Guide to Easy Button-Front Pocket Pillow Covers

I have a pair of floor pillows (you know, the gigantic over-stuffed things that you can toss around anywhere) that have definitely seen better days. The problem with floor pillows is that, because you can throw and use them anywhere, the family tends to abuse them. While their stuffing is beautiful and still firm, the fabric covering them is beyond repair. Which is where another problem comes in: you can't exactly wash floor pillows.

Button-front pillow covers can be used on pillows of any size, and when you make them yourself you tailor them to fit the pillow they'll cover. This creates a great, professional decorator look that anyone will be impressed with. Well, anyone except the fiancee who sits directly on the pillow and doesn't notice the difference until the kid points it out ... but we'll forgive him because he's a man who lives much more in his head than in the world, hmmm?

If you have a sewing machine, these pillow covers will take you less than 30 minutes to create. If you're like me, with a lovely but lamentably broken sewing machine, you can hand-stitch them in about an hour, depending on the size of the case.

Cut, Fold, and Mark the Pillow Covers

Your first step is to find some great fabric. Solid colors usually work best, because they'll blend right into any color scheme you've used in your home. If you have a solid color couch, though, you can do the opposite and use a printed fabric to add some jazz to the room. Just make sure that the fabric you choose is machine-washable (these are easy to unbutton and toss in the wash) and sturdy. The fabric I'm using feels like a super smooth satin, but it's much thicker than satin would be and doesn't tend to fray at the edges. What is it? I honestly don't know - it was in the cheap, $1/yard pile at my local department store.