Easiest Envelope Pillow Ever

There are tutorials all over the internet for envelope back pillow covers... I even have one on this blog. So why another? 

Because I stumbled across another way of doing things, and it completely revolutionized my pillow making process. Am I being overly dramatic? Not at all. Okay, maybe a little. But really, this new way is the best way and I was cranking pillows out at top speed, which is saying something for a girl who took a full year to warm up to her sewing machine enough to open the user manual. 

Seriously, if you've never tried making a pillow... now is the time. The time, I say!!!

(I do love some good melodrama)

Prepare yourself for awesomeness. Before, sad Anna would cut 3 separate pieces (2 for the back and 1 for the front) and pin them together. Ha. New, improved Anna laughs at old sad Anna.

That's right. One piece. This pillow measured 20x26" so the piece of fabric I cut was 20x56". If this is your first pillow, try a fabric with a geometric pattern -- it will make it easier to sew a straight line without guides or rulers or marks... just make sure the edge you start with it straight, measure a few places and then cut a straight line, using the fabric's pattern like a grid.

Next, finish both of the short ends. You could mark widths and be all precise about it, but I say it's the back of the pillow and if it looks straightish, it's good enough for me. I eyeball it: fold it once and fold it again. Iron it. Pin it. Sew it. My folds are probably around 1/2" each. Ish.

It's a pillow, not a skyscraper.

Next, lay the pillow on the ground right side up. Fold one of the short sides over, make sure it's straight, then fold the other side over -- all you should see is the wrong side of the fabric now. I doesn't matter where the folds overlap -- remember, it's the back side of the pillow. Center shmenter. Check the width; it should be the width of the pillow (26" in my case). Adjust until it's right, and pin along the top and bottom.

Sew two straight lines (I do reverse the machine and go over each finished end again for reinforcement since that's where the pillow will get the most abuse from inserting and removing inserts, but that takes maybe an extra 10 seconds total). Did I mention this was an easy project?

Use pinking shears to trim the excess fabric and to help prevent fraying.

(ignore the fact that your pillow has suddenly turned green.)

Turn the finished cover right side out, stuff it with a pillow, and admire your work. The fact that you didn't worry about adding length or width for seam allowances (blah blah blah) makes the pillow cover fit nice and snugly, which is how I like them anyway.

Here's the finished pillow again so you don't have to scroll up:

Easiest thing ever. Anybody can sew 4 straight lines, y'all. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to figure this out, because it is light years easier than my last method (which still wasn't even that difficult).

Are you sewing-challenged like me? Because you can do this, I promise. Throw pillows for everyone!

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