Hypercolor Home: Oh oh, it's a No-Sew Throw-Pillow!

Remember this little gem from a previous post? Well...I can't sew. I don't even own a sewing machine. But I wish I could...so I fake it. With my trusty Heat N' Bond iron-on sewing strips. I love them. It's easy to do, has a super strong bond, and is even machine washable! I made the crib skirt for Brody's crib last summer and a couple odd things here and there. But, a couple of weeks ago I took a stab at creating a slip-cover for some cheap Ikea throw-pillow inserts. I love this project because anyone can do this. I highly reccomend it, actually. What a fun, easy, and best of all cheap way to add a fresh pop of color to your bed, couch, lounge chair, whatever! Here's the step-by-step...

All you'll need is about a yard of fabric of your choice, scissors, a measuring tape, iron and ironing board, and some iron-on hem tape. I use Heat N' Bond, Ultra Hold. Works great.

Measure the size of your throw-pillow (mine was 20" x 20").

Next, measure and cut your fabric. Basically, you'll need two square pieces. One piece will be about 2" bigger than your pillow. And your other piece should be three inches bigger than your pillow. My pictures below don't show it because when I first did this, I cut it too big at 24". So, pretend my measuring tape says 23" and not 24", mmkay?

Basically, I cut one 22" x 22" square and one 23" x 23" square piece.

Next, cut the larger square piece straight up in half.

Since my piece was 23" I measured half of that (11.5") and cut.

Next, lay out the hemming tape along the cut sides of the fabric you just cut.

Iron it onto the fabric. It should be right along the edge.

Peel off the paper backing after it has cooled (not all hem tape has this step).

Next, fold over the fabric

And iron again. This creates a nice clean "sewn" edge.

See! Repeat for the second cut piece.

Next, lay the two seams on top of each other so they overlap. You want the printed side of the fabric facing up for this step.

Now lay your second piece of fabric (the one you didn't cut in half) on top. The printed side should be facing down in this case. Basically your pillowcase is inside out right now.

Now you just need to have your dog come in and approve your handiwork. ;)

For real though, peel back the top layer a bit. Lay out another strip of hem tape along the bottom piece of fabric. Like so...

And repeat for all four sides.

Iron all the tape into place. Then peel back the paper backing.

Layer your top piece back on. My pieces aren't perfect, as you can see in the below picture. I probably never passed the class in preschool that they taught you how to use scissors! But, it's ok because this un-evenness wont show anyway.

Now, iron together all four sides.

Once all the edges are cooled to the touch, flip over the fabric so the opening is exposed. Turn the pillow-case inside out...or outside in...or, right side out...whatever you want to call it. You know what I mean.