Throw pillows are one of the easiest ways to add color, texture and style to any room in your home, and it is fun to change them out for the seasons. All it takes is a little bit of ingenuity to create unique throw pillows for your home. Here are some easy throw pillow ideas that you can keep in mind when it comes to buying or sewing accent pillows are:
- Fabric: The fabric you choose should coordinate with your sofa, bed, chair or bench as well as the overall color scheme of the room. Choose floral, stripes, checks, geometrics or solids and mix them up for an interesting look.
- Trim: Next time you decide to purchase ready made pillows at your local discount store, take a close look at the trim details. Inexpensive pillows will have a simple seam while more expensive pillows will have details that include buttons, piping, flounces, appliqués and embroidery. These designer details give pillows personality and provide a custom look for your home.
- Stuffing: You can purchase ready-made pillow forms in many different sizes. They may be stuffed with foam, batting, feathers or a combination of all three. The stuffing you choose depends on both your budget and the look you want. Feather and down is the most expensive but provides a soft and squishy look that many people enjoy. Be sure to choose a feather pillow form that encases the down in muslin to prevent stray feathers from poking through the fabric. Foam is available in many different densities, is usually firmer than feather and springs back into shape.
Now for the fun part: designing throw pillows for your home. Pillows can be made out of many different items.
- Do you have a favorite scarf that you never wear? Back it with a coordinating fabric, add some trim and you have a one-of-a-kind pillow. How about old sweaters, flannel shirts, blankets and quilts that have seen better days? They make great pillows that might even tell a story about your family.
- If you can sew or embroider, you can make custom pillows for any room in your home. Appliqué a monogram onto a special pillow for the bedroom or embroider sentimental comments onto a pillow for a student leaving for college.
- Photo transfers are a fun way to personalize a space. Sew pillows that feature each family member’s picture to use on family movie night. If you have a parent in the military, create a special pillow with their picture on it for the kids to sleep with at night until they return home to make the long absences more bearable.
- Be daring with color and trim. Large ball trim in bright fuchsia adds a feminine touch to a black and white room for that sophisticated teen.
- Use those old buttons you have been saving; just be sure to secure them tightly to keep younger members of the family from swallowing them.
When it comes to creating unique throw pillows for your home, you are only limited by your imagination. Be sure to check out the many fabric manufacturers at Hickory Furniture Mart.
Photo courtesy Canthook.com