Pillows are a fun a creative way to decorate many places in your home. From the bedroom to the living room, decorative pillows have become a common way to show off your sense of style and personality. But as some people know, decor can get pricey over time, so many have began down the road of DIY decor projects in the last few years.
Pillows are a super simple and easy DIY project for beginners at sewing or crafting. Since it is basically two pieces of fabric sewn together, stuffed with some filling, it is perfect for first-time DIYers. Sewing can be such a fun experience for people of all ages, and can really allow you to explore your creativity!
So this leaves the question, what is cheaper? Buying your pillows, or making them? While some may find DIY projects to be a hassle or waste of time, others find it an unique chance to create something of their own. For those who love to make their own pillows or decor pieces, price may hardly be a factor. But to those who are on a budget, here is a broken down analysis of what is cheaper, homemade or store bought pillows!
Store Bought Pillows: What You Need To Know
Within crafting and decor communities, there are sometimes disputes about how to get your hands on some of the best decor pieces. Some people prefer to make their own, while some prefer purchasing them from a store. Here is all of the information you need to know to determine what is best for you.
Pro’s To Buying Store Bought Pillows. If you aren’t a very crafty person, buying store bought pillows may be easier for you. Like mentioned before, making pillows is super easy and you don’t need to be talented to make them. But if you like the convenience of simply buying your decor, we’d recommend that you should go for it!
Store bought pillows will also likely be made very well, and will be comfortable to use around your home. Depending on how high end of a brand you purchase from, they will likely use premium material and/or filling. While this is something you can do just as easily yourself (it doesn’t take a professional seamstress to create a pillow) some may like the craftsmanship of a store bought decorative pillow.
Con’s To Buying Store Bought Pillows. As we will talk a little more about below, store bought pillows cost quite a bit. While pillows won’t typically cost you an arm and a leg, they will cost you an average of $25 for a set of two or three.
Another con to buying store bought pillows is finding some that will match a specific theme. If you love to decorate your home with certain colors or styles, finding the perfect pillow for you may be difficult. Something that is great about making your own pillows is that you can pick any material or color you want to decorate your home.
Pricing. The pricing of the average throw pillow will vary, but unless your pillow is extremely extravagant, most store bought decorative pillows will be between $15 and $30. If you search for pillows at thrift shops or online, you will be able to find some cheaper options that are still good quality.
As always, prices will usually vary depending on where you buy your pillows, what style they are, and how many are in the set you are purchasing. If you are considering buying one or two pillows, likely they won’t be more than $15 or $20. If you are buying a larger set of four or more, it will probably be close to $40. Again, this will depend on many things, especially if they are a well known brand.
Like we mentioned before, you can find some awesome pillow options online. If you just want some good quality decorative pillows for your home in a timely manner, buying them would be a good solution for you. In fact, if you are older or not very crafty, buying your pillows online may be the best possible choice.
Homemade Pillows: What You Need To Know
Many people have made their opinion known that making their own pillows is the best way to go. While it may not be for everyone, it certainly has its advantages. Not only is it affordable, it’s also super easy and fun to learn something new! Here is our list of the pro’s and con’s of making your own decor pillows.
Pro’s to making your own pillows. Making your own pillows is so much cheaper than buying your own. Like we said before, store bought pillows with cost on average $25. But you can make your own for as little as $5. Pricing will always depend on a few different factors, so we’ll talk about this more later.
Making pillows is also really easy. If you have been wanting to get into crafting and DIY lately, making pillows is a simple way to introduce yourself to the craft. It is also great for kids or grandkids who like sewing or crafting. This gives you way to spend quality time with your family or friends on a rainy afternoon!
When you make your own pillows, you get to choose your materials and colors. This way if you have a specific theme for your home’s decor, you can choose the best material that will suit your home. What’s so great about crafting and DIY projects, is that you can be in control of what the end result looks like!
Con’s to making your own pillows. There aren’t too many con’s to making your own pillows, unless you ultimately don’t want to make your own. If it is your first time sewing anything , it will take you a little time to figure everything out. If you are willing to take that learning curve, making your own pillows will be a breeze after your first few times.
Also if you don’t own a sewing machine, it will add to your working time. Since pillows are easy to make, you certainly don’t need a sewing machine to make any pillows. Just keep in mind that if you are sewing by hand, it will take a little longer. If you will be working with kids who want to try making their own pillow, sewing by hand may be a good way to introduce them to the art of DIY projects.
Pricing. The price of your home made pillow will mostly depend on where you source your materials. If you buy your material by the yard, you will find that your pillows will be a little more expensive. While it will still be significantly cheaper than any store bought pillow, you can find much cheaper materials when you search for them at thrift stores or use alternative materials.
At the end of the day, a typical 20″ by 20″ throw pillow shouldn’t cost you any more than $10. If you source your materials carefully, you may be able to make them one $5. This will depend on if you decide to install a zipper, make a cover for your pillow, etc.
As you can tell, this is a much cheaper option that is perfect for anyone who wants to decorate their home on a budget or try out a simple DIY craft. If you have children or grandchildren who love to try crafts and DIY projects, trying to make a pillow with them is a great first project for them to try.
Like we said before, the pricing of your pillow will all depend on where you source your materials and tools.
How Do You Make Your Own Pillows?
As mentioned before, making your own pillows are super easy and simple to do. You need very little material, and it takes a small amount of time to make one. Here we have broken down the steps to making your very own DIY throw pillow!
Step One. Find the material of your choice. If you want the very cheapest material, we recommend you search for some kind of material at a thrift store. This will usually be pretty cheap, much cheaper than buying fabric by the yard.
You can also use fabric in the form of tablecloths, fabric napkins, and/or wash towels. These can be purchased much cheaper than traditional fabric and can be used for many different projects. When making pillows you can use just about any material you want, so let your creativity fly!
Step Two. Measure out how much material you want. This is going to depend on how big of a pillow you want. A tradition throw pillow will likely be 20″ by 20″, but some tend to be smaller, such as 18″ by 18″. You will need to cut out two identical pieces of fabric.
When you are measuring out how much fabric you need, make sure you leave a two inch allowance. This way you have clean edges and don’t have to worry about making your pillow to small. This is something you should NOT forget to do.
Step Three. Turn your fabric inside out, and piece the two together will bobby pins. Make sure you leave the two inch allowance. You are going to want to double check everything you have done so far before piecing them together, as fixing mistakes at this point is troublesome.
Step Four. Begin sewing along the edge of your fabric, leaving the two inch allowance. You can do this with a needle and thread, or with a sewing machine. Make sure you pull out the bobby pins as you go. Be especially careful when doing this if you are using a sewing machine.
Go along all four sides of the fabric, pulling out pins as you go. When you are almost done, leave a three inch opening for you to place the filling inside.
Step Five. after you have sewn the sides, and left an opening, take the pillow inside out. Once it is right-side out, you can begin to fill with your filling. Stuff it as much as you like, but keep in mind you will need to sew it shut.
After you fill it, sew the opening shut with a needle and thread. You can easily do this by hand with a running stitch. If you want, you could always put in a zipper instead of sewing a little opening.
Step Six (Optional). If you like, you can repeat steps one through four. This time, make the fabric a little bigger than your original pillow. Instead of filling with fluff, you can use this as a cover for your pillow. Install a zipper for easy removal, and ta-da! You have yourself your very first DIY throw pillow!
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