Vintage Fabric Pom Pom Pillow

This Vintage Fabric Pom Pom Pillow is so happy and cheerful...it makes me smile! 

And it cost me all of 75 cents to make, y'all.

I made a little challenge to myself last month. I want to hand-make all of our Christmas presents this year. Well, for the most part...I'm not wrapping my brain around how to sew up an Xbox for our teenager, so the kids may luck out on the hand-made portion. But, for all of our relatives and such, I really want to go handmade all the way. I'm trying to start early since the main challenge I'm up against is time. 

This Vintage Fabric Pom Pom Pillow was made for a very special family member. But gosh, I like it so much I may have a hard time parting with it come December. See its tutorial below. AND...it's a part of this month's Thrifty Style Team series! My friends have some goodies for you this month, too.

This series is easily becoming my favorite posting day of the month...so many thrifty ideas. And I love the challenge it brings, too! I've linked all of my friends' projects down towards the bottom of the post.

I'm sure you can see why I'm probably going to have a hard time parting with this vintage fabric pom pom pillow come holiday season. It looks kind of awesomesauce on the couch in our sunroom. Sighhhh. To be completely clear, after photos, I did put it out of sight, way up in my storage closet so I'm not so tempted by it. And so it isn't so "used" come Christmastime.

I've found a new hot spot for budget-friendly fabrics. I'm almost chicken to share it here since a lot of my readers are local friends. But, I'll spill it, y'all. The Hospice Thrift Store over in Belton, Texas has the best little crafter's corner of goodies in the back of the store. And they always have gobs of fabric. GOBS. I bought a full bolt of pin-striped men's suiting fabric for five bucks. I have no idea what I'll use it for. But it was five bucks, so I just couldn't not buy it. On that same trip, I grabbed up this little roll of flannel floral fabric. And it was HALF OFF! So, 75 cents for enough fabric to make two pillows. I already had the pom pom trim on hand leftover from the Pom Pom Drapes I made out of Pioneer Woman tablecloths. And I have pillow forms aplenty. So, my Christmas budget so far is looking niiiiiiice.

The beauty of this fabric? It's totally vintage and fun! The flannel part makes it perfect for the fall and winter months (awesome since it's a Christmas gift). This fabric is from the Joan Kessler for Concord Fabrics line. Concord Fabrics have always been favored by quilt makers. After a little research, I discovered that Joan Kessler was a designer for them from 1975-1995. Her daughter designed for Concord, as well. Joan was well known for her strawberry motifs and floral chintz prints. I was delighted to have stumbled onto this little gem.

I've posted a floppity-jillion envelope pillow tutorials on here, so I don't want to bore you with another one. CLICK HERE to refer to my main Envelope Pillow Tutorial (it even has a nifty size cutting chart for you to use). You will do all of the steps through laying your two back pieces (right sides in) on top of the square piece. Then come back here to pick up the rest of this tutorial (the difference in my regular envelope pillow and this particular one today is the pom pom trim).

After everything is cut and laying together (but before you pin), cut your pom pom trim in four pieces (each the length of your main outer square's edges). Before pinning your entire piece together, you will sandwich your pom pom trim inside the pieces (as pictured above). Make sure your pom poms are facing inward and the flat pieces are to the edges of your fabric so your pins catch them.

Pin around your entire perimeter. It will be thick with the pom pom trim. You may want to consider using a walking foot on your sewing machine due to the thickness of the fabric. I got away with using my regular presser foot, but I did manually turn my wheel across the really bulky parts (the two middle areas where the edges of the envelope pieces meet). You'll just use a simple, basic stitch around the entire perimeter. 

After you have the entire thing sewn together, be sure to clip your corners. I tried really hard to make sure a pom pom was in each corner. Clipping them on the wrong sides will give you a crisp corner...even cuter with the pom pom attached to it.

Then turn your pillow cover right side out. Push out your corners with a dull pointy object (I use the dull side of a cuticle stick)...be careful not to push all the way through. This enveloped part (pictured above) will be on the back of your pillow. The flannel I used lays really well on this pillow...especially the closure. 

Can't beat 75 cents, right? Vintage fabric at its finest, y'all.
I love the bright florals of this...and even better that it's in flannel for the cooler months.

I was slightly wishing I had a contrasting pom pom color on hand, but I ended up really loving how the red came out...they're both the exact same shade of red. Green or blue would have been super fun, but I'm super happy with how it looks. And how cheerful are pom poms on pillows...amiright?

Be sure to check out all of my friends' thrifty posts below.

An InLinkz Link-up

What's your favorite thing to look for when thrifting?

(Mine is certainly fabric!)

Neglect your chores like me and don't miss a thing:

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