Easy to Sew Quilted Minky Pillow | Part 3
This is the last of my 3 part series on how to sew an easy quilted minky pillow.
Minky fabric is not too bad to work with – there is some stretch but it is rather forgiving. I designed 3 quilted pillow patterns that when using similar coloured fabric, all go together nicely.
Part 1 was a simple, colour-blocked pillow. You can find that here.
Part 2 was a simple quilted pattern consisting of 4 squares. You can find that here.
For the third and final pattern, this quilted minky pillow consists of 4 triangles. It is similar to part 2 with the squares – but instead, I used triangles. Again, I used 2 complementary colours – steel blue and cream colour. All the pillow backs are solid cream.
Minky fabric is just not for babies! These soft, cozy pillows are a great addition to your sofa or bed.
Just like the previous 2 pillows, this is an envelope pillow. I find this design to be the easiest to not only make (there is no zipper, no buttons, no snaps), but it also allows you to take the covers off and launder them easily. With kids and a dog, this is a definite must-have in our home.
The formula for the back is as follows: length divided by 2, plus 4. So my pillow measures 20 across. Divided by 2, that equals 10. Then I add 4 and so my measurement is 14. This allows for a bit of overlap to ensure your pillow is completely enclosed.
Supplies
To make this quilted minky pillow cover, you will need the following:
- Minky fabric – your choice of colours/textures
- Sewing machine and thread
- Pillow insert – I used Ikea Fjadrar which is duck filled; you can also get the Ikea Inner which is polyester filled; both measure 20×20.
- Scissors or rotary cutter. If using a rotary cutter, you’ll need a cutting mat too.
- OPTIONAL: Lint roller and vacuum cleaner – Minky makes a huge mess when you cut it! There are bits of fluff everywhere! If you wear a lot of black like me, you’ll need the lint roller to get all the little fluff off of you. I do all my cutting on my living room floor and so I always need to vacuum afterwards.
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The Process to make a Quilted Minky Pillow Cover for a 20×20 Pillow Insert
Make the Front
- Cut a 25 inch square of each colour of the fabric.
Fold each square in half diagonally and cut so that you have 2 triangles.
You should have 2 triangles of each colour – 4 altogether.
- With right sides facing each other, or together, sew one of each coloured triangle together on the SHORT side. You’ve now made a bigger triangle using 2 colours. This is half of the pillow cover (diagonally).
- With right sides facing each other, or together, sew these 2 larger triangles together on the LONG side. This will make your big square.
- You will notice little bits sticking out in the corner from when you sewed the triangles together. Trim these so that it is a square.
Fold each square in half diagonally and cut so that you have 2 triangles.
You should have 2 triangles of each colour – 4 altogether.
Make the back
- cut 2 pieces for the back envelope. Each should measure 20×14.
- For each back piece, fold over 1 inch and sew to make a nice clean edge.
Assemble the Front and the Back Together
- Lay the front piece down on the right side of the fabric facing up.
- On top of the front piece, position the back envelope pieces, right sides together, with the 1 inch sewn edges in the centre.
- There will be overlap – so one of the envelope pieces, you won’t be able to see as it will be underneath the other envelope piece.
- Pin lots! Minky fabric slides around a lot and is not the easiest to work with. Use lots of pins and smooth out as you go. Remember there is a bit of stretch to it as well. Don’t forget to remove the pins as you sew. You will find that it bunches and puckers – just smooth it out periodically.
- Sew a 1/2 inch seam allowance all the way around. This project is VERY forgiving. If you messed up a section, just use a seam ripper to rip that section out and resew. No need to take everything out and start all over. Because of the furry/fuzzy nature of the fabric, tiny puckers aren’t noticeable. Mine is far from perfect, but you’d never know. Once you turn it inside out, no one will see all your sewing mistakes.
- Trim the corners for less bulk and flip inside out.
Insert your Pillow Insert
- It may be a bit snug as the cover is a bit smaller than the insert, remember, but you will see that it plumps up nicely.
- I use the Ikea pillow inserts. They come rolled up like this so when you’re buying a few they don’t take up much space.
This process works for any sized pillow – just adjust your proportions accordingly. Remember each side should match the pillow size exactly to ensure a snug fit. Remember the formula for the back envelope mentioned above.
That’s it! This is the last of the 3 quilted minky pillows. Each one is similar in size and colours, but each is a little bit different. Make 1, 2 or all 3 of these pillows. I’d love to see your versions of them. Please feel free to tag me as #wcoastmom in your photos online or email them to me and I can post them here.
