I’m having so much fun decorating for Halloween this year!!  We haven’t been so good about it in previous years, but this year my daughter asked if we could “do it up big”.  Lemme tell you, that got my crafty butt in gear.

One of the things I’ve made for decorations this year is a set of coordinating pillows for our front porch.  This project is part of Jo-Ann’s Spooky Spaces promotion.  I got all the materials to make them from my Jo-Ann store.  They’re quick to make and add a splash of Halloween to the sitting area of my front porch.  I’ll tell you how to make both pillow variations further down in this post.

You can find more crafty Halloween inspiration at Jo-Ann’s Creativity Made Simple.  Also, search your social media by #SpookySpaces to see what other folks have come up with.  Chances are, you’ll find more than a couple of projects you want to make for yourself.  At the bottom of this post, I’ve got a Jo-Ann coupon you can use to get a discount on your supplies.

The big pillows are made with spider print burlap front with orange and black striped piping around the edges, and an envelope style back out of a contrasting fabric.

The smaller pillows have big felt spider appliques on a polka dot front.  To coordinate with the other pillow, I used the same orange and black piping and made the back from a broadcloth that matches the color of the burlap.

Here are the backsides of the pillows.

Oh, and I also got some purple duck fabric and recovered my  seat cushions.  The original cushions are yellow, which really didn’t go with my Halloween theme.  I didn’t sew a stitch to make the covers.  I just wrapped the fabric around the cushions and tucked it underneath.  The cushions fit tightly enough in the chair that it all stays in place, even when I sit down on them.  Easiest cushion recover project ever!

Spooky Spiders Throw Pillows Tutorial

I made four pillows in total – two of each design.  My guess is that most of you are probably just going to want to make one of each design, so I’m giving fabric requirements for just one pillow.

About the piping.  I made it myself from an orange and black striped fabric. I made all the piping in one sitting, 7 yards to go around all 4 pillows.  That’s one loooong piece of piping!  I estimated high on the amount I needed and I ended up with a yard extra afterward.  That’s okay in my book. I’d rather have a yard too much than 6 inches too little!  If you’ve never made piping  before, it’s really easy to do.  The Sewing Loft has a good tutorial showing how.  Link.

Spider print burlap pillow cover:

For each pillow, you’ll need:

—1 16” pillow form

—17” x 17” burlap

—17 x 17” muslin or broadcloth in a color to match the burlap

—2 pieces 17” x 11” fabric for backing

—2 yards piping

1.  Pin the burlap to the muslin with the right side of the burlap facing up.  Round the corners using a drinking glass as a guide.  Baste the two pieces together with a ¼” seam allowance.  Now you’ve got a burlap pillow front with a backing to stabilize it and to keep the pillow form from showing through the holes in the burlap.

2.  Stitch the piping around the edge of the pillow front with raw edges matching.  (The raw edge of the piping is lined up with the raw edge of the pillow front.  The cording part of the piping will be facing the inside of the pillow front. )  Use your zipper foot to stitch as close as you can to the cording inside the piping.  Leave a 1-2 inch tail when starting your piping.  When you get all the way around back to where you started, overlap the piping ends, angling them toward the edge of the fabric and stitch down.  Clip the piping seam allowance at the curved corners so it will lie flat.

3.  On each of the backing pieces, make a double-fold hem on one of the 17” sides, folding first ¼” and then ½” before stitching the hem.

4.  Now to assemble the pillow pieces.  Pin the pillow front to the pillow back pieces right sides together.  The pillow back pieces will overlap in the middle.

5.  Stitch around all four sides of the pillow with zipper foot and a ½” seam allowance.  Clip the curves and turn it right side out.

6.  Insert  your pillow form and admire your work.

Spider applique accent pillow:

For each pillow, you’ll need:

—11” x 11” fabric for front

—11” x 11” fabric for back

—1 ½ yard piping

—Black felt

—Fusible webbing

—Poly-Fil

—Spider pattern.  I cut my pattern with my Silhouette cutter.  It’s image #1497 spider, sized to 5.725” wide x 6.985” tall.  (I widened the image a tad from the original proportions to make it fit a square pillow.)  If you don’t have a Silhouette, you can do a Google image search to find a spider silhouette template.  Resize your image to similar proportions.

1.  Round the corners of both squares of fabric, using a drinking glass as a guide.

2.  Fuse the webbing to the back of your felt.  If you’re using an acrylic craft felt, be very very careful with this step so you don’t make a big ol’ melty mess.  Use a lower setting on your iron and place a pressing cloth between your iron and the webbing.  It’ll take longer for the adhesive to melt, but that’s better than ruining your iron.

3.  Trace the spider shape on to the paper backing of the webbing.  Cut out the shape and remove the backing.

4.  Center the spider on the front piece and fuse in place, following the instructions for your webbing.  Make sure you use a lower setting and a pressing cloth to avoid the melty-melty.

5.  Stitch around the spider so he stays on your pillow front permanently.  I stitched fairly close to the edge of the spider, 1/8” or less.

6.  Stitch the piping around the edge of the pillow front with raw edges matching.  Use your zipper foot to stitch as close as you can to the cording inside the piping.  Leave a 1-2 inch tail when starting your piping.  When you get all the way around back to where you started, overlap the piping ends, angling them toward the edge of the fabric and stitch down.  Clip the piping seam allowance at the curved corners so it will lie flat.

7.  Pin the front and back pieces right sides together.  Stitch around all four edges with a ½” seam allowance, leaving a hole on the bottom to turn the pillow and stuff it.  Use a zipper foot to stitch close to the cording.

8.  Clip the corners and turn the pillow right sides out.

9.  Stuff the pillow.  Close the hole with a hand stitch.

Jo-Ann Coupon

Who loves a discount?  I do!  Especially when it’s a discount on fabric and craft supplies.

This coupon will get you 50% off one regular priced item.  Use it by  October 31, 2013.

Disclosure:  Jo-Ann gave me a $50 gift card to cover expenses for this project. 

Pillows are a great way to quickly change the decor in your home, throw some cushions or pillows onto a couch, and change the look in an instant. DIY Pillows add seasonal colors and characters to any room.

Looking for Halloween decorating items? Check out these Halloween crafts from our sister site and these Halloween decorations we found on Amazon.