How to Make Expensive Looking Pillows

To me, toss pillows are like shoes. A girl can never have too many. And there are always reasons to have different colors, sizes and shapes--but even more importantly--they really change up the room, or outfit that is! Toss pillows are a great way to put a bit of your personality into a room, as well as add a new pop of color to a dull sofa or a boring bedspread. However, they can be quite expensive, so instead of buying new ones--here is a way you can make expensive-looking pillows for a fraction of the cost.

Instructions

Step1 Go to a vintage shop or department store to hunt out some silk scarves (or you may have some lying around in your closet that have not been worn in years). Pull those out and decide on one that would be a nice punch of color in the area you are looking to redo, for instance, the sofa, your bed or a side chair in the office.
Step2 Don't worry if a piece is too large or has a damaged edge. The solution is simply to cut the piece to size or trim the flawed side. This is a great way to repurpose a favorite piece of any fabric, for that matter.
Step3 Measure the scarf to decide on what pillow insert to use--you can use an existing pillow or buy an insert from a fabric store. They come in a variety of sizes from 12-by-12 inch (small) to 22-by-22 inch.
Step4 Since very few scarves are large enough to do both sides of a pillow, you'll need to choose a backing. I suggest a silk, which you can pick up at any fabric store for usually around $10/yard, or a linen works nicely as well.
Step5 Cut a piece of the backing fabric 1/4 inch larger than the scarf all around. Center the scarf on it, right-side-up, then pin and stitch to backing 1/8 inch from scarf edge.
Step6 Make a back with an envelope-style closure (two flaps that overlap) for inserting the pillow. To do this, you need to cut two pieces of fabric, each three-quarters as long as the muslin and the same width.
Step7 Stitch a 1 1/2-inch hem on one end of each. Make sure the scarf is right side up, lay one piece of fabric at each end of the scarf, right sides down, hems pointing toward center. Pin, and stitch to scarf just inside previously created 1/8-inch seam.
Step8 Turn and press out the corners with a knitting needle.
Step9 Iron and then slip the insert inside.