There’s something deeply satisfying about making pillows. For starters, they’re a snap to put together. And they sit at the intersection of design and comfort, so they’re perfect fodder for sewers like myself who fancy luxe fabric and patterns -- but lack fancy skills.

This used to be covered with a zebra fabric that I thought was the pinnacle of cool when I bought it for my freshman dorm room...but in the intervening 15 years, it took on a pretty dingy and dated pallor.

I updated it with two different patterns, a  2” wide grosgrain ribbon and solid fabric on the back. The back is envelope style so you can remove the cover and wash it ( learned a few things since my  dorm room years).

This pillow form is 24” square, but you can resize these instructions to fit any existing pillow or form. Just remember when you’re making new calculations to add a seam allowance to each piece of fabric, not just the overall dimension. All fabrics used here are cotton. Be sure to wash, dry and press even though it's a pain.

For pillow front:

1.    Measure, mark and cut 9" x 25” piece from first pattern fabric.

2.    Measure, mark and cut 15" x 25” piece from second pattern fabric.

3.    Pin long edge of first pattern fabric to long edge of ribbon, right sides together.

4.    Sew with ½” hem.

5.    Pin long edge of second pattern fabric to other long side of ribbon, right sides together.

6.    Sew ½” hem. You now have the front of your pillow cover.

For pillow back:
1.    Measure, mark and cut two pieces of 17” x 25” fabric.

2. Fold one long edge over ½” and press into place. Fold again and topstitch along the fold (sew very close to the edge of the fold).
3.    Repeat with second piece of fabric.

To assemble pillow:

1.    On a table, lay both pieces of the pillow back right side up, and overlap topstitched edges by 4.5” Check that width of the square you just make with the two pieces is 25”.

2.    On top of pillow back,  lay pillow front with right sides of fabric facing. Pin every couple inches around perimeter of pillow

3.    Stitch around all four sides of the pillow. Clip corners, turn inside out and insert pillow. Lounge.