Make a Display: How to Make an Envelope Pillow Backing
Transcript:
Hi, I'm Lindsay from Quilts & More! We're so excited to see so many people joining in our Make a Display wall hanging series. These small quilts are actually really versatile, so they can easily be turned into other projects, such as table runners, pillows, or even larger quilts. Today, I want to share some basics for how to turn the center block of this summer medallion quilt into a pillow, like you see here! And this technique can work for any quilt block you want to make into a pillow. You can just create an envelope backing -- it's so easy, so we'll show you how!
For envelope backings, you'll need two rectangles of fabric. There's some quick math you can do to figure out what size you need.
Take the unfinished width of your pillow front. Divide it by 2. And add 2.5" inches to that number. You'll cut your two rectangles the length of your pillow by that number you just did math for.
Then, we want to hem on edge of each rectangle. To do this, fold one edge under ¼" and then ¼" again. Press that fold and topstitch to create a nice hem. And do that on one edge of each rectangle.
Then, there are two ways you can finish the pillow. If you want to add binding to your pillow like you see here, you'll layer these two rectangles with the hemmed edges inside and the raw edges aligned with the pillow top with right sides toward the outside. Your rectangles will overlap by about 4". You can baste the edges around the outside to hold it in place, then bind it to secure all the layers in place.
If you plan to just sew around the edges and turn right side out to finish it, you'll layer right sides together, pin the edges in place, sew all the edges with a ¼" seam and flip it right sides out.
Isn't that easy? We hope this how-to gives you the confidence to experiment with turning quilt blocks or projects into a different type of décor for your home!
For more info on the Make a Display summer sew-along, visit our website at AllPeopleQuilt.com/MakeaDisplay.