How to Make Decorative Pillows

In learning how to make pillows, first decide the number of pillows needed. Top interior designers profess that seven decorative pillows are a comfortable number for a sofa. If the fabric of the sofa is plain or muted there is a decorating opportunity for introducing a variety of colors upon the pillows. For a sofa covered in a neutral tone, a rainbow set of throw pillows in red, orange, yellow, green, and blue can be chosen as a grouping. For a green color sofa, consider the nasturtium colors like bright orange, bright yellow, salmon and cherry. A sofa featuring a decided figure or pattern similar to William Morris designs on its covering, looks better when its decorative pillows are quiet in design and plain in color for the richer and more elegant the sofa cover, the less conspicuous should be the pillows. Often just a touch of tatting completes the design, suitable for a unique decorative pillow in a Victorian decorating theme.

Free Decorative Pillow Ideas

The covering for the sofa bears so close a relation to the covers of the decorative pillows that one may never be planned without considering the other. The inexperienced homeowner soon learns that the cost of well-done upholstery work makes choosing durable materials that will last the most economical in the end, and that quiet tones and closely-set patterns blend the best with other furnishings in the overall interior design of the home. Sofas covered with heavy leather, although durable, do not give the measure of comfort that is desired for resting hours, while a sofa less expensively constructed will give more pleasure. The same concept applies to choosing styles of decorative pillows but it is easy to find best pillow ideas. When learning how to make pillows, before the selection of the throw pillow cover is made, the choice of pillow insert or pillow filling should be considered. Also, you should decide how to arrange your bed pillows. Not all pillows are accent pieces for your decorating space. Don't forget the wedding ring bearer pillow or the lace covered Christening pillow.

Throw Pillow Covers

In choosing fabric for decorative pillow covers for the sofa the color, texture and design must be suitable for the room’s environment and the cost should be within the decorating budget. If the start of how to make pillows and choosing fabric is to be made at a store, some definite guide should be taken along in the form of a bit of fabric, ribbon or photo that shows the colors already appearing on the sofa. A hasty choice at a bargain table is certain to fail in making an artistic decoration for the home. You can choose pre-made throw pillow squares, which are sold sometimes for only one side, letting you choose the fabric and color for the backing. You can also download free decorative pillow cover designs to make your own pillow to harmonize with your interior decor. Many Berlin wool purse designs can be incorporated into making a unique period style pillow. If selecting a patterned material by the yard for the decorative pillow covers, enough must be purchased to place the design in the center. This, of course, does not apply to an all-over pattern, but is essential with stripes of varying widths or tapestry designs.

Choosing Pillow Inserts

When considering the various types of pillow inserts  to make throw pillows -- down, feathers, batting or polyester fiber filling -- it is well to understand and determine the position which the decorative pillows are to occupy. For stiff back pillows, firm pillow inserts are better than feathers or down, but the latter are more suitable in other positions. A sofa of the usual length may have three stiff pillows at the back measuring twenty-four inches each way. The decorative pillow covers for these should match, or nearly match, the cover of the sofa. Soft pillows may be filled with down, and the best quality have an interlining to keep the material from pricking its way through. A decorative pillow filled with goose feathers will be of more substance than the down, yet soft enough for comfort. The sizes of the down pillows are eighteen, twenty, twenty-two, twenty-four and twenty-six inches square. The smallest size, when not filled too tightly, makes a good head-rest for a chair with a high wooden back. This little pillow may either be fastened by tapes to the top rail of the chair or laid across and not fastened on. The twenty-two-inch pillow is the best for ordinary use.