Pom Pom Pillow Tutorial
As I was coming up with a pillow combination I liked for Hannah's room, this pillow caught my eye as one I'd love to include. The only problem is that it's over $120 and that was definitely not in the budget for my teenager's room. So what's a design-loving mama to do? DIY one of course! This is the Luca Pillow that was the inspiration for my pom pom pillow dupe. 
Hannah's curtains are made out of the sweetest taupe pinstripe fabric, and I had a little extra lying around, so I decided I would use that for the front. I used a simple white linen for the backing and chose this oversized neutral pom pom trim for the sides. I love how it turned out. It looks similar to the pricey version, but is completely custom for Hannah's room.Let's take a look at how it was made.
Pom Pom Pillow Tutorial
Materials:
1 | Measure and Cut - The first step to making any pillow cover is to determine the measurements of your fabric. I've been sewing since I was nine years old, so I sort of just eyeball most of my pillow covers, but you'll probably want to measure. My advice is to make your cover about two inches smaller than your insert for a nice, stuffed look. Once you've cut your front and back fabric pieces, you'll need to cut lengths of pom pom trim for whatever sides you want it on. I only wanted the trim on either side of the pillow to mimic the S&L one, but if you prefer to have it on all four sides, cut it accordingly. 
2 | Sandwich the Pom Pom Trim - Usually, when preparing to sew a pillow cover you place the front fabric on top of the back fabric with right sides together. When you're adding trim however, you need to sandwich the trim in between the layers of fabric. So, lay the backside fabric right side up, lay the trim along the edge, and then lay the front side fabric right side down on top of the trim and backside fabric. 
Then carefully pin the edges of the fabric together with the pom pom trim sandwiched in between. 
It will feel awkward doing this, but it's the only way to properly add trim to a pillow cover. 
Once it's pinned together, if you open up the layers of fabric, you'll see that it makes sense to do it this way. You'll also see there's a part of the trim you don't want to show on the finished pillow cover, so make sure to sew it in such a way that it's hidden. 
3 | Sew Each Side - Next, carefully place the pinned side of the pillow under your sewing machine's presser foot and sew down the side. 
Then open the fabric layers to ensure that only the pom poms are showing instead of the part of the trim that the pom poms are attached to. If you find that you missed a few spots, simply sew a new hem along that side a little closer to the trim. 
This is how each side should look finished...only the pom poms showing. 
Next, you'll repeat the above step on the opposite side. 
4 | Sew Top Side - After that, you'll sew the top side closed. Make sure the right sides are together so it looks like this when turned right side out. 
Normally I add a zipper to the bottom of every pillow cover, but with this one, I don't need a zipper. I won't ever take this cover off to wash it, and I'm not worried about being able to change the cover out for something different. This was a personal decision on my part. Feel free to add a zipper if you prefer and know how to. 5 | Add Pillow Insert and Sew Closed - After stuffing your insert into the cover, you'll want to pin the bottom hem closed so it's easier to sew. Holding a pillow under a presser foot to sew down a hem is bulky and awkward, so pinning your hem makes it easier. 
Like I said, this part is a bit awkward, but if you have the bottom pinned together, you should be able to just place it under the presser foot and sew down that side. 
Try to make this as inconspicuous as possible. You don't want a big, visible hem on your pillow. 
This is what the pom pom pillow cover should look like when you're finished. 
I just love how the oversized pom pom trim adds so much visual interest and texture to an otherwise nondescript pillow cover.
There were so many lengthy and challenging DIY projects involved in Hannah's room makeover, like her box pleat bed skirt. So the fact that this pom pom pillow was easy but high impact was a total win in my book. And bonus...it's neutral enough to work in any room of the house if Hannah ever gets the itch to change up her pillows (but she better not). So tell me, have you ever made a pillow cover? I'd love to see your version of this pom pom pillow if you make one. Until next time...happy sewing!