DIY Bright Side/Monday Side Pillow

I am officially warning you to prepare yourself for lots of DIYs concerning pillows. When I decided to be a small child and go for a day bed in my college room, my dream included all the decorative throw pillows. And thanks to Christmas this past year, that dream is slowly being realized! But now that is has begun, the momentum is crazy and I am prepared to face my hatred of sewing in order to make my pillow dreams come true! Do you dare to face the beastly sewing machine with me? (Or maybe you don’t dislike sewing. Then, you are a better crafter than I.)

This pillow is reversible, and says “Bright Side” on one side, and “Monday side” on the other, because I sometimes have difficulty seeing both sides at once. But you know what they say—Look on the bright side! (Even on Mondays.)

You will need:

1/2 yard black cotton fabric

1/2 yard white cotton fabric

White glitter fabric sheets (2) (found at Hobby Lobby by the felt sheets & pompoms)

Gold glitter fabric sheets (2)

Computer (optional)

Cardstock

Pencil

Scissors

Fabric glue (I used Aleene’s Fabric Fusion because it doesn’t have to be ironed and comes in a nifty pen-type bottle)

Sewing machine, fabric scissors, a needle and thread

Step 1

In a word processing program, format your phrase so that one word fits each entire page width wise or use this premade template! Print on cardstock.

Step 2

Cut out the letters and trace each word IN REVERSE on the back side of the respective glitter sheet with a pencil (the words “bright side” in gold and “Monday Side” in white). Cut the letters out of the glitter sheets using regular scissors. This medium is bendable like fabric vinyl, so cutting around the letters and even in their centers is surprisingly easy. You can clean up the edges with a craft knife if you think you need to.

Step 3

Iron and cut a 17” square out of each color of fabric. Lay out the letters, and adhere with fabric glue, focusing on the pointy ends of the letters most. To match the spacing and placement of the letters, glue the white letters onto the black pillow first, cover with a piece of wax paper, and place the white piece of fabric on top. You should be able to see through the white fabric to space and glue the gold letters to it in a similar manner. Let dry completely.

Step 5

Pin the fabric right sides together, and sew up with a sewing machine or running stitch, leaving a 1/2" seam allowance, except for a small section on the bottom edge of the pillow. Snip the corners sthat they fold nicely inside. Turn the fabric right sides out, stuff liberally, and stich closed by hand with a slip stitch.

If you want an elephant pillow, try this tutorial and upsize the pattern! (My sister made it for me!)

In case you can’t tell, I really appreciate punny wordplay type-of-things, and this was a really fun way for me to incorporate that nerdy love! If you don’t want to go through cutting out the letters, you could also use iron-ons or paint instead, but I’m just a little too picky with my typefaces, sparkles, and formatting for that.

Are you convinced I’m obsessed with pillows yet? Anyone share that obsession?

Stay lovely,

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