My sewing machine and I have a love-hate relationship, so if I can ever do a fabric-based project in which I don’t have to sew, I’m all over it. Take this T-shirt pillow, for example. No needles, thread or bobbins were sacrificed in the making of this pillow. And that suits me to a T.
What you’ll need:
T-shirt
Chalk marker or pen
Ruler
Scissors
Pillow filler
1. Use a ruler and chalk marker or pen to draw a square on the T-shirt. My shirt was sized extra small, so the square was only 10 inches. Then mark another square that is about three inches larger on each side.
2. Cut along the outer square with scissors, being sure to cut both the front and back of the shirt at the same time. Cut off the corners so you end up with four flaps extending from the inner square.
3. Cut slits in each flap about a half inch apart going up to the line marked for the inner square. Because you’re cutting through two pieces of fabric, you will end up with strips in pairs — a front piece and a back piece.
4. Tie the front and back pieces into double knots. Do this for three sides, leaving one side open for now. The tied strips create a nice fringe for the pillow.
5. Stuff the pillow with polyester batting or pillow filler. You can also use fabric scraps, an old pillow, crumpled newspapers or even bubble wrap. Then tie up the strips on the last side.
Jonathan Fong is the author of “Flowers That Wow” and “Parties That Wow,” and host of “Style With a Smile” on YouTube. You can see more of his do-it-yourself projects at jonathanfongstyle.com.
