From bold buffalo check to gingham and tartan, plaid is everywhere this season. I love the way that regardless of the color, it immediately screams “cozy-Christmas right here!” in any space. I couldn’t wait to infuse my own pops of plaid, but soon realized that I didn’t actually have any. And, if I were to add one more pillow to “the pillow closet”, my husband may divorce me. Just kidding! (well, kind of haha). While I don’t have any plaid pillows, I do have a lot of plaid blanket scarves. A LOT. I love seeing them used as throws, and while I am not much of a DIY-er, I thought I could come up with a no-sew pillow cover pretty easily. I improvised as I made my way along, pretending like I was wrapping packages. It was so easy and I love how they turned out; below, I will take you through three different types of blanket scarf pillow covers.
I took a blanket scarf and an IKEA pillow that I had on hand and set to work.
- Lay out the scarf
- Depending on the size of your pillow, fold it in half
- Place your pillow in the center and fold up the bottom and fold down the top
- Fold the corner in as though you are wrapping a gift
- Fold in the other corner to make a point
- Fold toward the center of the pillow, pulling snugly
- Repeat steps 4-6 on the other side
- You can either pin the back or, secure with a bow as I chose to above
The second look I tried was achieved by taking two small lumbar pillows to create one long pillow. One quick trip to the pillow closet and I was set!
After putting both pillows end to end, I followed the same steps as above.
The last scarf I used was actually a new blanket scarf/poncho combo that had cute little toggles. This was the most time consuming (as in 10 minutes instead of 5) but still very simple.
If you didn’t want it fastened with the toggles, you could follow the steps in the previous two instructions. Since I did want the toggles showing, I used this method.
- Fold the scarf into a triangle with toggles facing the floor. They should be about halfway down the triangle on the floor side
- Position pillow on top as show above
- Fold the top flat edge down and the bottom corner up
- Fold the point down at about a 45 degree angle so it resembles the wing of a bird
- Pull the “wing” across the pillow in a taut manner
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 on the other side
- Once you have pulled the second “wing” across, fold down so it looks like the photo
- Clasp both toggles together. You can tuck and blouse your pillow to the aesthetic you like. I pulled the wing down and behind the far right corner
The possibilities are endless, but this is such an easy way to update your pillows without rushing out for more! Also, because winter calls for layers, it’s ok if your pillows don’t look sleek; they should look like they are wearing a little sweater! Which is your favorite style? I would love to hear from you if you follow this tutorial or if you have your own way of updating your pillows!
Kathleen says
December 10, 2015 at 6:03 pmBeautiful! Love this idea!!
Kelley Nan says
December 10, 2015 at 7:29 pmKathleen, thank you! And so easy!
Tamara says
December 10, 2015 at 6:32 pmOk, I just love this. I have no plaid in my home and maybe one plaid shirt! But this is fabulous and I want it! Thank you for this innovative little tip!! I love that last one so much!!
Kelley Nan says
December 10, 2015 at 7:30 pmTam, you are so good, I bet you can white that shirt into a pillow cover in no time!
Tammy says
December 10, 2015 at 7:26 pmI just love all these different ways! Thank you so much for this inspiration! Happy Holidays to you and yours Kelley!! ?
Kelley Nan says
December 10, 2015 at 7:32 pmTammy, thank you! So easy- I’m glad you enjoyed! Wishing you and yours a happy holidays, also!
Keila says
December 10, 2015 at 7:45 pmOh this is just TOOO good!!!!! Thanks for sharing this Kel!
Kelley Nan says
December 10, 2015 at 7:47 pmK, thank you so much for checking it out! I was trying to dip into my creative side a little haha
Bree says
December 10, 2015 at 9:59 pmLove it Kelley!!! So creative and fun and you have some of the loveliest plaid scarves!:)). Feel free to send one or two of them my way when you are done with them;)
Kelley Nan says
December 11, 2015 at 7:43 amBree, thank you! You are so funny- it is too warm to wear them still so on my pillows they will stay!
Gretchen Thomas says
December 10, 2015 at 10:14 pmWhy did I throw that pillow out the other day? It would have been perfect for this! I love the idea and will definitely give this a try. I love every one of your designs!
Kelley Nan says
December 11, 2015 at 7:44 amOh my goodness, you are right! You still have “off-season” pillows you can wrap up! Thank you so much for being such an incredible support.
Homes & Weddings says
December 16, 2015 at 11:48 pmVery nice. Looks easy enough to do. Got to share this.
Kelley Nan says
December 17, 2015 at 9:02 amWonderful! Thank you so much!
Kelley Nan says
December 17, 2015 at 9:04 amThank you! It is so easy and quick to switch a look. Thank you for visiting!
Shauna says
December 17, 2015 at 9:55 amYou are my long lost design partner! Well, you and Bree! I’ve always had in mind to do the same thing with my scarves. Yours turned out fabulous! Love your creativity!!
xoxo,
Vix 😉
Kelley Nan says
December 17, 2015 at 2:45 pmVix- yes! HAHA I just adore you and Bree both; if you do your scarves, I know they will just turn out PERFECTLY! Thank you for visiting with me xo
Diana Metzger says
April 12, 2017 at 11:41 pmWhere are the amazing lamps from! I cannot seem to find them anywhere!
Diana
Kelley Nan says
April 18, 2017 at 11:05 amI found them at HomeGoods 😉