The Etan Pillow-Free Sewing Pattern
Add a bit of rustic luxury to your home with The Etan Pillow. This simple pillow is made with gorgeous faux leather vinyl which gives it a modern look and feel. Find the free pattern below or grab a digital PDF in my shop.
Earlier this Fall, my little sister shared a photo on Instagram of some new faux leather pillows she had gotten for her living room. I immediately fell in love with them and knew that the roll of extra faux leather vinyl I had in my craft closet would be perfect for trying to make my own version.
As you may know, I use a lot of faux leather in my project pouches. Last year I had purchased a few yards of a new brand from Fabric.com to try out, but had never even opened the package. I figured it was the perfect time to take this vinyl out on a test run and hopefully end up with a brand new pillow for our home.
The fabric I originally got is not longer available, but here’s a link to a similar one. I’ve also included a link in the materials list for the faux leather I use from Joann Fabrics.
I knew that I didn’t want the pillow to just be plain faux leather, it needed something decorative on it too. I use upholstery thread on my project pouches and love how it gives the stitches such beautiful detail. I decided to break up the exterior panels into four separate squares and add some top stitching along the seams to give it some depth. It worked up perfectly!
I hope you’ll give this fun little pillow a try. Scroll down for step by step instructions and detailed photos.
The Etan Pillow Sewing Pattern
Materials:
2/3 yard of 54” faux leather vinyl
Upholstery thread in matching color to vinyl & regular thread
Ruler, rotary cutter, tailor’s chalk, invisible zipper foot and other basic sewing supplies
Size:
Finished size is approx. 20” X 20”
Notes:
1.Use ½” seam allowance through out.
2.For a fuller pillow use a 22” pillow form.
Pattern:
Cut:
(8)-11” X 11” square pieces from faux leather vinyl
Exterior Panels:
Take two squares and lay then down with right sides facing. Sew them together along one edge. Repeat with remaining pieces so you have a total of 4 sets.
Press seams open with fingers or use a pressing cloth and iron. Then using upholstery thread in the top of your sewing machine, top stitch along both sides of the seam. Repeat with all other sets.
Take two panels and place them right sides together, making sure to line up the seams in the center. Then sew along the long edge. Repeat with second set of panels.
Press seams open with fingers or use a pressing cloth and iron. Then using the upholstery thread again, top stitch along both sides of the seam.
You will now have two exterior panels made up of four squares sewn together.
Attaching Zipper:
Press the coils of your invisible zipper open with an iron.
Then using a ruler mark your exterior panel 1.5” in from each edge on the top. Then lay your zipper face down and line up one side of the zipper with the edge of your panel. Pin or clip the zipper in place. The top and bottom ends of the zipper will need to be left unsewn a bit so try to center the zipper in-between both marks.
Using your invisible zipper foot, carefully sew the zipper into place between both marks.
Then carefully close the zipper. Line up the other unsewn edge of the zipper and the right side of the second panel, so the seams are in the same place. Pin the zipper to the second panel and then carefully unzip the zipper. Again mark the edges of the second exterior panel 1.5” in from the side. Pin the zipper in place and then sew it in, only stitching between the two marks.
Close the zipper to make sure everything is lined up. Then unzip and lay right sides of panels together. Line up the edges where the zipper is and carefully sew the unworked ends together until just past where the zipper was sewn. Make sure to pull the zipper ends out so they don’t get caught in the seam. Repeat on the other unworked end.
With zipper open, lay exterior panels down with right sides together. Then sew along remaining three edges. Clip all corners. Stitch along bottom end of zipper and cut off extra end. Turn pillow right side out and push out all corners. Insert pillow form and zip closed. ENJOY!
