Nevermore: A Simple Pillow How To

I am a fan of subtle Halloween decorations, and when Mom texted me some boo-tastic pillows she whipped up, I had to give it a try.  Super easy but very visually effective-- I'm hooked!

You'll Need:  A pillow form or old throw pillow

Canvas:  Quick bit of advice from my Mom-- pick up a few painter's cloths at your local hardware store and keep 'em handy.  You wouldn't believe how useful canvas cloth can be, and you can't beat the price.  Run it through the washing machine and dryer to soften it up and prepare to be amazed how many times you'll find a use for it.

Fabric transfers for your printer.  I had some Avery on hand.  They are sort of like canvas drop cloths, they come in handy.

Design an image (using copyright free images only) on your computer.  I whipped this one up in Word using a few pieces of clipart.  Try out the image by printing it out on regular paper and trying it on your pillow form.  Once you are happy with it, select T-Shirt Transfer on your Printer Properties and print it on the transfer paper, following the guide for your particular brand of transfer.  If you do not have a T-Shirt Transfer option for your printer, be sure to reverse the image before printing it on the transfer!

Use an exacto knife and self healing mat to cut out your transfer.  The goal is to eliminate as much white space as possible without thinning out the transfer too much. The less white you have,  the better the transfer will look!

Now for the pillow form.  Lay it on the canvas, and cut enough fabric to cover the pillow, with significant overlap.  I am sewing an envelope cover, so I can take off the cover easily for washing or storage at the end of the season.

Once I had the fabric lined up the way I wanted it,  I flipped it over to the front side.  I used a straight pin to mark the approximate center of the pillow, to help with positioning the transfer.  

Then I took the fabric off the pillow form and moved it to the ironing board, with the center pin on the widest part of the board.

I set the decal over the straight pin, then removed the pin.

Ironing on the decal was just a matter of following the instructions for that particular brand.  Quick tip: I lowered my ironing board to just below waist height-- it will enabled me to apply even and full pressure on the decal much easier than when the board is at full height!

After the fabric has cooled, I slowly peeled off the back the paper.  

Now I returned the fabric to the pillow form and wrapped it again.  I put straight pins on one side of the cover, then turned it inside out to sew.  

After I stitched up the one side, I kept the cover inside out and set the pillow form on top to check for size and pinned again, then sewed the other side!

I trimmed the excess fabric and clipped the corners, then turned the cover right side out.

I wanted to add a flange type trim, so I sewed about half inch all around the front of the pillow.  After than I slipped the pillow form inside the cover and TA DA!  Easy Peasy pillow!  

The whole thing from start to finish took me less than an hour to complete.  Couldn't be easier, and I love the look!  Thanks for the idea Mom!

What sort  of decorations do you do for Halloween?  Are you Spook-cific, or more Autumn general?