A DIY pillow inspired by the new Magnolia Hearth + Hand line

Oh, new Magnolia Hearth + Hand line at Target, you are adorable.

I ordered a few things this weekend and while I was in the store earlier this week, I saw the whole collection (or at least what was left of it in my store) in person.

One of the items I almost bought was this cute embroidered pillow.

If you know anything about me, you know I have a sliiiight obsession with pillows. I’ve tempered my pillow-collecting habits a lot since moving, but still, a good pillow has the ridiculous ability to make me put it in my cart.

This sweet embroidered pillow almost found it’s way into my cart, but then I had second (rational) thoughts.

First, I don’t need another pillow.

Second, if I do add more pillows to my life, I strongly prefer down-filled inserts. Pillows from Target do not have down inserts and they do not have zippers to replace the inserts. Therefore, I have to cut the opening, pull out the old insert, add a down insert and stitch it back up. I’ve done it plenty of times before, but it’s kind of a pain.

And third, I knew I could DIY this one very easily with things I already had at home.

So cute Hearth + Hand pillow did not come home with me, but yesterday – in just about an hour – I recreated my own version and I love it just as much.

If you’re feeling crafty, this is a great, very simple project to try.

Here’s what you’ll need:

white pillow cover | down insert | black embroidery thread | embroidery needle | scissors | ruler | pencil

I happened to have a white linen-like cover from IKEA and figured it would work perfectly for this project. I usually get my down inserts from IKEA as well, as they are very inexpensive.

Okay, on to how I embroidered the pillow …

STEP ONE: mark out where your X’s will be

I started by putting my ruler diagonally from the bottom left corner up to the top right corner and marking every 3 inches.

From that mark, I measured over 4 inches and made another mark. Then used that second mark as a guide for where the next diagonal line would be.

Here’s a illustration to help explain what I mean:

You could put your marks wherever you like, of course. Mine are not perfectly equal, but that doesn’t bother me.

STEP TWO: thread the needle and knot the end

STEP THREE: Embroider an X

At a mark, make a stitch going up from under the pillow cover and over diagonally about a 1/4″. I just eyeballed the stitches to make them about equal.

STEP FOUR: tie off the thread

You’ll want to trim the ends of the knots pretty closely so that they do not show through the right side of the pillow cover.

Once you embroider all of your X’s, you’ll have this cute pillow.

I added the down insert, zipped up the bottom and my project was complete.

This pillow was a super easy project and gives that same cute look as the Hearth + Hand version.

You could try this with any color combination of pillow cover and thread. Black cover with white x’s? Green and white for Christmas? Shades of pink for your daughter’s room? So many possibilities.

I’m pretty proud of myself for resisting the store-bought pillow and using what I had at home to create my own version. Hope you are inspired to make one of your own, too!

OTHER SOURCES

chair (similar) | check blanket | side table (similar) | mug