Mrs & Mrs Pillow Wedding Present

A couple of weekends ago, the hubby and I attended our first same sex wedding. We have quite a few gay friends, but since gay marriage isn't legal in FL, most people tend to travel to get married. This couple did this as well, but also decided to have a ceremony and reception here with their friends. I always like to make gifts for my friends and monograms and dated items are usually great. I love this wedding date frame I made.  However, this wedding was a little trickier since I wasn't sure which date they wanted to celebrate as their anniversary (out of state or instate wedding) and I wasn't sure who's name they would be taking either. I decided to go a different route. I love these burlap pillows that I've been seeing. TJ Maxx has a bunch of them, but I was pretty sure I wasn't going to find one to fit what I was looking for. But, I figured they would be pretty easy to personalize.

I used a 40% off coupon at JoAnn's to buy a pillow form, but you could also use a plain throw pillow you might have on hand. Then you will need a piece of burlap measuring the height of your pillow plus 1 inch and the width of your pillow times 2 plus 5-6 inches.  You want enough fabric for it to cross in the back, but still be able to slide your pillow in.  Plus you want it to have a snug fit.  I did leave extra fabric for the height so that I could sew first and then trim later, in case of unraveling.

I chose to stencil my pillow before sewing it.  Measure out your material so that you are marking in the middle.  I placed a piece of paper of paper behind my stencil area to catch the extra marks.  To make my stencils, I printed out my words and & symbol from Word onto card stock working with it until I got the size and look I wanted.  I used a craft knife to cut along the outline, removing the printed inside, creating my stencil.

Using a silver permanent marker, I traced the inside of my stencil on the middle front of my fabric.  I placed any cut out pieces back in place and traced them in too. Then I colored in the rest of the & symbol. Next, I measured where I wanted to stencil in my two Mrs.  Make sure they will be the right size for your pillow face. Trace the inside of the Mrs. stencil with a black permanent marker.  Mine was overlapping my & symbol.

Now that your pillow design is complete, it is time to sew your pillow. If you didn't measure your fabric before, now is the time. 

Time to fold your material and mark for sewing. Fold the edges of your long pieces to the back, turning them under about an inch. Stitch your hems.  Now fold these pieces over on to each other, overlapping them a few inches. Your design should be on the inside, wrong sides out. Measure to make sure your size is correct. Adjust your overlap to make it fit. I pinned my sew line on the top and bottom seams, but you could also mark it with a pencil. Sew along your seams and trim your extra material. 

Turn your pillow cover right side out, making sure to push out the corners. Slide your pillow in the opening in the back.  You may have to squish it in a bit, but it will fill out once you get it in there. Now your throw pillow is ready for your couch or bed!  Don't want two Mrs?  This idea would be great for any word or saying.