Fall Applique Pillow Tutorial

I love making applique pillow patterns to brighten the house and add bits of fall color to our home. This fall applique pillow is just that, a bright bit of fall on the couch.

Fall Applique Pillow Tutorial

To make this fun pillow you will need a pillow form, enough fabric to cover that form, scrap of fall fabric, twine, a zipper {about the same width as your pillow} and the free printable template found HERE of the fall applique pattern.  I used a fake suede for my pillow cover.

Applique Pillow Patterns are so fun to make!

Start by cutting your fabric so that its the same width as your pillow and can wrap fully around the pillow. There will be a zipper in the back, so fold the fabric with the open edges in the center of the back and a full, blank front panel on the top.

Mark with pins where the top and bottom fold are, so you can open up the fabric to work. Place the scrap of fall fabric where you want the letters to be. 

Pin the letter template over the fabric and pin, pin, pin. You do not want it sliding around while you are sewing.

Stitch around the outside edge of each letter with a straight stitch on a sewing machine. Tear away the paper to expose the stitches. 

Using fabric scissors, cut closely to the stitching and separate each letter. 

Now we will go over the edge of the fabric with a zig-zag stitch to close the raw edges. Sew your stitch to a medium width stitch and close length. {I used .5}

Stitch around each letter – go slow around the curves… Your letters are finished!

If you want to add a bit more to your pillow, I’ve included two leaf templates. You can use fabric just as described above OR you can use twine. With a wide, LONG zig-zag stitch, go around the leaf, sewing the twine right to the paper. 

Tear the paper away to reveal your leaf. If you have trouble getting all the paper bits out, use tweezers, or just get it wet and the paper will come out easily. 

Okay, let’s finish by adding the zipper… With right sides together, lay the zipper on one edge of the back opening. You can leave at least 1/2″ on each side of the zipper, Sew. Open up the fabric and place the other side of the zipper on the other side of the fabric, also with the outsides touching. Sew.

With the inside of the pillow fabric facing you center the front up and the zipper in the middle of the back. Sew the two ends, be careful over the zipper areas.

Turn right side out through the zipper opening and stuff your pillow form inside. 

We love our new fall applique pillow… you can use this tutorial to create any letters or applique shape you like… Anything you can print out or draw, you can sew using this same method.

Here are a few other favorite pillow tutorials of mine…

Valentine Hashtag Pillow

Pillow with homemade piping

Turning a pillow sham into a pillow