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How to Dress Up a Plain Pillow in an Instant (with Free Printable!)

by on Jul 8, 2020

Pillows. I could own a hundred and still want more. It’s getting to the point where I can’t justify buying more pillow covers when I already have so many, so I thought I’d satisfy my addiction by making one instead. Not only is it way cheaper, I also got to try out heat set vinyl for the first time – win!       

Pillow with heat-set vinyl decals

I’m pleased to report that iron-on vinyl is super easy to work with and the end result looks fantastic if I do say so myself. Best of all, you don’t need any special tools to use it! If you’re in the mood for a nice and easy crafternoon project, get yourself some vinyl and let’s get making.

Pillow with funky vinyl details

Materials

Materials needed for this project

 

Step

Vinyl pillow project | Step 1

Download the leaf template and print it out onto copy paper. Then cut out each of the leaves.

Step

Vinyl pillow project | Step 2

Using the template as a guide, trace around the leaves onto the back of your vinyl.

Handy tip! I used regular heat transfer vinyl for this project, but if you happen to have printable heat transfer vinyl then you’re way ahead of the game. Just print the leaf template straight onto the vinyl and skip to Step 3!

Step

Vinyl pillow project | Step 3

Cut out your vinyl leaves with a pair of scissors.

Step

Vinyl pillow project | Step 4

Arrange your leaves on the pillow cover. Play around with the layout until you’re happy with how it looks.

Step

Vinyl pillow project | Step 5

Cover your leaves with some baking paper and use an iron to fix them in place. Make sure you refer to the manufacturer’s instructions when ironing your vinyl, as different products will need different iron temperatures and times.

Step

Vinyl pillow project | Step 6

Peel off the backing to reveal your finished design. Again, make sure you refer to the instructions that came with your vinyl – you’ll be able to remove the backing from some vinyls while still hot whereas others need to cool down first.


That’s all there is to it! I’m tempted to make more of these pillow covers because they were so very easy… the only question is how do I explain the influx of pillows to my husband?

A pink pillow with funky black vinyl decals

Vinyl pillow DIY
Share this project on Pinterest!

 

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