DIY: No-Sew Football Throw Pillow That’s Machine Washable

This shop has been compensated by Persil. #PersilTacklesLaundry #sponsored

DIY: No-Sew Football Throw Pillow That’s Machine Washable

 

DIY: No-Sew Football Throw Pillow That’s Machine Washable. Try Persil® ProClean® Laundry Detergent From Walmart® For Game Day Clean-Up

My husband and I are big football fans so from August to January, our lives are planned around football games. Whether we’re watching a game at home or in person, two things are sure to happen:

 

1. There will be lots of eats and treats &
2. There will be an abundance of fleece.

 

Since football season occurs during the coldest months of the year, fleece is an absolute must here in Virginia. Since I’d rather watch most games from the comfort of my own home, you’ll more than likely find me curled up on the couch with a hot beverage and a cozy fleece blanket.

For the past few years, I’ve been buying my fleece blankets at Walmart. Coming in at under $3 each, I can afford to buy extra blankets for game day guests and use a few to make game day decor.

Last year I discovered a neutral plaid pattern and fell in love so I bought every single one I could find. This is the same pattern that will make an appearance in today’s tutorial.

Although I didn’t find this exact pattern in Walmart this year, I did see a few that are closely related. Regardless, it’s cold out there so go to Walmart and stock up on fleece blankets. You’ll need them to keep warm and to make these no-sew throw pillows. They’ll make a great addition to your game day festivities plus, they’re machine washable.

Before we do anything, we need to launder the blanket because you don’t want the fabric shrinking after you make your pillow. My everyday laundry detergent for the past month has been Persil® ProClean® laundry detergent (also found at Walmart). 

I’m on my second package of Persil Power-Caps® and I love how convenient they are (the detergent is pre-measured which means one less step for me). The Power-Caps® also make my husband’s work clothes smell a whole lot better which is a massive feat itself, but hey, I digress.

 

 

Tip: Check out Ibotta for additional savings on Persil laundry detergent!

 

 

 

Before we do anything, we need to launder the blanket because you don’t want the fabric shrinking after you make your pillow. Now, let’s gather our materials for our no-sew fleece pillow.

Materials Needed:

Fleece blanket or fleece material (enough to make your desired pillow size)

Fusible web tape (¼” or ½” width) OR alternate iron-on adhesive

Iron

Scissors

*Craft cutting machine

*Heat transfer vinyl

Pom-pom trim (use a color that matches/contrasts with your fleece).

Pillow stuffing

 

*Note:  You can use iron-on letters if you don’t have a craft cutting machine.

 

 

Instructions:

Cut two pieces of fabric from your fleece blanket/material. I cut two 17’ squares since I knew I wanted my throw pillows to be around 16”.

 

 

Since the fleece blanket had the same pattern on both sides, I didn’t worry about which side of the fabric was for the outside (or inside) of the pillow. If your fleece pattern is different on one side, this is something you’ll need to pay attention to.

 

 

Once the fabric is cut, it’s time to hem the edges. Place a strip of fusible tape about ½” inch from the edge of the material. Set your iron to the cotton setting (or the tape manufacturer’s recommended setting) and iron it on.

 

 

 

Once it’s bonded, peel the paper backing off the fusible tape. You should see something similar to the photo above. Next, fold ½” of fabric onto to the adhesive and iron on to secure.

 

 

If you can, snip off a corner of the hem with your scissors. This will help remove some of the fabric bulk that can happen on pillow corners.

Repeat the above steps until all sides of the fabric have hems. Once that’s complete, use the fusible tape to attach the front of your pillow to the back. Don’t add any fusible tape to the bottom though because we’ll need that open so we can stuff our pillow.

If you’re using a craft cutting machine, design your game day slogan in your machine’s software. I opted for the simple “#Football” with the letters aligned right. Print out your slogan on heat transfer vinyl and apply to the front of your pillow. If you’re using iron-on letters, complete this step by arranging your letters how you want them and then ironing on per the packaging’s instructions.

 

 

Once my slogan was ironed on, I got to work stuffing my pillow. Thank goodness we left that opening, right?!

 

 

 

When you’re happy with the amount of stuffing in your pillow, you can close it by hand (using a needle and thread) but since I like keeping things no-sew, I used my fusible tape. Yes, I had to push the stuffing around a bit so I could iron on the fusible tape but it was pretty easy to do.

If you’d like to trim the outside of your pillow with pom pom like I did, keep the fusible tape out. This is what I used to cover the pillow seams and attach the pom pom trim.

 

 

 

Alternatively, you can use permanent fabric adhesive and glue the pom pom on. You can also skip this step if pom pom trim isn’t your thing (ric-rac or ribbon would look nice too).

I’ll admit that I’m a huge pom fan so I really love the double duty it’s pulling:  the fabric seams are covered and it makes this no-sew pillow look a wee bit fancy. 😉

 

 

My husband didn’t mind the pom pom trim although he didn’t want his face in the photo either, LOL.

 

 

Since we were having a few friends over on this particular game day, I made this printable (shown below) as a way of welcoming everyone.

 

 

Did you ever notice how people are a bit shy around food sometimes? I don’t want my guests to feel that way so as the sign says, grab some eats and have a seat!

Download your free copy of the printable right here:

 

 

We’re now game day besties even if you’re rooting for an opposing team. For me, there’s nothing like the combo of food, family, friends, and football!

How To Launder The Throw Pillow

Should your best friend drop some salsa or wing sauce on your game day throw pillow,  check out Persil laundry detergent’s handy laundry tips. Next, wash the pillow on your machine’s gentle cycle and dry on low. Remove promptly and fluff as needed.

Did you know that Persil® Original Power-Liquid Pro10 was named “Best New Liquid Laundry Detergent” by Family Circle in 2017?