9 1/2 Inch Square Checkered Pillow

Today, I will be showing you how to make a 9 1/2 inch by 9 1/2 inch pillow. You will sew fabrics together to create the 4 squares on the front of the pillow, so it isn't just a single color/ design on the front. The pillow will be nice for younger kids to use, or just decoration for a bed or couch. It is fun and easy to make!

Some of the steps might some long or wordy, so if they don't make sense, look at the pictures. When I say crease when sewing the fabric together, look at the pictures if you are confused.

To make the pillow you will need….

• 2 Different Fabrics
• Thread
• Something to mark the fabric with
• Scissors
• Something to measure with (measuring map or measuring tape)
• Pins or clips to hold the fabric
• Iron/ Ironing board
• Sewing Machine

Start out with cutting 4 5 inch by 5 inch squares, 2 from each fabric.

Then cut a 9 ¾ inch x 9 ¾ inch square for the back of the pillow. You either want to cut this out of the material you have the most of or the material that you like the most.

(You can make the sizes bigger, but make everything bigger in the same proportions)

Iron all the pieces so you don’t have any wrinkles/ creases in the fabric, making it easier to pin and sew.

To make a checkered pattern start off with laying all 4 squares in front of you in the way you want it to look.

Then, fold over the top two pieces to the bottom two so that the “good” sides are facing each other.

Pin, or clip, the tops of the two that are facing each other together.

Sew those together.

Open up the fabric, and iron the crease down so that it is easier to sew the pieces together.

You then want to relay the fabric in the way you want it to look.

Then overlap them, just like before with the “good” sides facing each other.

Pin, or clip, the two sides together, and sew them together.

Iron the crease again, so that you form a flat ‘X’ or cross on the fabric.

So the pillow has two sides you must….

With the bigger piece of fabric (one non-sewed yet), laying it down on a flat surface with the “good” side facing you.

You then want to put the 4 squares that you just sewed together, on top of it, with the “good” side facing downward, or the sewed parts facing you.

Pin, or clip, all the way around, leaving about a 3 inch opening hole on one of the corners, making sure to mark it clearly.

Sew all the way around, leaving the hole open at the top.

Because at the moment you are looking at the inside of the pillow, you need to flip it around.

Start off with cutting all the corners, but make sure not to cut the stitching.

Pull the fabric through the hole, and using a pencil or a pen that you used to mark to push the corners outward.

If you want, you can iron right here, but you do not have to.

Using the hole at the corner, add stuffing. The amount of stuffing you put into the pillow will make it either more or less fluffy.

You are almost there. You just have to finish this last step. There is a hole at the top that you need to close, or stuffing will come out. You can do this by….

Using a needle that you hand sew with, thread it, put the needle in the middle, and tie the two ends together.

Starting on the seam where there is no corner, hand sew going towards the corner. Try to make it blend in with the fabric and the other stitching as possible. Try using a color of thread that is similar, if not exactly the same as the fabric you are sewing on.

At the corner, try sewing in the same spot a few times to close it up.

Now you have a fun, new pillow to use!