Sew a Pillow Front From Selvage Pieces

The printer’s marks and text on fabric selvage pieces really attract me for some reason. I started collecting cut-off selvage ends from fabric projects and when I had enough I decided to make a pillow front to attach to a canvas pillow blank. Such a pillow makes a great keepsake for someone who sews because the selvage pieces and colors will remind you of past fun projects. – says Carolyn Hasenfratz.

Here’s what I used to make my cushion:
Canvas Corp 14″ canvas pillow cover
Strip of natural burlap fabric
White fabric
Assortment of selvage pieces
14 x 14 inch pillow form
Sewing scissors, Pins, Ruler, Pencil, Needle, Thread

Cut a piece of white fabric 14 x 14 inches. Using a pencil and a ruler, draw lines on the fabric at 1 inch intervals.
These are a visual aid to help you keep the strips of fabric lined straight across up as you work your way down.

Lay a strip of fabric across the top and pin it in place. Hand sew it to the white backing fabric.
I used a variety of thread colors and weights to add more color. Add a second strip below the first and sew in place.
Continue until the whole 14 x 14 inch piece of fabric is covered.

Here is a close up of several strips sewn in place so that you can see how I overlapped some of the fabric strips.
You may or may not want to overlap depending on which part you want to visible.

When you get halfway down the front of the pillow, pin a 2 inch wide (after edges have been folded over) strip of burlap across the front.

Sew a selvage strip down the middle of the burlap strip, then continue sewing strips down the front until the whole piece of white fabric is covered.

Turn the fabric over and make a hem around all four edges. Pin in place then secure hems by sewing in place.

Lay hemmed piece face up on pillow cover front and pin in place. Sew three horizontal lines across the front – one across the middle first then two more 1ines 1/4 from the top and 1/4 from the bottom.
Then sew one more time all the way around all four edges.

Insert the pillow form inside the pillow cover and trim off any loose threads. You’re done!

Carolyn Hasenfratz
blog and Instagram

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