that right sides are kissing (touching) and cut ends are lined up. This means that your ruffle is being pinned and laying inside your rectangle NOT OUTSIDE of it. In the very end when we flip it inside out it will be all ruffly on the outside. Baste stitch your ruffle to the rectangle pillow top.
6. With ruffles in and right side of your pillow top facing up, place your two back pillow panels on top and pin as pictured above. Your finished edges on your back panels should be overlapping. Sew together, making sure not to catch the ruffles. Turn inside out and voila! A new pillow case!

***If you are not using a king pillow for the back panels then take your 20.5" by 23" back panels and fold the width (20.5" side) over 1/2 twice and iron (like the ruffle top) and sew down. Your edge is now finished and you can follow step 6!***

My girls like the pillows so much that I made them one for their new duvet/quilt coverts!

Have Fun, Be Creative, Look Fantastic!