How to Cover Precut Foam Pillow Forms
- 1). Cut two 17-1/4-inch squares out of decorator fabric. The measurement accounts for the 16-inch square pillow and 5/8-inch seam allowances on each side. The seam allowance is the distance from the raw edge of the fabric to the seam you will sew with the sewing machine.
- 2). Place one fabric square on top of the other with the right sides of the pieces of fabric facing each other. The right side of the fabric is the side you will see when the pillow cover is finished. With a tape measure, straight edge and fabric marker, draw a line 5/8-inch in from the raw edge of the top square of fabric. The wrong side of the fabric will be facing you and this is the side you will draw the lines on.
- 3). Pin the two pieces of fabric together along one side using straight pins placed about 3 inches apart perpendicular to the edge of the fabric. Make a mark 2-5/8 inches in from each end of the two pieces of fabric you have pinned. These marks represent the points at which the zipper will begin and end.
- 4). Sew the two pieces of fabric together using a regular stitch from the end of the fabric to the first mark using a sewing machine. Follow along the line you drew as you sew. A regular-length stitch is five stitches per inch. Your sewing machine should have a dial that lets you set the number of stitches per inch. When you reach the first mark, stop and reset your machine to a basting stitch. Sew to the next mark. Stop the machine and switch back to your regular stitch length and finish sewing the seam. Take out the pins as you go so your sewing machine needle does not go over them.
- 5). Press the seam flat with an iron. Apply a thin layer of glue from a glue stick to the top side of the zipper tape. Place the zipper along the center of the seam between the two marks and press with your fingers and then with a cool iron. Turn the fabric over so you are looking at the right side of the two squares, which now attach together with a seam down the middle. The zipper is on the other side of the seam between the two marks.
- 6). Attach a zipper foot to the sewing machine and sew around the entire zipper, getting as close to the zipper teeth as you can without catching them up in the sewing. You will sew a rectangle that completely encloses the zipper. When you get to the end of a side of the rectangle, stop the machine, pivot the fabric 90 degrees, and continue sewing. Open the zipper.
- 7). Put the rights sides of the two squares of fabric together and pin around the remaining three sides. Reattach your regular sewing machine foot and sew each side of the pillow cover, removing the pins as you go. Turn the pillow cover right side out through the opening created by the zipper. Insert the pillow form and close the zipper.
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