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Sewing is one of those things I think most of us can do out of necessity. Some of us were taught by a mother or grandmother who, perhaps, loved to sew; others learned by necessity to pass high school home economics. I was both home-taught and school-taught, and I’m very glad I have sewing in my skill arsenal. But do I like to sew? Not really. Do I have the time to sit down at a machine and make something really great? Unfortunately not.

So, when I saw a no-sew pillow cover project on Pinterest, I clicked. And, lucky for me, the pin led me to a blog called “Organize & Decorate Everything,” which is written by a woman named Leanne—an incredibly organized wife, mom, and apparently a grandma (but I’m not sure I believe that last part)!

Leanne’s project was as easy as she promised. But, I wanted to add something even more special to the pillow…like a monogram. So, friends, I give you my DIY project for this week: a no-sew monogrammed pillow cover!

Here’s a quick tutorial of how you make this…

• First, cut your fabric to size. You’ll need a piece of fabric that’s three times as wide and twice as tall as your pillow—plus a few inches to be safe.


• Then, flip the fabric to the “wrong” side and place your pillow in the middle. Fold the bottom edge of the fabric up over the pillow and the top edge of the fabric down. Carefully flip the pillow over and put a sticky note right where you want your monogram to go.


• Next, do the monogram. You can find iron-on transfer kits at any craft store and every kit comes with specific instructions. Because I wanted to create a custom design, I bought a kit that allows you to create the pattern on your computer and print it on the transfer paper. A note on transfer paper: if your fabric is dark, you’ll want to get dark transfer paper. If it’s light, opt for light paper. Some kits have both light and dark-colored transfer paper included, and those are great to keep on hand for your next project. Before you print your pattern, do a test-print on regular paper first to ensure it looks exactly right—but mirrored. (When you iron it on, it’ll look normal.)


• If you’ve never done an iron-on monogram before, again, it’s a good idea to do a practice run. Then, when you’re ready, place a paper bag underneath your fabric (to protect your ironing board) and make sure your iron is on high. (The steam setting should be off.) I start with a good, hard push right in the center, hold it for 20-30 seconds, then I work my way around the entire edge of the transfer, moving slowly, but keeping the pressure on. Then, go back to the middle and back out to the edges once more to ensure they’re good and stuck.


• After your transfer is cool (which will take a few minutes), flip the fabric over to the “wrong side” again, (the monogram should be facing down) and place the pillow in the center. Refold the bottom edge up and the top edge down. (Hopefully your monogram is right where you wanted it!)


• Next, taper the bottom and top edges on both the left and right sides down and in towards the center (like a package). Then, bring both sides up and tie!

If you’re a visual learner, join me for You're Home with Jill this Wednesday night at 7pm ET and this will all make sense! I can't wait to hear what you think. Are you already making this project in your head? If so, how would you design your own pillow cover?

From my home to yours,
—Jill

P.S. Speaking of ironing, our TSV(R) on Wednesday just so happens to be a great Rowenta iron! Think of all the monogramming you could do!