If you’ve been swept up by the weaving craze that’s taken over the Internet the past few years, then you are not alone. If you are also one of those people that has really good intentions of doing your own weaving, but know it’s probably never going to happen due to skill level/time commitment/fill-in-any-other-excuse-here, then I’ve got something I think you’ll be into. Last year I did a project that I like to call “a cheater’s tapestry weaving” and made a large wall hanging for the office. I was so surprised at how easy it was and how quickly something that large could be made, so when I recently saw a pillow that incorporated hanging yarn into the design, I thought it would be fun to try the same “cheater weaving” technique on a pillow as well. Turns out, it is fun, really easy, and goes even faster on a pillow than a rug. So it’s the perfect Saturday afternoon project.Β
Supplies:
-loose weave woven pillow
-thick yarn in various colors
-small crochet hook
-fabric scissors
*When finding a pillow to use, look for a weave that’s loose enough to get a small crochet hook through. Something that has a textured burlap type of weave and look is probably your best bet.
First, plan out how you want your finished pillow to look (make a sketch if that helps). Plan out your color chunks and what angles you want to cut into the yarn at the end. Cut your yarn pieces double the length you want them to hang (with a little extra for safety). If you aren’t sure what angles you want to cut into your yarn, just make them all extra long and decide after you’ve attached your yarn lines.
To weave into the pillow, push your hook away from you and up through a horizontal pillow thread. Loop the middle of your yarn string around the hook as shown above.
Pull your hook back through the horizontal pillow thread towards you about 1″, or so you have a 1″ loop. Place the tails of your yarn down through the loop and pull to tighten the knot. That’s it!Β
Just keep doing that motion across the pillow as far as you want to go and switch yarn colors as needed. Overlap colors by doing another color of yarn directly above a previous color, but just a few rows higher on the pillow.
When you’re done with your blocks of color, use your scissors to trim off the ends of the yarn to create either a straight line or an angled line. If you do an angled line, I like to cut the first and last string to the right height, then cut the middle string to be a length between those two, and then keep cutting each strand longer or shorter from the middle outwards.Β
The nice thing about this DIY (other than how fast it is) is that if you make a mistake or continue your line too far, you can simply pull out the yarn and no harm is done. I decided at the end of mine to add a few black pieces in the middle of the white, and it was really easy to undo those white knots and replace them with a different color.
I think the new colored woven fringe give the pillow such a playful vibe compared to what it looked like before. If you have more than one pillow to do, you could repeat the same pattern, do a different one all together, or reverse the pattern so they mirror each other when placed on the same couch or bed. It may look like the fringe is fussy, but if the strands do get a bit out of place after use, just give them a quick comb with your fingers in a downward direction and all is well again. I’m all for quick and easy ways to spruce up a pillow and add some personality to a cozy chair or couch, so I think this project is a win all around! xo. Laura
Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman.Β Photos edited with Stella from theΒ Signature Collection.
42 Comments
This is such a cute DIY project, I might have to try it out.
Holly x
http://www.hollyoliviacreates.blogspot.co.uk
That is such a cool idea and the final result is so awesome! I surely have to try it someday. Thanks for sharing these incredible DIY! With love,
Vera
The Flash Window | Bloglovin
Great idea! My daughter will love it, she’s four and would love the yarn to play with….
Coco
http://www.push-coco.de
This looks pretty easy to do, my favourite kind of tutorial!
Super cute and looks like its super easy! Great DIY thank you Xo
These are super pretty – I adore the colors you chose!
Warm Regards,
Alexandra
http://www.littlewildheart.com
What a great idea! I love the aztec vibe of this and how easy it looks. Such a funky accent peice!
Chelsey
http://www.domesticingenuity.com
Omg. So cute! Too bad my cat would destroy it. Haha
It looks os cool & easy to make!
http://beautyfollower.blogspot.gr
This I like! It’s simple and easy enough for me to try, and looks stylish too!
Claire
http://Daydreamsinthegarden.blogspot.co.UK
That is so cute! But my first thought was, “my cat would destroy that”… oh the things we give up for pets haha
I spy with my little eye, a future project! This is so pretty and great use of colors.
Sincerely,
Laurali Star
http://www.lauralistar.com
This is genius! Love the look. So many different color/pattern options for it. Will have to try this out soon!
http://www.equaluprise.com
This reminds me of the pillows I used to have as a child. Thanks for this post!
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That looks like an awesome project – and easy too!!
xo,
Seng
http://www.sengerson.com
This tutorial looks like the easiest weaving project I’ve seen! I love the colors you chose for a perfect weekend project!
M.
Where do you guys get all this ideas?=)))
A lovely and unique idea! I think it would make a great gift, too π
AmandaSays
Adorable! But I am wondering, where is that side table from?! I’ve been looking for one just like it for my bedroom.
This is so cute! I have to make this soon π
tonixox.blogspot.com
This looks so cute, quick, and easy. I might save it as a summer project for my dorm room next year. Thank you! π
Brooke | brookewrote
Such a simple DIY with minimal materials needed. Just my kind of thing! I was just thinking about how I need to make my dorm next year feel more like home, and I think this is just the way to do it! -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
I love this idea and am thinking I could steal it for a wall hanging since I really don’t need more pillow covers. BUT- the idea of using the material as a base is great and makes it super easy to do. Thanks- I always get great ideas from you guys!
It’s so cute! I wanna try this idea too π
The pillow looks gorgeous! Really, really cute!
WritingMonique
this is an great DIY and not to difficult!
Looks awesome as always! I love the idea!
Best wishes!
mtrjschk.blogspot.de
hey,
my cat will love this pillow.
I think I ‘m going to make my own!
I think it is necessary to protect if (my cat will love to play with it!)
great idea! and also not difficult for people who can not sew so good…
best, Patrica from http://blog.fancythoughts.com
How fun! Love the bright palette of this project π
That seems so easy, but it adds so much color to the room! I love how it turned out!
Laura
http://laurahager.blogspot.com
I love your plant! I’ve been wanting to pick one of those up, but I was wondering where you got the white pot. I’ve been looking for a plain white one like that.
Laura
http://laurahager.blogspot.com
This is adorable!
Off topic, but I was wondering what it is all about that this site has a copyright on your feather pendant pictures?
https://instagram.com/p/1P1Z-FnQxH/?taken-by=doityourself__ideas_
How fun! Love love love a pile of pillows on a day bed. Will have to try soon!
Love these colors…beautiful!
this is so cute!
xx nikki
http://www.dream-in-neon.com
So simple and adorable! You come up with the best ideas! Bravo!
This is so cool http://www.hannamarielei.com
this is so cute! but — how does it hold up with your cats? i feel like mine would destroy it.
My cat would LOVE it if I made one of these. π
Love the pillow! Where is the chair from?
It is amazing how the cutest things for home are made without much effort. Sofa cushions with an interesting design can be a perfect eyecatcher in your room. A nice piece of work for a rainy day that will turn into a true decoration of oneβs interior. It is so simple in making that even a child can cope β a perfect activity for a mother and a child to spend time together and develop their creativeness. Thank you for sharing the technique. I feel like it is going to become one of my favorites.
Alesouk,
http://www.alesouk.com/product-category/cushions-pillows/