Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Tool Time Tuesday...Cheater Bolster Pillow

Hi everyone! Most of you know me by now that I try to use what I have first before I go out and buy something. Well, this decorative bolster pillow idea is case in point.

Courtney brought home 2 chairs from her dorm room that we bought at Ikea. I had to squeeze them into the house somewhere. There is a nook in her room where they fit perfectly.

They needed a pop of color...so pillows to the rescue!

bolster pillow

I had left over fabric from this pillow.

bolster pillow

I made 2 narrow rectangle pillows, but didn't want to spend a boat load on the bolster pillow forms. They can be expensive...$15.00-$33.00 Never!

Here's my quick tip. Take a regular bed pillow you already have and make your own bolster form.

I buy cheap bed pillows at Ikea or Walmart just to have on hand. They are inexpensive and work great for sleeping or projects.

bolster pillow

Roll it up from the long end.

bolster pillow

Tie it with ribbon, string or cotton tape to secure.

bolster pillow


bolster pillow

Leave a big enough opening to insert the pillow.

bolster pillow


bolster pillow

Sew the opening closed by hand or machine. I did the machine, because this is just a throw pillow in her room and to be honest...kids don't care about decorative pillows and they end up on the floor. Good for when company comes over or for this blog post though!! Lol

Doing it by machine with this bulky type of pillow felt like I was in a wrestling match with a cat...I was sweating and the stitches were all over the place, but I did it.

bolster pillow

For the second pillow form, I tied and extra spot in the middle to give it more of a rounded appearance...this is much better.

bolster pillow

Here are the chairs off to the left in her room with the pillow.

Here is the honest truth about the chairs in her room...don't put chairs in kid's rooms no matter what their age. They collect clothes, books and junk and you will never see the chairs again...for real.

bolster pillow

I took the chairs out of her room since I took these pictures and put them in a small area at the top of the stairs and made it a game area. The chairs work great for Xbox and Playstation and clothes won't start piling up on them...I hope!! If they do, the chairs are headed to the garage. Lol

Happy Tuesday,
~Karen~

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13 comments:

  1. fantastic idea...and very clever... we really don't need a fortune to decorate our ..lives.. do - we?

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  2. Hi Karen,

    What a great way to not have to spend a fortune on real bolster forms!!! :) Courtney has a very pretty room, too!

    Thank you so much for sharing!

    Crafty hugs,

    Jennifer

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  3. Muy buena idea,Karen,lo cierto es no hace falta mucho dinero para redecorar nuestra casa,me gusta!!!
    UN BESAZO!!!

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  4. Great idea to recycle pillows! Too true about kids chairs. Both of our boys have a chair in their rooms and they are used for clothes, books, the dog anything but their bottoms!!!!! Thanks for sharing. Susie x

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  5. This is a great moneysaving idea. We recently saw little bolster pillows like this but smaller on outdoor chairs in a big box store. Hmm, maybe I'll have to visit the fabric store...

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  6. Great idea!! I've been thinking about doing some bolsters for the guest bed and the bench I just painted for the deck. This is far more reasonably priced than purchasing the forms. Thanks!

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  7. Hi Karen, this is a great idea, beats stuffing a self-made bolster cover to create a form. I was also immediately drawn to the coverlet/bedspread, charcoal grey being a favorite color of mine, can I ask where you found this?

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  8. I used extra rolls of quilt batting to stuff bolsters.

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  9. Timely post Karen. I was just about to discard some pillows I replaced on the beds. Thanks!

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  10. What a fantastic tip. And to be able to have bolster type pillows without paying a fortune. Love it! I'm gonna go buy some pillows at walmart and make some pillows!!

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  11. I know all about clothes and other paraphernalia on chairs! You know that once your remove the chairs that it all goes on the floor! I'm going to use your bolster idea since I have lots of old pillows on the guest bedroom bed. Thanks for the cool idea.

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  12. great tut! I can't buy roll pillows around here so I've been using stuffing...uugghh!!! cheap pillows for me now on :)

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  13. LOL I'm guilty of doing the same sometimes. 98% of the time my clothes land back in the closet but sometimes they end up on the chair in our room.
    Thanks for the bolster pillow tip!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment...I just love hearing from you!

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