May 20, 2020

How To Make A Reading Pillow Cover

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Hi there! Today I wanted to share a tutorial that I made for a very simple reading pillow cover. I saw this idea on pinterest and loved it! It’s a cover that goes over a pillow form, with a pocket on the front that is perfect for storing books inside. This is great for kids who love to read at night! Of course you can also use it for storing other goodies…my grandson likes to keep his binky in his 😉

This tutorial teaches you how to do an envelope backing, which makes it super easy to get the cover off and on without having to deal with zippers. I’ve done pillow covers this way many times with my students; the next tutorial I’ll have to put up is the quilted pillow cover! That is one of my favorite projects to do with my students.

To make a reading pillow cover, you will need 2 prints of cotton fabric (like quilter’s cotton): one for the main pillow, and one for the pocket. In my classes, we have made these pillows to fit 18″x18″ pillow covers, but you can really do any size you want; just adjust your measurements accordingly. Don’t forget to include a seam allowance when you cut your pieces. I always add 1/2″ when making patterns; it’s easier math 😉 For example, if you are making an 18″x18″ pillow cover, cut your square at 19″x19″. That gives you a seam allowance of 1/2″ all the way around. For this tutorial, we are using 18″x18″.

What you need:

1 yard fabric for the main pillow (this includes the back)
1/3 yard fabric for the pocket

How to cut:

Cut 1 pillow front (main fabric), size 19″ x 19″
Cut 4 rectangles for the back side (main fabric), size 11″ x 19″
Cut 2 rectangles for the pocket, size 11″ x 19″

I haven’t had a chance to make this with still photos yet, but I have a full video tutorial that explains what to do. At some point I may update this with still photos that you can see step-by-step, but videos are also great because you can see exactly how it’s done. I hope this video explains it well for you. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments!