Easy DIY Christmas Pillow Without a Zipper

It’s that time of year again when we start getting ready for the holiday season. Incorporating decorative holiday pillows is a great way to prepare for the Christmas season and add comfort and style to your home. Decorative throw pillows are trendy and can make a room feel warm and cozy – which is perfect for this time of year.

So get into the Christmas spirit this holiday season and create your own cute Christmas pillows. Pillows are super simple and so much fun to create; just about anyone can make them. These decorative Christmas pillows will help to jazz up your home and possibly change the look of any room. So check out this easy step-by-step guide on how to DIY Christmas pillow covers.

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How to Choose the Best Fabric for Pillowcase?

It’s important to know what type of fabric is needed. The kind of fabric you choose will make or break your pillow outcome. So for best results, try to pay close attention to the fabric’s weight, content, and width. What you plan to do with the pillow will determine the quality of the fabric material you choose. The good news is there are plenty of fabric materials you can choose from to make your perfect Christmas pillow.

Cotton – There is also outdoor-specific cotton that is resistant to moisture, heat, and other chemicals. Excellent for areas that may get a lot of wear and tear.
Cotton Linen Blend – Cotton linen blend is a great fabric material for upholstery and decorative pillows. Cotton linen is widely available and comes in many beautiful prints and patterns. It is a good fabric that is relatively low maintenance, durable, and easy to clean.
Velvet – Velvet fabric may give your pillow a lavish look and feel, adding instant warmth to any space. Velvet is soft and lovely to the touch on your skin which makes for amazing Christmas pillows. It is available in rich, healthy colors that do not stretch or fade.
Faux Fur – Fake fur is the closest thing to real fur in terms of how it looks and feels. This fabric would make a fun pillow. The material is breathable and resistant to tearing.
Wool – Wool is hypoallergenic and durable – most wool materials have a rich texture. This fabric will help your own pillow covers hold their shape over long periods.

Again, the fabric you choose will depend on your goals. For this DIY project, I wanted to create simple cute pillows that could seamlessly fit into my home decor, so I went with fabric that stood out with its rich colors. I chose a plaid fabric cotton blend for a small pillow and a solid red fabric color for an oversized euro pillow. Both the red throw pillow cover and the plaid pillow will fit perfectly with my Christmas decorations and coordinate well with my home. The plaid fabric is a classic pattern that brings the holiday spirit to your humble abode.

Where to find fabric?

Fabric can be found at any local arts and craft store or online. Fabric.com, MoodsFabric.com, and Spoonflower.com are some of the online leaders in the fabric materials world. However, if you prefer to go into a store or need something you can feel and touch, check out Hobby Lobby, Micheals, JoAnn Fabrics, Pottery Barn, or West Elm. All these stores have a wide selection of fabrics to choose from. The particular fabric I purchased was from a local fabric store, so it is unlikely to find the extra fabric online.

How to DIY Christmas Pillow Cover

This DIY guide will provide the steps needed to create a standard-size plaid pillow without a zipper (also known as an envelope pillowcase) that is perfect for the holidays.

Supplies Needed

1 yard of your favorite fabric
Matching color thread
Pillow form insert
Sewing Measuring tape
Sewing Machine
Scissors
Pins
Iron (not required but nice to have)

Step 1 – Measure your pillow form insert.

Use the measuring tape to measure the pillow insert to get an exact measurement of the pillow cover size you will create.

Step 2 – Cut the fabric.

Cut one piece (or panels) of fabric one inch longer to the pillow insert size. Cut two pieces of fabric for the back – both measuring half the height of the front of the pillow but the full width of the pillow. One inch of fabric was added to the width and height for seam and hem allowance overlap.

The back piece needs to be at least 5-7 inches added to the measurements for the overlap. My pillow inserts measured 16″ x 16″, and therefore I cut fabric pieces at 17″ by 17″ for the front and 17″ x 12″ for the back. This allowed enough coverage for the envelope pillowcase to overlap.

To make things easier, here is a Pillow Cutting Guide that is helpful for measuring and cutting the fabric.

16 x 16 Pillow – Cut 1, 17″ x 17″ Cut 2 17″ x 12″
18 x 18 Pillow – Cut 1 19″ x 19″ Cut 2 19″ x 13″
24 x 24 Pillow – Cut 1 25″ x 25″ Cut 2 25″ x 16″

Step 3 – Sew the back piece of fabric.

Fold a half inch of the back pieces, then sew. You can iron the fabric to keep it down before sewing or use the pins. You will have to do this for both back pieces.

Step 4: Sew the front and back of the fabric

Line up the corner edges of the front piece with both back pieces ensuring they are fully aligned. There will be an overlap of the back pieces where the envelope will be created. Pin everything in place around the fabric. Then Sew the seam on the fabrics together with a straight stitch. Sew around the edge of the fabric. Consider backstitching to ensure the seams are fully intact.

Step 5 – Insert pillow form.

Turn your DIY pillow cover inside out (or right side in) and insert your pillow form into the pillow cover. Make sure to get the corners in the correct placement. Then Fluff your pillow.

If you prefer a more decorative Christmas pillow, you can always decorate the pillow with your favorite Christmas saying, iron-on adhesive embroidery, pom poms, or create a stencil art painted pillow. There are so many different ways to design and decorate your Christmas pillow. I chose to keep it simple because of my home decor style. Next year, I might make a fun Christmas sweater pillow, snowflake pillow, or deer pillow as other fun DIY Christmas pillow ideas.

I hope you enjoyed this simple project. This festive pillow will make a great addition to your holiday decor in the living room or bedroom. They can also make great gift ideas for friends and family.

For more Christmas and holiday inspiration, check out 12 Best DIY Secret Santa Gift Basket Ideas and Easy DIY Adult White Elephant Gift Ideas Everyone will love.

Feel free also to follow me on my social media pages – Pinterest and Instagram or subscribe to my mailing list for other design inspiration and home decor ideas. Good Luck!

Tamara White

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Tamara White is the creator and founder of The Thrifty Apartment, a home decor and DIY blog that focuses on affordable and budget-friendly home decorating ideas and projects. Tamara documents her home improvement journey, love of thrifting, tips for space optimization, and creating beautiful spaces.