HOW TO Turn a dress shirt into a pillow sham

Here’s my first video tutorial! In it I show you a quick and super easy way to give your well-loved button-up shirt a second life as a comfy throw pillow. I hope you like it. Now go make some throw pillows!

Supplies

dress shirt
pillow or pillow insert (should be slightly smaller than your shirt)
scissors
pencil or chalk
pins
sewing machine or sewing needle
thread

Instructions

Button up shirt around your pillow
Position your pillow on the shirt
Mark up your shirt
Pin your shirt and cut out the sham
Sew all the open edges
Finally, unpin, unbutton, stuff the sham, and rebutton the sham

Useful tips

You can also use women’s blouses. Try large, bright prints and different fabrics that can complement your specific decor.
Bey, an artist from Barcelona, says the button side of the pillow may be a little uncomfortable, but all you have to do is turn the pillow over. The buttons make it easy to change the cover whenever you want.

I made a colorful pillow from a woman’s silk blouse.

I snuggled two of my pillows together on the couch next to my Sefte throw.

If you saw me one The Nate Berkus Show and you’re wondering how to make the patterns, sit tight. I’ll be posting a tutorial on design techniques you can use to come up with original patterns of your own, and show you how to render them on the pillows.
Check back for the tutorial.

A gingham shirt pillow made by Bey includes a charming patch.

Merike

July 24, 2017 at 10:34 am

I want to give this a try but I’m interested is keeping the collar on any ideas on how to close the neck opening without compromising the shape of the pillow? Thanks!