DIY Ruffle Pillow

I came across the idea for this pillow over at Oh So Crafty, I loved how she used old clothes to make something so cute and useful! Here is a tutorial on my practice run making her ruffle pillow. I leaned some how to's and how not to's for my next time, I'll explain along the way....


Start with a large men's button down dress shirt. Iron and lay out on your cutting board. Cut straight across the front right at the level just under the armpits, and again to even off the bottom if your shirt has slits on the sides. you should be left with a rectangle shape with the buttons running down the front. 

    

This is what the shirt looked like after I cut the chunk out. You can set this part aside and save for possible future projects!

My shirt was a little too wide so I just sewed some straight seams parallel to the to side seams that were already there to take it in a bit.

Next you will need a bunch of strips cut from another fabric. I used a old Goodwill men's T-shirt. I cut my strips about one to one and a half inches wide, and decided in the end that they were to skinny...next time I will make them closer to 2 or 2 1/2 inches. 

Sew a wide stitch down the center of each strip with out backstitching either end.

Pin on the front of your pillow case form and pull the bottom thread to ruffle. Or, you can ruffle it before you pin it, I did it both ways....so do however its easiest for you.

Once its ruffled, pin strip in place at top, bottom and middle. and stitch right down the middle again to sew it in place.

fold over to the side to place the next strip slightly overlapping.  I ended up not having enough strips to overlap very much so mine look a little more spaced out. Another tip for my next attempt!

Once you cover the whole front, turn inside out and stitch closed along the top and the bottom. Unbutton the buttons and turn right side out.

Mine looked like this before it was stuffed.

I used this for stuffing because I already had it and because I didn't measure to cover a specific Pillow form.
It was $2.99 at JoAnn's.

Stuff it!

Button it up!

And thats how my first attempt Ruffle Pillow turned out! its kinda sloppy, rustic cute! I am itching to try my hand at another one!