~Annie Sloan French Hens simple pillow tutorial~

Hello friends, welcome back to The Empty Nest. Today I am going to show you how to sew up a simple but very sweet French country pillow.

Ok...you can stop that fast breathing, I promise this is going to be so very easy...promise!

If you can sew a straight line, you can make this pillow.
For this tutorial I will be sewing with a design from one of my favorite new Annie Sloan imported fabrics called French Hens.
Doesn't it just sing out French Farmhouse!
The colors blend so beautifully with many of the Chalk Paint® decorative paint colors.

Ok...let's get started.

Supplies needed include:

1. 1/4 -1/2 yard fabric (depends on pillow form size) I used a 14in square down form.

2. matching or coordinating thread

3. scissors

4. 1/2 in cotton twill tape (Joann's Fabric or online)

5. tape measure

6. seam ripper to remove improperly sewn ties (not the I would EVER make That mistake!)

Lay your pillow form on your cut fabric and wrap it around to determine the length needed.

Allow an extra 4-5 in overlap for insert opening.

Mark and cut your fabric.

Turn both short edges under twice to form the hem where they will overlap on the pillow back.

I finger pressed a 1/4 in hem and then turned it up another 1/4 in and pinned in place

Sew the edge seam with either a straight stitch or a zigzag..your choice.

I used off white thread, but you could also choose a decorative color to add a little pizzaz.

Once the two short edge hems are sewn, lay the fabric right side up and place your pillow form inside. Adjust the location of the overlap to suit the fabric design. I wanted to be sure that the placement of my hens was ok. For solid or and all over pattern, this is not so important.

Now pinch the top and bottom layers of fabric together snuggly and pin on both sides as shown above. Be careful NOT to pin the pillow form itself as we will be removing it in the next step.

Ok...so here you have removed the pillow form and laid the fabric flat.

Using a straight stitch, follow the pinned line and sew from top to bottom being sure to backstitch at both ends to secure the corners. For beginners, backstitch simply means to go forward/reverse/forward at the very beginning...it locks the stitches in place so they will not unravel.

For those good at using a serger, you may serge your edges. I am going to assume that beginners do not have a serger, so instead you can set your machine to an overlock stitch and sew right up against your straight line..then clip off the excess fabric.

The above photo shows my straight stitch on the left and my overlock stitch butted right up on it's right. This step will reduce fraying. To make it even easier..just run a little Fray-Check along the edge instead of overlocking. See, I told you I was going to make this easy and painless!

Now turn the fabric right side out, pushing the corners out to create the points. Press seams if needed.

Cut four lengths of the cotton twill tape for the pillow ties. I cut about a 17in length for each..it will depend how long you want your ties on the bows. Always cut on the long side..better too long than too short as you can always trim them later.

Pin the ties so they are centered along the edge.

As shown in the above photo, turn the tape end under about 1/2 in with the tie running away from the fabric. Stitch in place with straight or zigzag stitch..back and forth a few times to secure.

After I secured one side, I marked where the opposite ties should be placed.

If you are slightly off..trust me, it will not make a difference..remember, you are having fun..right?

I leave the room for two minutes and someone has sewn the ties on the left in the WRONG direction...SHEESH! Who could have done that????

And this is where the seam ripper will come in handy!

Pay no attention to the ties on the left which are STILL going in the wrong direction....they will be fixed.

Now insert your pillow form into the pillow and tuck the pillow corners into position..fluff up the pillow and tie the ties into pretty bows.

Your are done!

Without pipping..ruffles..zippers..buttons or fancy embellishments, you have created a beautiful French country pillow.

What do you think....pretty easy wasn't it?

Don't even own a sewing machine...no problem. You could easily hand sew this design using just a needle and thread...no problem and no excuse!

A great thing about this simple pillow design is that you can create multiple covers and switch them out for the different seasons. Maybe instead of cotton twill ties, use pretty grosgrain ribbon or braided twine. Change your decor...no problem. Pop out the pillow form and sew up another cover!

Well thanks so much for visiting and I hope you are inspired to make a few wonderful custom pillows for your home or for gifts. 

The possibilities are endless..get creative. 

If you like Annie Sloan's lovely French Hens, you should see her other beautiful French imported fabric line. Stop by The Empty Nest and I will be happy to show you Annie's gorgeous toiles, florals and tickings.

To find an Annie Sloan fabric retailer near you go to anniesloanunfolded.com and type in your zip code.

Now get out that sewing machine and have some fabric fun!

Until next time...be kind and stay creative.