DIY's & Tutorials

DIY Leather Pillow Covers (a Pottery Barn Knockoff)

A few weeks ago, I was perusing through the Pottery Barn fall catalog and loving almost every item on every page.  Pottery Barn has such beautiful style and decor, I can get lost in their catalog for hours.  Anyhow, one particular item caught my eye, the Pieced Leather Pillow Cover to be exact, and I immediately wanted it in my house.  The leather pillow covers were gorgeous and I was already picturing their rich tones and beautiful textures in my living room.  Then, I saw the price.  There was no way I could justify spending that much money on 7 pillow covers, even if I really wanted them.  After being disappointed and some mild pouting, I realized I could sew them myself.  So after some quick measurements and a trip to Hobby Lobby for fabric, I made these beautiful pillow covers for my home.

 


DIY Pottery Barn Knockoff Leather Pillow Covers

Materials

  • faux leather home decor fabric (I used the Brown Saddle Faux Leather and Caramel Faux Leather fabrics from Hobby Lobby.  The amount of fabric you need depends on the pillow size and number of pillows.  For one 20″x20″ pillow, I used 3/8 yard of home decor fabric that was 55″ wide.)
  • thread to match fabric
  • scissors
  • straight pins
  • sewing machine

Instructions

  1. Cut out the front fabric piece the same size as the pillow.  (I cut out a 20″x20″ fabric square.)
  2. Cut out two pieces to make the back of the pillow.  The width will be the same size as the pillow.  The length will be the size of the pillow plus 6″ then divided in half.  (My pillow measured 20″x20″.  I cut out two pieces that were 20″ wide by 13″ long.  20″ plus 6″ is 26, then divided by 2 is 13″.
  3. Faux leather fabric does not fray so only one fabric edge needs to be hemmed.  Take one of the back pieces and lay right side facing down.  Fold up a 1/4″ flap along the width side of the fabric and pin.  Sew a straight seam down the middle of the fold to make a hem.
  4. ***This step is optional.*** To get the “pieced leather” look on the front of the pillow cover, draw a middle line down the length and width of the backside of the fabric.  Using the Ladder Stitch option on the sewing machine, sew down the marked lines.
  5. Place the front fabric piece right side up.  Lay the hemmed back piece, right side down, on top of the front piece.  Lay your second back piece, right side down, on top of the other two.  Pin all 3 pieces together, overlapping the back two to form a flap.
  6. Sew around all four side of the pillow, using a 1/4′ seam allowance.
  7. Turn pillow cover right side out.  (I like to use the eraser head of a pencil to push the corners out completely.)
  8. Insert a pillow into the brand new luxe leather pillow cover.

 


I use these pillow cover sewing instructions for any type and size of pillow cover I make.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and Happy Sewing!