DIY Christmas Pillows: 16 No Sew Ideas That Look Like Pricey Boutique Throw Pillows
DIY Christmas Pillows are the fastest way to make a sofa, bed or bench feel ready for the holidays, and none of the ideas here need a sewing machine. Three no sew pillow videos are racing around Facebook this month, one with more than 52,000 reactions, and the reason is simple: a new cover costs a few dollars, takes less than an hour and changes the look of the room. Below you will find eight hands-on projects made with placemats, felt, velvet, pom pom trim, paint and ribbon, plus eight real rooms that show how to style them like a boutique display. These DIY Christmas Pillows start with a plain insert, a glue gun and your favorite holiday colors, so let’s get started..
DIY Christmas Pillows From a Plaid Placemat
This is the trick behind one of the biggest pillow videos of the season. A woven plaid placemat from the dollar store is already hemmed on every edge, so it works like a ready made pillow cover. Fold it around a small lumbar insert, tie the open sides with ribbon and you have a farmhouse accent in less time than it takes to brew coffee. If you love quick wins like this, browse more clever placemat crafts for table runners and coasters. Mix one plaid lumbar pillow with solid velvet and cream knit pillows and these DIY Christmas Pillows get that layered boutique look..
You will need: one large woven plaid placemat, a 12 x 20 inch lumbar pillow insert, 2 yards of red satin ribbon, fabric glue, scissors.
How to make it: 1. Lay the placemat face down and set the insert in the center. 2. Fold both long sides over the insert so they overlap by an inch and glue the seam. 3. Gather each open end, wrap it tightly with ribbon and tie a neat bow.
Pile Soft Neutrals on the Sofa by the Tree
Not every holiday pillow has to shout red and green. This calm living room pairs a full tree with a sectional covered in oatmeal, sage and taupe pillows plus a loose knit throw. The soft palette lets the ornaments and wrapped gifts bring the color, and it stays pretty well into January. Neutral covers are also the easiest to make with the methods in this gallery, and they pair nicely with cozy cottage decor all winter long. Fluff each pillow, give it a gentle karate chop on top and tuck the throw so it spills toward the tree.
You will need: four to six neutral pillow covers in linen, knit and velvet, one large knit throw, a basket or pouf for extra seating.
How to make it: 1. Place the two largest pillows in the back corners. 2. Layer medium pillows in front, mixing smooth and textured fabrics. 3. Lay the throw over one arm and let it fall toward the tree.
DIY Christmas Pillows With a Felt Tree
Felt is the friendliest fabric for no sew projects because the edges never fray. Cut a simple tree with three tiers, glue it to a natural linen cover and dot it with small felt circles in red and gold. A tiny felt star on top finishes it. Kids can help cut the ornaments, which makes these DIY Christmas Pillows a sweet family project. When you are ready to try a needle, our Christmas embroidery ideas show how to outline the tree with simple running lines.
You will need: a plain linen pillow cover, a green felt sheet, red and gold felt, fabric glue, sharp scissors, a paper template.
How to make it: 1. Draw a three tier tree on paper, cut it out and trace it onto green felt. 2. Cut circles and a small star from red and gold felt. 3. Slip cardboard inside the cover, glue the tree first, then the ornaments and star, and let it dry flat for two hours.
Pink and White Pillows for a Soft Holiday Bed
A guest room looks extra welcoming with soft pastels. Here a white iron bed holds floral and ticking pillows next to a pink flocked tree, with wrapped gifts waiting on the quilt. Pink feels fresh and modern at Christmas, and you can make covers in this color with any project in this gallery. For more blush ideas, see our pink Christmas decor roundup. Keep the bedding white so the pillows and tree carry the color, and add one pillow with a fine pattern so the bed does not look flat.
You will need: white bedding, two floral pillow covers, one ticking pillow cover, a pink or white tree, wrapping paper in blush tones.
How to make it: 1. Make the bed with crisp white sheets and a quilted coverlet. 2. Stand the two largest pillows against the headboard and set the ticking pillow in front. 3. Repeat the pink in gift wrap or ribbon so the room feels planned.
Tie a Mini Wreath on the Front
A tiny wreath turns a plain cream pillow into something you would expect to see in a design shop window. Use a 6 inch faux boxwood wreath so it stays fresh all season, and tie it through the cover with a velvet ribbon so it comes off for washing. This is one of the cheapest DIY Christmas Pillows you can make, because a mini wreath costs a dollar or two. If you have leftover fabric, our fabric wreath ideas show how to wrap your own mini rings in plaid or velvet.
You will need: a cream pillow cover, a 6 inch faux boxwood wreath, 1 yard of red velvet ribbon, a large needle.
How to make it: 1. Mark two small points about an inch apart near the top center of the cover. 2. Snip tiny openings at the marks and thread the ribbon through from the back with the needle. 3. Loop the ribbon around the top of the wreath, tie a full bow and trim the tails at an angle.
Use Plaid Flannel for Cabin Warmth
Nothing says cabin Christmas like plaid. The pattern grew from Scottish tartan weaving, where crossing bands of color were woven into wool for warmth, and it still reads as cozy today. Look for flannel shirts, wool scarves or blanket remnants in orange, green and cream for a softer twist on red check. Wool and flannel are thick enough to glue cleanly. Pair plaid pillows with a soft throw from our fleece tie blankets tutorial for a reading chair that begs you to sit down.
You will need: a plaid flannel or wool remnant at least 20 x 42 inches, an 18 inch pillow insert, iron on hem tape, an iron.
How to make it: 1. Cut the fabric 19 inches tall and 42 inches wide. 2. Hem the short edges with iron on hem tape. 3. Wrap it envelope style around the insert with a 4 inch overlap and seal the top and bottom edges with more tape.
No Sew DIY Christmas Pillows in Velvet
Velvet is the fabric that makes a pillow look expensive, and emerald green is the color of the season. The secret is iron on fusible hem tape, which bonds two layers of fabric with heat. Fold a velvet rectangle into an envelope, press the side seams and you have a cover that looks store bought. Use a pressing cloth so the iron does not crush the soft pile. We covered more methods in our guide to no sew pillow covers, but velvet DIY Christmas Pillows are the ones guests always ask about.
You will need: half a yard of green velvet, iron on fusible hem tape, a pressing cloth, an iron, fabric scissors, a measuring tape, an 18 inch insert.
How to make it: 1. Cut the velvet 19 x 42 inches and hem both short ends with tape. 2. Lay it face down, fold the ends in to overlap 4 inches and set tape inside the top and bottom edges. 3. Cover with a pressing cloth, press ten seconds per section, let it cool and turn it right side out.
Add a Star Shaped Accent Pillow
A shaped pillow breaks up a row of squares and adds instant charm. This linen settee mixes a soft star, round bolsters and a chunky throw in creamy neutrals, proving that shape can do the work color usually does. Make a star from two felt or fleece pieces glued at the edges and filled with fiberfill, or buy a plain star and dress it up with ribbon. A star pillow repeats your Christmas tree topper ideas and keeps the theme going from the tree to the sofa.
You will need: two 14 inch stars cut from fleece or felt, fabric glue, fiberfill, a chopstick, a paper star template.
How to make it: 1. Trace the template on both fabric pieces and cut them out. 2. Glue the edges together, leaving a 3 inch gap on one side, and let it dry. 3. Push fiberfill into each point with a chopstick, then glue the gap closed.
Pom Pom Trim DIY Christmas Pillows
Pom pom trim is the fastest way to make a plain white cover look playful. Red and white puffs around the edge feel like candy canes and snow at once. Hot glue the trim tape to the seam on the back side so only the pom poms show from the front. A single spool covers two pillows, so these DIY Christmas Pillows cost about five dollars each. They fit right in with red and white Christmas decor and look great on a kitchen bench or a reading chair in a kids room.
You will need: a plain white pillow cover, 2 yards of red and white pom pom trim, a hot glue gun, glue sticks.
How to make it: 1. Start at a bottom corner and run a thin bead of glue along the seam. 2. Press the trim tape into the glue so the pom poms sit just past the edge. 3. Work around all four sides, easing the trim at the corners, and fold the end under to finish.
Pull Colors From a Holiday Quilt
A patchwork quilt in red and green is a ready made color plan. In this four poster bedroom, a single yellow pillow picks up the gold squares in the quilt, and white shams keep the bed from feeling heavy. Pick two of its smaller colors and make pillows in those shades. The room will look pulled together without matching too much. For more ways to use heirloom blankets, browse our quilt Christmas decor ideas.
You will need: a holiday quilt, two white shams, one or two accent pillow covers in a color from the quilt.
How to make it: 1. Spread the quilt so its border shows on three sides. 2. Set the white shams against the headboard. 3. Place the accent pillow in front, slightly off center, and fold the top of the quilt back to show the sheets.
Stamped Snowflake DIY Christmas Pillows
Stamping is a great choice if you love the look of printed fabric but want custom colors. Cut a snowflake from craft foam glued to a wood block, or use a store bought rubber stamp, and press white and silver fabric paint onto a natural canvas cover. Random placement looks more relaxed than a strict grid. These winter DIY Christmas Pillows can stay out through February. If you need patterns, the shapes in our paper snowflake ideas make perfect stamp outlines.
You will need: a canvas pillow cover, white and silver fabric paint, a snowflake stamp or craft foam and a small wood block, a foam brush, cardboard.
How to make it: 1. Slide cardboard inside the cover so paint does not soak through. 2. Brush a thin coat of paint onto the stamp and press firmly for three seconds. 3. Repeat across the cover, turning the stamp each time, and heat set with an iron after 24 hours.
Raid the Ribbon Bins for Trim
The craft store ribbon wall is a treasure chest for pillow makers. Wired plaid, velvet, metallic and printed holiday ribbons can be glued in bands, tied around a cover like a present or used to close envelope backs. Buy a few extra yards of your favorite, because the same ribbon on pillows, the tree and gift wrap ties a room together. Leftover lengths are perfect for fabric gift bags, so nothing goes to waste. Shop right after Christmas for half price spools for next year.
You will need: three or four ribbons in coordinating colors, fabric glue, sharp scissors, a ruler.
How to make it: 1. Choose one wide ribbon and two narrow ones in the same color family. 2. Measure around your pillow and cut each length with an extra inch. 3. Glue the bands across the cover, wrapping the ends to the back.
Hand Painted Holly DIY Christmas Pillows
Drop cloth canvas from the hardware store is one of the cheapest pillow fabrics around, and its rustic weave is perfect for painting. Sketch a holly sprig in one corner with a pencil, fill the leaves with two shades of green and add red dots for berries. Fabric medium mixed into craft paint keeps the cover soft. Keep the design off center for an artist made look. If you enjoy brush work, try our hand painted ornaments to match these DIY Christmas Pillows.
You will need: a drop cloth pillow cover, green and red craft paint, fabric medium, a fine round brush, a pencil, cardboard.
How to make it: 1. Prewash the cover, slip cardboard inside and sketch the holly lightly. 2. Mix paint with fabric medium and fill the leaves, then add a darker green vein down each leaf. 3. Dot berries with the end of the brush handle and heat set after the paint dries.
Red Throw and Floral Pillows on a White Bed
You do not need a full holiday makeover to make a bedroom feel festive. This teal room keeps its tufted headboard and white bedding, then adds a red knit throw across the foot of the bed and two floral pillows with red blooms. The single red accent ties everything to the season, and it takes seconds to swap back in January. For bigger changes, see our bedroom makeover ideas. Choose a throw in the strongest red from your pillows.
You will need: white bedding, two patterned pillow covers with a hint of red, one red knit throw.
How to make it: 1. Make the bed smooth and tight. 2. Stand the pillows against the headboard and press a soft dent into the top of each. 3. Fold the throw into thirds and lay it at an angle across the foot of the bed.
Ribbon Lattice With Gold Studs
This lattice pillow looks like a pricey boutique piece, yet it is just two ribbons glued on the diagonal. Red satin and gold metallic ribbon cross in a diamond pattern, and small decorative gold studs cover each crossing point. Use a ruler and chalk to keep the lines even. It pairs well with solid red velvet pillows on a cream sofa. Love a patterned pillow with a story? Our needlepoint pillow ideas show another heirloom approach.
You will need: an ivory pillow cover, 4 yards of red satin ribbon, 4 yards of gold ribbon, fabric glue, decorative gold studs, chalk, a ruler.
How to make it: 1. Draw diagonal lines 3 inches apart in both directions with chalk. 2. Glue the red ribbon along one direction and the gold along the other, wrapping the ends to the back. 3. Glue a gold stud at every crossing point.
Black and White Graphic Pillows for a Modern Look
If your style is modern, try black and white for the holidays. This bright living room uses a gray tufted sofa, a geometric black and white pillow and a soft white throw, and it feels fresh next to evergreen boughs or a white tree. Add one pillow in red or green and the look turns festive right away. You can paint a lattice like this with the stamping method above. A white throw from our chunky knit blankets tutorial adds texture without adding color.
You will need: a gray or neutral sofa, one geometric black and white pillow cover, one solid white cover, a white knit throw, one red or green accent pillow.
How to make it: 1. Place the graphic pillow in one corner and the white pillow in the other. 2. Lay the throw over the back cushion. 3. Add the colored accent pillow beside the graphic one for a pop of holiday cheer.
