DIY: embroidered owl pillow

I came across some scraps of brown corduroy in my stash and immediately thought about making new pillow covers for our couch.  The only problem was that there wasn't quite enough for two pillows so I had to get creative.

Owls have been finding their way into my creative mind lately so an embroidered owl pattern seemed the obvious choice.  I drew this fellow free hand but if you wanted to make one there are oodles of owl embroidery patterns available online.  

To make this cover for our 18" pillow I used:

~ a piece of brown corduroy approx. 20" square

~ two pieces of corduroy approx. 20"x6"

~ two pieces of corduroy approx. 8.5"x6.5"

~ a piece of natural light canvas material 8.5" square

~ a 14" zipper

~ brown embroidery floss

~ brown sewing thread

I also needed:

~ a 7" embroidery hoop

~ scissors, pencil, sewing machine, pins

Start by drawing the owl onto the canvas fabric lightly with a pencil.  Fit into the embroidery hoop and backstitch the outline of the owl with 3 threads of embroidery floss. 

To assemble the pillow, start by sewing one of the 8.5"x6.5" pieces of corduroy fabric right sides together to the top of the owl canvas.  Repeat with the bottom piece.

Next, with right sides together, sew the 20"x6" piece of corduroy to the left side of the strip that you have created.  And the last piece onto the right.  You have now made the front of your pillow cover!

* For those with a keen eye, you will notice that I cut the top and bottom corduroy pieces so that the lines go vertically whereas the side pieces go horizonally.  This was deliberate to make it more noticeable that the pillow is sewn together like a "quilt". 

Next add the zipper to the bottom of the pillow (or you can use an envelope closure like my daughter did with her batik pillow).  

Finally sew the front and back pieces together (right sides together with the zipper open a bit so you can turn it right side out!)

Because I love reusing supplies, I think the coolest part about this project is that all of the supplies were purchased at our local Thrift Store!  Someone's discarded pieces of left over fabric has now been given a new life as a fun pillow in our home.

Think about what kinds of supplies you may be able to find at your Thrift Stores.  Embroidery is coming back in vogue so snatch up the supplies before others do!

I hope that this pillow inspires you.

~ joey ~

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