Pillow Talk? Yes, but not
that kind of pillow talk... Do you want designer quality pillows on a budget? If so, these tips and tricks are for you!
First, let me say that my friends should probably go all Dr. Drew on me and stage a throw pillow intervention. I think there may be a pillow on every seat in my house....my couch, chair, love seat, benches and misc. chairs around the house all have pillows on them. I love them because they can be easily changed with the seasons or decor and it makes the house feel cozy, especially when paired with a nice blanket or throw.
My Top 7 Tips and Tricks
for Throw Pillows on a Budget:
1.
Trade poly-fill for feathers! Do you want the perfect soft pillow that
you can easily fluff and perfectly "karate chop"? If you do, only buy pillows that are duck feather or similar feather stuffed versions. Poly-fil is stiff and over time it will clump inside the pillow and eventually go flat. Washing them will only fluff them for so long and they are back to flat again before long.
2.
Purchase pillow forms/inserts and removable covers! The key is to purchase duck feather inserts and pillow covers. No need to have 50 million different pillows that you need to store when you're not using. All you really need are the inserts and an assortment of interchangeable pillow covers.
3.
Sew your own pillow covers! Honestly if you can sew a straight line, you can make a pillow. If you can sew a straight line and install a zipper or fold it and close it with a button that's even better. Or, consider a no-sew option, hot glue, fabric glue or fusible options work too.
4.
Buy larger pillows! If you want your pillows to look substantial and high end, make them larger! I don't use anything smaller than a 20x20 pillow unless it's a tiny accent pillow to go along with the larger ones, but I never put out a small pillow on its own. Smaller pillows tend to look a little lost on a piece of furniture so go for the bigger size and you'll be much happier with the look.
5.
My favorite place to buy pillow forms/inserts and covers? This is my best tip of all. Buy them at
IKEA!!! Not only are they super affordable, but every season they add or change the covers so you can create different looks. I buy a ton of the plain white zipper covers and create custom pillows with them too. Don't have an Ikea near you? Neither do I, in fact the closest one is 4 hours from me by car. I hit an Ikea in every city I visit and stuff them in my suitcase. I usually travel several times a year for work so I've managed to make it work. Over the last few years I've created a nice collection of both inserts and covers. The inserts are vacuum sealed and rolled so they fit nicely in a suitcase. Or, if you have friends or relatives near an Ikea ask them to make an Ikea run for you and mail them to you...most of the inserts and covers are not sold online so you have to get creative.
6.
Why go to all that trouble for inserts and covers? Well, for me it was the price. Ikea sells duck feather inserts in 20x20 size for $5.99 and 26x26 for a few dollars more. The 26x26 are great for beds! That's crazy good and most of the pillow covers are between $4 and $7.
7.
Last but not least, you can make a pillow out of anything! Fabric is fabric, it can be off the bolt, your neighbors old disco shirt, parachute pants from the 80's, or even a bandanna, seriously anything can be made into a pillow as long as you have enough fabric. I made the blue pillows on my rockers out of napkins from Target.
While I realize not everyone can visit an Ikea, this is still the best deal I've found out there for pillow inserts. My other hot tip? You can sometimes find large pillow inserts at really good prices at Tuesday Morning. On a recent trip there, I found Euro forms/inserts, although not feather stuffed, for only $9.99 each. I've seen poly-fil inserts for four times that at other stores.
I hope you find these tips helpful in your quest for affordable pillow options!
