When we shared a picture of our monogrammed pillow on Instagram a while ago, we received a lot of requests for a tutorial so that you could create one of your own. Well, friends, the wait is over - keep reading to get the full, step-by-step tutorial on how to create your very own custom monogrammed pillow from start to finish!
BONUS: We'll be showing you how to DIY an envelope-style pillow cover at the end of this post!
Supplies You'll Need:
- Color Chimp Luxe (we used Black and Gold Metallic)
- Wreath Cut File (download it, here)
- Die Cutting Machine (we used a Cricut Maker)
- Weeding Tool
- EasyPress, Heat Press, or Iron
- Blank Pillow Cover - OR - if you'd like to DIY your own envelope-style pillow cover, scroll to the bottom of this post for directions.
Step 1: Design
Upload the wreath SVG file to Design Space or Silhouette Studio and resize to fit your pillow. We sized our file to 8" wide to fit our 14" x 14" pillow cover. Then create your monogram. We kept it simple and used a single "G" for our pillow. We choose the font "Billie Harley" but you can choose whichever font fits your taste.
Step 2: Cutting
Apply your vinyl to your mat, being sure to place the carrier sheet side towards your mat (the shinier side). Mirror your design so that it is cut in reverse and then let your machine get to work.
If you're doing your design in two colors, like we did, repeat this step for your second color.
*Friendly Reminder: Wasting vinyl is the WORST! Always check your settings BEFORE you cut! Remember, you need to mirror your vinyl when working with HTV*
Step 3: Weeding
After your machine has finished cutting, remove the HTV from your mat.
I like to gently pull away the larger pieces of excess vinyl with my hands and then go back in with my weeding tool to remove all the smaller pieces. Since this design leaves a pretty large circle of unused vinyl in the center of the design, I went ahead and cut this portion away before I started weeding so that it could be used again in another project.
Step 4: Place Your Design
Now that you have your design weeded, you're ready to place it on the pillow cover and press it. A simple trick to make sure your design is perfectly aligned on your pillow is to fold your pillow cover into quarters and press it for a few seconds with your heat press or iron. This will leave you with lines down the center of the pillow cover both length-wise and width-wise that you can use to line up your design.
You can also fold your design in half both length-wise and width-wise, squeezing creases into the carrier sheet. You can then align those creases with the guidelines on your pillow cover and boom - perfect alignment!
Step 5: Press Your Design
Since we're working with Color Chimp Luxe, we pressed with medium pressure for 25 seconds at 320 degrees. You always want to be sure to follow the pressing instructions for the brand and type of heat transfer vinyl you are using because it can vary from brand to brand and with different fabric types.
Step 6: Peel away your carrier sheet and enjoy!
Our Color Chimp Luxe line is a warm peel material, so no waiting around for your material to cool before you get to peel your carrier sheet off. If you're impatient like I am, you'll love this!
BONUS: Make Your Own DIY Envelope Pillow Cover!
If you're feeling ambitious and want to DIY your own pillow cover rather than using a pre-made cover, follow this simple sewing tutorial below. A big thank you to our friend Mary over at MSM Sewing Studio for her guidance on how to create this pillow cover!
Supplies You'll Need to Make an Envelope-Style Pillow Cover:
- Fabric
- Thread
- A sewing machine (optional, you CAN do this by hand but we recommend a sewing machine if you have access to one)
Step One: Cut Your Fabric
The following directions are for a 14" x 14" pillow cover but you can make your cover any size you'd like with just a few adjustments.
Start by cutting the fabric for the front of your pillow cover. Cut one 15" x 15" square of fabric (You can make your cover for any size pillow insert you'd like by simply adding one inch to the size of the finished pillow)
Next, cut two pieces of fabric for the back side of the pillow cover. You will need to cut these pieces of fabric to the same width as the front piece, but only 3/4 of the depth. In our case, our two back pieces were 15" x 11 1/4" each.
Step Two: Create Your Seams
Starting with one of your back pieces, zigzag or serge stitch one of the 15” edges. Fold the edge under about 1/2" and iron. Finish with a top stitch to create a finished edge. Repeat this step for the top edge of your second back piece.
Step Three: PIn + Sew Your Pillow Cover
Next, lay these two back pieces, overlapping, on top of the square piece "right sides" facing towards each other (so the side of the fabric you do not want to show will be on the outside, facing you) and pin on all four sides.
Sitch using 1/2” seam allowance on all sides.
Step Four: Trim Your Seams
Once you've sewn all four sides together, trim away any excess fabric from the seams and corners. 
Step Five: Turn Rightside Out and You're Ready to Apply HTV!
Finally, turn your new pillow cover right side out and that's it, you're done!
