Have you ever wondered how to sew a flanged pillow sham with mitered corners? You can do one on your own in just 9 simple steps.
Pillow shams are known home decorations to keep your room put together and elevated; they protect your pillows and pillowcases in style.
Some pre-made shams have colors, textures, and patterns that do not coordinate with a particular space’s aesthetic.
In this guide, you will learn how to make one with mitered corners. How exciting!
With this, you can not only gain sewing experience but bring a part of you to the area as well.
Supplies And Tools You Will Need
In making your pillow, the following are the things you have to prepare:
- Pillow fabric
- Flange Fabric
- Pillow form (18×18 inches)
- Sewing Machine
- Iron
- Thread
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Pins
Step By Step Instructions To Sew A Flanged Pillow Sham With Mitered Corners
Here is the step by step process on how to sew a flanged pillow sham with mitered corners:
Step #1. Cut the pillow and flange fabric
Take the pillow fabric and lay it on top of a flat surface. Using your ruler and pencil, measure and mark a 19×19-inch square on the material.
For the back part of the pillow, you will need two 12×19-inch rectangles, so proceed and measure that on the same fabric as well.
Next, get your flange fabric and lay it flat on your work station. Utilizing the same tools, mark eight 3×24-inch rectangles.
Cut both fabrics using your scissors, following the marks you previously made.
Step #2. Mark the front piece
Get the front piece of your pillow (19×19-inch square), and on the wrong side, mark each corner one-half inch from the edge of the fabric.
These four dots will serve as your guide when attaching the flange later.
Step #3. Attach the flange
Take your previously cut 3×24-inch flange fabric and the front piece of your pillow sham.
Fold the flange in half and finger press it to leave a line. Repeat this step on all eight pieces and do the same thing on the pillow fabric.
Lay the front material on top of your workstation, with the right side up. And along the edge, place one of your flange pieces with the wrong side up.
At this point, both of your fabric pieces have their right sides facing each other.
Remember the creases you made earlier at the center of the materials? Align them together and secure the fabric pieces with pins.
Sew with the flange on the bottom. Utilize the dots you made earlier in the 2nd step as your guide on when to start and stop stitching.
Make sure to line everything up when you sew and take note of the half-inch seam allowance.
Repeat until all four sides have flanges.
Step #4. Creating the mitered corners
The flange fabric flaps over each other and hangs on the corners of the sham, loosely. Now is the time you make the mitered corners.
Focus on one corner of the pillow front and fold the excess flange into a triangle.
Press it with enough pressure for it to leave a line. Repeat on the other flange.
Line both creases together, with right sides facing each other and secure with pins.
Sew along the pressing line while removing your pins in the process. If it is difficult for you to recognize the crease, you can mark it with a pencil.
Trim off the excess fabric to a quarter-inch allowance.
Step #5. Fold seams on the back pieces
Get the back pieces of your pillow. Fold one side of your fabric, measuring 19 inches, a quarter-inch, and press it with an iron to make sure it lays flat and neat.
After doing this, fold it again for another quarter inch and iron it so that you won’t have any struggles in sewing afterward.
It will create a clean finish when you are inserting or removing your pillow form from the sham.
Ensure that you did this step to both back pieces before proceeding.
Step #6. Sew the seams
Take the back piece, wrong side up, and run a straight stitch in the sewing machine along the edge of the fold you just made in the previous step.
Repeat this process to the other 12×19 piece of fabric. And cut the excess threads afterward.
Step #7. Assembling the back piece
Lay the two back pieces on the working surface, right sides up. Make a 19-inch square by overlapping the hemmed edges of the fabric.
Pin the edges and sew to secure.
Attach the remaining flanges and make mitered corners to the back piece, similar to what you did with the front part. Revisit steps #3 and #4.
Step #8. Sew the pillow front and back together
With right sides facing each other, lay the front and back pieces together. Pin the edges securely.
Sew all around the edges and trim the excess thread and fabric. Press the outside edges with an iron.
Step #9. Insert pillow form
Now that your sham is finally complete, you can now insert your 18×18-inch pillow form. And all set for decorating!
Conclusion
In just nine easy steps, you have learned how to sew a flanged pillow sham with mitered corners!
All the fabric choosing, cutting, and sewing led to a stunning home accessory you can gift and use as personal decoration.