Ever since we built our Patio Benches last summer I have wanted to make outdoor pillows to help decorate our patio furniture and make sitting a little more comfortable. I wanted a bright design but wasn't able to find any in the stores being that it was the end of summer. I finally found a bright design that I liked this spring and eventually got around to making the pillows.
These no-sew outdoor pillows are super cheap, super easy to make and make a nice addition to our patio. I know you can buy outdoor pillows but they usually cost $15+ a piece and I personally don't think pillows should be that expensive, especially if they sit outside. These pillows cost me a total of $4 to make. I made two outside pillows but had enough material to make three pillows but I saved the last piece to make children spools stools to match the pillows.
Supplies:- 60 x 102 Outdoor Rectangle Vinyl Tablecloth - if you find a bigger size buy it! The tablecloth was $3.98 at Walmart. They usually have cheap ones at the beginning of every season.
- A ton of Plastic Shopping Bags
- Scissors
- Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
How To:
1. First you need to collect a ton of plastic shopping bags and make them into the shape of a pillow. You can make your pillows any size or thickness you want. I stuffed a ton of plastic bags into one bag until I was satisfied then I took another bag and covered the bag in the opposite direction to hold all the bags in.
You can get plastic shopping bags from any grocery store. I started saving them when I decided I wanted to make a water repellent outdoor pillow. You can use an old pillow, pillow stuffing, foam, etc... for the inside of your pillow. I chose plastic shopping bags because they are free plus I'm recycling them by turning them into a pillow. I'm hoping the plastic will act as a water repellent since the pillows are staying outside; I didn't want to use a material that would absorb the water and get moldy over time.
2. Lay out the tablecloth, place your "pillow" on the fabric and cover it like you would when wrapping a present. Cut the tablecloth bigger than the "pillow".
The piece I cut was 60" x 40". I probably could of got by with a 60" x 35" piece thou, especially since the plastic bags squish together easy.
The piece I cut was 60" x 40". I probably could of got by with a 60" x 35" piece thou, especially since the plastic bags squish together easy.
3. Place the "pillow" in the center of your tablecloth. Fold the edges inward till they meet in the middle and tack it with hot glue to help hold the tablecloth in place.
4. Fold the ends of the tablecloth into points like you would when wrapping a present. Tack the point with some hot glue to help secure the points. This will make it stay together for the next step.
5. Take the two pointed ends and cross them like you are tying a knot.
6. Tuck in the ends and hot glue them down to keep them from coming untucked. Secure any loose areas with the hot glue.
Make sure the tip of the hot glue gun doesn't touch the tablecloth or it will melt it.
Make sure the tip of the hot glue gun doesn't touch the tablecloth or it will melt it.
You can make your outdoor pillows anyway you prefer. You can sew a pillow cover, use an actual pillow or buy fabric from the fabric section but I made my No-Sew Outdoor Pillows using plastic shopping bags and a cheap outdoor tablecloth.
The plastic bags and the tablecloth both are considered water repellent's so I'm hoping the pillows won't hold water or get moldy, at least not for a long time. These No-Sew Outdoor Pillows are super easy to make and super cheap (I could of made three pillows for $4). They will make a great addition to your patio furniture or sunroom and the best part is there are so many cheap tablecloths out there to choose from so you are guaranteed a cute design!
You can very easily use this tutorial to make cute throw pillows for your house as well. I recommend using an old pillow or pillow stuffing and a cotton fabric for the indoor pillows. If you use this tutorial for indoor pillows, you can skip the hot glue part.
Check out how we made the benches pictured above HERE and the matching children's stools made from repurposed spools HERE
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UPDATE (July 2017) : These pillows are NOT water proof so you may want to bring them inside if a storm is approaching. The pillows ended up holding some water after rain storms thus making them heavy and wet. The pillows also faded a little due to the sun by they held up pretty well. After a year they were tear free and mold free, just heavy with water.
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