Last year I was in the market for some Halloween pillows for the rocking chairs on my porch. I knew just what I wanted - one that says "trick" and one that says "treat", made out of burlap. I couldn't find them anywhere so I decided to sew covers for my summer outdoor pillows and paint my design. I think they turned out cute! A couple of bonuses: They take up much less space in the off-season, because I just have to store the cover. Once Halloween is over, I flip them over and use the bare burlap side for the rest of the fall season.
They're really simple to make - basically just a tight pillow case. If you want to make one of your own, here's all you have to do:
What you need for one 18" pillow -
19" x 45" piece of burlap
19" x 45" piece of off-white cotton (This is used because you can see through the wide weave of the burlap. I used a curtain-liner fabric that I had laying around. You can really use anything, but just remember that bits of it will show through so you might want to avoid bright pink, etc.)
Acrylic craft paint and brushes (Gasp! Though I paint in oil paints, I use acrylic craft paint for projects like this because it dries quickly.)
A piece of cardboard or shirt box
1) Cut your fabric - My pillows are 18", so I planned for a 1/2" seam allowance and left extra length (9") to tuck the bottom of the case up the back of the pillow. If your pillow isn't 18", add 1" to the width and 9" to the length and cut away.
2) Pin the cotton to the burlap and fold it in half so that they cotton is on the outside.
3) Sew the long sides using a 1/2" seam allowance. Leave the bottom open.
4) Turn the cover burlap side out and insert the cardboard (to keep you paint from going through to the other side).
5) Plan and paint your design. If desired, paint a different design on the back.
6) Once the paint is dry, stuff your pillow it and tuck the excess fabric up the back, as shown in the bottom right picture below. Enjoy!
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