Freebie Lettered Pillow Cover Templates

I like to change the color scheme in my living room now and then and the first thing I do when the mood strikes is sew new pillow covers.  The inspiration of my color change- my Tolix chair.   I was also inspired by antique grain sac pillows.  My modernized pillows have the same comfortable, homey feel. To my surprise, they have pillows similar to my homemade version at Pottery Barn but I think making it yourself will add more personality to your space. I found a great quote on-line and the definition of the word JOY from my iMac dictionary and used Microsoft PowerPoint to design the image. I was amazed at how easy it was to make these.  For you it’s going to be even easier because I have included  free printable templates. All you have to do is print them out on transfer paper and iron them on.

What you need:

• Canvas fabric.  I used the softer cotton canvas, not the heavy duty ones. They tend to be too stiff. Here’s a great link on how to sew easy envelope back pillow covers.
• T-shirt transfer paper.  Go to your local craft store. They usually come in ten 8 1/2 x 11 sheets in a 10 pack.

Click on the image above or below for the free printable template. Transfer paper requires that you print your image in the mirror setting.

If you want to place a letter in the center (see picture above), simply print another sheet of transfer paper with just the letter.  The font above is Zapfino and the size 150. Size of the letter will depend on your pillow size.  Cut out the image leaving about 1/8 inch border. I cut out each section or sentence (see picture above).  The goal is minimize the amount of blank transfer paper on your pillow.   Place the cut image on the pillow face down and play around with the placement prior to ironing.

Once you’ve got everything where you want it, iron one section at a time. Follow ironing direction for your transfer paper.

And voila!  I’m now thinking I should have made the ‘S’ a tad smaller but that’s okay.  My six year old thought this was the coolest project -seeing the words print out backwards then seeing the final image on the pillow facing correctly.  His exact words: “That’s amazing!”