DIY Corduroy Fall Leaf Pillow

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When you cannot find the perfect Fall Leaf Pillow, just make your own! Make it a thrift upcycle too!

It’s my favorite time of the month, Thrift Upcycle! This month I made a fall leaf pillow and can’t wait to share the details with you.

I know it seems like I always say this is probably my favorite upcycle but it’s because I love them all. Have you seen the price of beautiful fall pillows? They are gorgeous but a little too pricey for me so I knew I was going to make my own. We love our new fall leaf pillow in the den!

The Rules:

• Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
• There’s no monthly theme.
• There’s no budget to stick to.

Meet the Hosts

Amanda | Domestically Creative Michelle | Our Crafty Mom
Victoria | Dazzle While Frazzled Pili | Sweet Things Debra | Shoppe No. 5
Chelc | Inside the Fox Den Jeannee | Centsably Creative Michelle | Michelle James Designs
Molly | Just a Little Creativity Angela | Simply Beautiful by Angela
Marie | DIY Adulation Denise | My Thrifty House Lindsay | Crazy Organized
Florence | Vintage Southern Picks Shirley | Intelligent Domestications

Make sure you follow our board on Pinterest for more upcycled decor inspiration!

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SUPPLIES

• 1 Thrifted Brown Corduroy short skirt
• Matching thread
• Velcro
• Small piece of fall print fabric
• Travel Pillow Insert 14×20
• Heat Bond
• Leaf pattern

Do you ever look through the clothes at the thrift store just for the purpose of using them to upcycle? That is how I came across this brown corduroy skirt which I knew would make a fun fall pillow cover. Several years ago I picked up some plaid shirts while thrifting and made these four upcycle projects.

Let’s just be honest. I made up the how-to for this upcycle project as I went along. Isn’t that just the most fun, especially with a sewing project! That is really pretty much what we all do with crafting projects, isn’t it! It’s the most fun!

The first thing I did was to cut the seams apart because, I don’t want my pillow to be quite that large and the skirt flares at the bottom ever so slightly which I really didn’t want for my pillow. 

Then I sewed a deep hem on both sides of the skirt. To match them I simply laid one on top of the other and matched the depth by pinning. If there is one thing I have learned while teaching myself to sew, it’s pin, pin, pin!

The deep hem is going to become an attractive bottom edge of the pillow when we close the opening.

Then I focused on closing the top of the skirt which is a banded waist with buttons. I put the skirt into my machine to see how much edge was there for sewing. I decided to remove the top two buttons on the waist and sew close to the edge of the band. This created sort of a gusset  and I love the look on the finished pillow.

The next thing I did was to trim the sides just a bit. I wanted to remove the flare at the bottom. To achieve this, I laid the two pieces together and simply trimmed the excess which extended beyond the narrow end of the skirt. In this case, the excess which squared up the skirt a bit was from about midway down. Then I placed right sides together, pinned and sewed the two sides back together.

Velcro strips make bottom closure super easy for the Fall Leaf Pillow Cover. Now I can remove my pillow insert after fall and use it for another seasonal pillow. My new fall leaf pillow is machine washable so I just wash, fold and put on the shelf with my growing collection of pillow covers.

Making an applique is always easy and kind of fun too. Did you see this monogram upcycle blue jean bag I made?

For my fall leaf pillow, I layered the fabric, Heat Bond and pattern and pinned it all down. Then I cut the three layers out. Next I removed the paper leaf carefully leaving the Heat Bond in place on the fabric. Follow instructions for Heat Bond to attach the glue portion to the fabric. Then iron the leaf in place on the center front of the fall leaf pillow cover.

I plan to trace the paper leaf pattern onto cardboard, aka the back of a cereal box. Then I can simply trace around it onto the fabric and Heat Bond in the future so no need to cut out three layers.

Originally, I intended to make a pillow insert using an old t-shirt and pillow stuffing but I realized a 14×20 travel pillow insert would probably be perfect and it was! 

Don’t you just love traditional fall colors. They are a gift from God and my absolute favorite thing about fall decor. The fall leaf print fabric I used came from my fabric scraps. I originally used it to make this mantle banner several years ago. So glad to be able to find a use for the scrap!

Does corduroy scream fall to you too? I think I need to make one more fall pillow just because I have that leaf pattern and want to use it again. I am currently working on decorating my new home for fall and looking forward to sharing the pictures with you soon. In the meantime, take a walk through our fall home tour from last year. But first, please scroll down and visit the seasonal thrift upcycle projects from all of our talented makers!

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And now for more seasonal thrifty DIY ideas, check out what my fellow upcyclers created below!

Thanks to Amanda of Domestically Creative for always doing a fabulous job organizing this event!

We enjoy partying with these blogs!

More Fall Decor Inspiration

DIY Fall Burlap Napkin Rings

Farmhouse Style Fall Candy Bar