This past weekend was perfect for spiffing up the outdoor party area.  I decided to wash all the chair and chaise cushions as well as the throw pillows.

Everything came out perfectly except for the large throw pillow covers.  They were VERY faded, stained, and looked terrible even after washing.  They are about 3 years old, so probably about time to replace…although not at the top of my list for spending money on.

I took them out of the dryer and briefly turned one inside out and was very surprised to find a brand new pillow inside! The inside fabric was bright, colorful, and PERFECT! If only I could turn them inside out and put the pillow form back in.  

The only thing stopping me from doing that was the raw unfinished edges that looked terrible.  

But wait! I realized all I would have to do is finish the edges. 

I  went to Discount Fabrics, found some great Sunbrella outdoor fabric in a beutiful orange which brought out the orange in the pillow, purchased ¼ yard for $4. and rushed home to start the transformation.

I layed the fabric flat and cut 6 strips that were 2 inches wide.  Each pillow is 24” square, so I needed about 99” in length (24”x4 plus about 3” extra) to go around the edge of each pillow.

   

I sewed two strip ends together, placing the right sides together in order to have the length I needed for one pillow.

Next, with the pillow cover inside out, I pinned the right side of my trim strip to the edge of  (what was now) the right side of my pillow.

I then sewed the strip to the pillow.

      

Next, I pulled the un-sewn edge of the trim over the raw edge of the pillow, turned the pillow over, and secured it with pins all the way around the edge, being sure to fold the edge under in order to have a finished edge.  This step will completely cover the existing raw edge of the pillow.

If your pillow has a zipper on one side, be sure to only fold the trim over one side of the zipper edge so as not to enclose your zipper. Now sew the final pinned side.

UNBELIEVABLE, they look BETTER THAN NEW! I actually prefer the orange trim to the old trim that is now on the inside! All for only $4 and 15 minutes to sew each pillow.

If you do not have a sewing machine, you can do the same thing with Aleene’s fabric glue (which you can find at Joanns Fabric and Craft Store, most fabric stores, or online. You can also use hot glue if you are not concerned about it coming apart in the next wash.