make a cozy pillow cover!

when i started this blog waaaay back in 2012,

i used the tagline 'fast, cheap & easy' - a LOT.

it's a big part of how my projects evolve -

based on my 45+ year career as a retail display designer & stylist.

in my profession, things aren't made to last forever - just a season.

that's a big part of why i use and RE-use elements & materials in my projects!

by doing that, i can avoid having even more stuff in storage bins than i already do

and i can have fun finding new ways to use everything i have on hand.

THIS 'fast, cheap & easy' project came about in the funniest way - 

continue reading to find out what i used and how easy it is to make!

do you know what this is??? it's a rug. a bath mat, actually!

the thick soft cotton yarn is very similar to the loopy yarn i've been using lately,

so as i was picking up the bath mat from the guest bathroom floor

(after an unplanned post-Christmas visit from my daughter and her hubs

who had been stranded in San Diego by Southwest flight cancellations)

i dropped it onto the pile of towels.... and it looked like a pillow.

a cozy soft yarn-y pillow, perfect for winter.

so i washed it, then played with it in my studio!

here's how i turned it into a pillow sham:

i laid the bath mat upside down on my worktable, then sat a pillow on top.

if your pillow is small enough, you can wrap the bath mat around it.

this pillow is smaller than the mat, but too big to wrap IN the mat...

so i grabbed another one (from my own bathroom)
and placed the second mat on top of the pillow.

once you've got your pillow covered by the bath mat(s),

use some binder clips to hold the edges in place.

then you can choose to close the edges in several ways:

* low-temp hot glue (easily removable later)

* hand-stitching with heavy cotton or poly thread (use a curved needle!)

i knew that MY pillow sham was just going to be used for a few weeks this winter,

so i used low temp hot glue to secure the edges - they'll easily come apart

when i am ready to put the bath mats back in the bathrooms.

if you're making one, i'd suggest you get NEW bath mats ;) 

(consider mine the 'prototype')

you can find them on Amazon (not an ad)

paired up with the loopy yarn wreath from a recent post,

they evoke winter perfectly!

related content:

cozy yarn-wrapped winter wreath

cozy yarn-wrapped candle vases

shared online:

funky junk interiors | new upcycle ideas #662

creatively beth | creative crafts linky party #130

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