Tutorial: The Perfect Scrappy Rainbow Pillow (it’s easier than you think!)
Learn how to make a cool scrap rainbow pillow. It may look complicated, but this is actually a very simple pillow and an easy way to use up fabric scraps from other sewing projects (or you can upcycle old pieces of clothing you never wear anymore). I’ll teach you how to put together your scrappy pillow step-by-step, so that you can decorate with your rainbow pillow while still being sustainable. Download the free pattern below and get started.
Supplies Needed:
(all of my patterns include 1/2″ seam allowance)
Step 1
Arrange the scraps for the red colored section of your pillow
Collect your red fabric scraps. Start playing around with the scraps and lay them out in a collage. The overall shape of the scrap layout doesn’t matter right now, but it should be long enough for your pillow pattern to to fit on top of.
It’s a good idea to cut straight edges between the fabric pieces to make it easier to sew them together. Also, be sure to keep in mind that there will be some overlap of the pieces due to seam allowance.
Step 2
sew the scraps together
One by one sew your scrap pieces together. I usually start with smaller pieces and then add on any larger pieces.
Step 3
cut out your pattern piece from the scraps
Place your pattern piece on top of your scrap layout and cut it out. Here’s where things get interesting. Instead of keeping those straight lines, you can rotate your pattern piece to make some cool-looking diagonals. This is what makes the final pillow look so complex, even though you’re just cutting out a wonky rectangle.
Step 4
repeat the process for the rest of the colors
Repeat steps 1-3 for each of the colors (orange, yellow, green, blue, purple). Make your scrap collage, sew it together, and then cut out the pattern.
Step 5
Sew the slices of colors together
Line up your slices in order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) and sew each of them together along the long side.
Step 6
fold the pillow in half and sew the sides and bottom
With right sides together fold the pillow in half according to the fold line on the pattern (so that all the colors are showing on both sides). Then sew the sides and bottom leaving a small gap for turning the pillow.
Step 7
turn the pillow to the right side
clip the corners and turn the pillow to the right side.
Step 8
stuff the pillow
You can use whatever you want to stuff your pillow. I like to use leftover fabric scraps that are too small to use for anything else as my pillow stuffing, but this does make the final pillow a little more lumpy than it otherwise would be. So, if you don’t like that, you can always use poly-fill or another type of pillow stuffing material.
Step 9
sew up the gap
Hand sew the gap closed.
Finished!
