Tips for Making an Upcycled Pillow

Recently, I've taken to making pillow cases from vintage curtains. I find curtains at vintage shops, ebay, and tag sales. There are a few things that I look for when working with any vintage fabric, not just curtains.

Things to look for when shopping for vintage fabric: 

1. Look out for stains. Make sure the fabric isn't tattered or stained in prime areas. I recently found a BEAUTIFUL fabric that only later did I realize had a light slight stain that would be smack dab in the middle of the pillow case I had envisioned making. Bummer.

2. Look for large curtains. If you buy a small valance curtain or small window curtain, they're typically a similar price to buying one large curtain. I recently bought a boat/villa scene curtain that was on its way out for roughly $5 and its huge. Like, could be a tablecloth huge. I can make a lot of pillow cases out of this curtain and I feel really great that I was able to give it new life. See Photo Below

3. Look out for rotten fabric. A fabric might look great but could be rotten. Fabrics age just like any other material and when stored bad conditions (extreme heat, humidity). When looking at a fabric it can be hard to tell whats okay and whats rotting. My advice: pull it at the corners. Take the corners between your fingers and give it a little tug. If it doesn't feel REALLY sturdy, don't buy it. If you sew with a rotting fabric, it will completely fall apart.

Boat/Villa Pillow Case

4.  Buy funky fabric! Making pillow cases from vintage curtains gives them a second chance at life. I've noticed a trend of fellow vintagers only using vintage curtain fabric that 'look' modern. I love this idea too but I try to push myself outside of the box to find pieces that pique my interest in a different way. For example, I made the below vegetable pillow after finding a kitchen curtain I found intriguing. I then made the back more modern to blend the two styles. This pillow would be great in a kitchen or breakfast nook or for someone who lives near water.

4. Write funky descriptions when selling! Recently, I sold a set of pillows to my friend Chris, a recent medical school graduate, when I ran into him studying for his rotations in a cafe. I had sewn a pillow out of a vintage kitchen curtain and wrote the following description:

Veggie Pillow Front

"Double Sided Vegetable Pillow Cover Made from Upcycled Vintage Curtain. 24"x 24" pillow cover with invisible zipper. Pillow insert NOT included. Pillow inserts can be purchased from local craft store. Easy to clean fabric. One side features green pattern, the other vintage veggies. A great conversation piece. Would look great on a couch or in your kitchen! Everyone needs a kitchen pillow, right?"

Veggie Pillow Back

When he first saw me he yelled, "I need that kitchen pillow!" He read the description! So many times I write things like blogs or item descriptions thinking no one reads them. It was exciting. Since I only had one pillow ready for him, I'm making a second. My next post will be a DIY for  making a 20 x 20 invisible zipper pillow cover.