decor, Decorating, DIY, fabric, Home Decor, pottery barn inspiration, Sewing, Tutorial

Simple and Stylish DIY Fabric Tissue Box Cover

Hey Guys, happy Summer! I’m back today with another easy home project for you – a simple stylish DIY Fabric Tissue Box Cover.

I don’t know about you, but I think most tissue boxes are tacky. They stick out like a sore thumb in our house! Unfortunately, it’s not the type of thing I can just put away in a closet (believe me, I’ve tried!) Our family has allergies and young kids—needless to say—the tissues must remain out.

Until the tissue manufacturers come out with some better patterns, I’ll be covering mine up! These fabric tissue covers do just the trick. You don’t need too much fabric to make them. They blend in nicely with your decor, and you can wash them if needed!

Of course you could buy tissue box covers. But, these are customizable and you can make them with a $2 piece of fabric (or less.) So, go ahead and save some money by doing this yourself. I’ve seen some tissue box covers selling for almost $40! Yikes.

I wanted to make the process as simple as possible for you. You’ll be happy to know, I did this project over and over and over again until I found the perfect method for making them. Yes – I have over 5 tissue box covers now. Ha!

Ok, let’s get started.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Fabric – 16 inches x 24 inches (A sturdier canvas material works best.)
Scissors
Sewing Machine
Thread
Pencil
Rectangle Tissue Box

Instructions:

Follow these steps to make your stylish tissue box covers.

Step 1: Cut out your Rectangle.

I’m assuming most tissue boxes are generally the same dimensions. But, measure your box to double check. For a standard rectangular tissue box, I started with a rectangle of fabric sized 16 inches by 24 inches.

Now cut your fabric to size.

Step 2: Cut a Center Hole.

Make a hole where the tissues will be dispensed. Here’s an easy way to do this. Take your rectangle of fabric and fold it in half lengthwise, then fold it in half again. Snip a little piece of the corner section – this will create a small hole perfectly centered in your fabric.

Step 3: Measure and Mark your Corners.

Place your tissue box in the center of your fabric. Hold the tissue box in place with one hand. With your other hand, use your pencil to mark a square at the corner of the tissue box. Repeat for all four corners.

It should look like this …

Step 4: Cut Out the Corners.

To make nice mitered corners, cut out the squares marked above. But, to allow for your seam, subtract about 1/4 – 1/2″ from the marked lines. Essentially, you’re cutting slightly outside where you made the pencil lines as shown below.

Step 5: Sew Your Tissue Box Hole.

Remember the little hole we cut out of the center earlier? Now you can cut it slightly bigger to accommodate your tissues. Cut, a skinny rectangle and fold flaps toward the inside of the fabric tissue cover. Iron them to keep them from folding back. It doesn’t have to be super neat. The tissues will help cover it up!

Step 6: Sew your Corners.

Take your piece of fabric and fold it so the corner pieces line up as shown below. You want to make sure you sew the pencil mark side on the underside so they don’t show. When you fold the fabric, the pencil marks should be facing out. Stitch along the pencil line.

Repeat and sew all four corners the same way.

Step 7: Trim the Bottom.

Woot! Your little tissue box cover is taking shape now. Turn your cover right side out and place it over your tissue box.

The ends are long, huh? Well, we can easily just cut those down and sew a clean seam all the way around! You may be wondering why I started with a larger piece of fabric only to have excess at the end.

Trust me – I did this five times over! Having excess fabric ensures all your ends meet nicely and cover the tissue box entirely.

Let’s finish up by cutting away all the excess fabric minus 1/2″ to create a nice seam.

Fold over the excess. Iron the seams. Now stitch along the edge of the folded seam.

Step 8: Flip your Tissue Box cover Right Side Out.

You are all done! Flip your tissue box right sides out and place it over your tissue box.

Soooooooo much better. Right?

These fabric tissue box covers look great everywhere and you can customize them with fabric of your choice. Place one in your bathroom, in your bedroom, and in your living room. Anywhere you want!

No more ugly tissues boxes. And my husband doesn’t have to ask – “where are the tissues, now?” LOL.

Even though I prefer a sturdier canvas or heavy cotton fabric for this project, you can make these tissue box covers with any fabric. Add some embroidery for a personalized touch! Or get out some fabric markers and create a Scandi design on plain canvas. This is a fun project allowing you to get creative with different looks.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial for a DIY fabric tissue box cover. For more fun sewing projects for your home, check out these sewing posts from Pretty Handy Girl. Or these 21 Sew Easy Gift Ideas:

Or learn how to make some of my popular projects from Decor Hint:

I’ll see you right back here next month! Enjoy the start of Summer!

~ See More of Karen’s Tutorials ~

Hello! I’m Karen, the creator of the Home Decor and DIY Blog: Decor Hint . I’m a Native of the East Coast, but I currently live in beautiful Seattle with my hubby, our two wonderful children and our spunky wheaten terrier.

You can usually find me with some sort of craft in one hand and a coffee in the other. And I’m always rearranging furniture or moving lamps from room to room. I have a passion (read: obsession) for decorating, DIY, and gardening. In short, I love making my house into a home.

Like many, I’m inspired by what I see in home decor magazines, but I’m not so inspired by the price tags. Consequently, I love finding and creating beautiful budget-friendly home decor items. In a head to head competition, I bet you’d never know the difference between the designer items and my DIY creations! Many of my DIY projects focus on sewing, crafting, upcycling and organizing. Some of my favorite projects have been making pretty wreaths , sewing my own tassel hand towels, and crafting these trendy wood bead garlands . I can’t wait to inspire you and spark your creativity through my DIY projects.

You can always connect with me on Pinterest , Twitter or Instagram.

July 24, 2019/0 Comments/by Karen Decor Hint

decor, Decorating, dining room, DIY, fabric, Gift Ideas, Home Decor, July 4th, party, Sewing, Summer, tablescape, Tutorial

DIY Oilcloth Drink Coasters

Tutorial for making these DIY oilcloth, water resistant drink coasters for Summer!

DIY Oilcloth Drink Coasters

Hi there! I’m so thrilled to be back today with this super quick and easy project. The weather in Seattle has been totally amazing lately and it’s got me thinking about summer. And, summer entertaining is on the brain! This project will look great on your patios and outdoor spaces. Bonus, it’s totally water resistant too. Let’s take a mini-break and learn how to make these adorable DIY oilcloth drink coasters for gifting or entertaining.

What in the world is Oilcloth?

Oilcloth is a type of fabric. It has vinyl on one side and kind of a soft mesh of cotton on the other side. Vinyl has a slippery and plastic-like feel to it. The best part about vinyl is you can wipe it clean and it’s water resistant! This makes oilcloth a perfect fabric choice for outdoor items like tablecloths, COASTERS, beach bags etc.

The other great thing about oilcloth is that it just happens to be made in a multitude of funky patterns and bright colors. This fabric was made for Summer! When you get a minute – run a google search for ‘oilcloth fabric’ and you’ll see what I mean. Such pretty patterns!

So this is the perfect little accessory for all those Summer fiestas and BBQ’ s you have in the works. Or even for gifting away as little favors. Tie a cute burlap string around them and presto! You have a lovely handmade housewarming gift.

Perhaps you own a pool or live near the beach? Or know someone who does? These coasters make a fantastic DIY gift idea for them.

Here’s the best part: these stylish oilcloth coasters took me 10 minutes to make – start to finish.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Oilcloth Fabric – I chose these hot pink stripes from Fabric.com
Sewing Machine
Pinking Shears – these are simply scissors with a serrated edge. They are used to cut a zig zag pattern in fabric to prevent fraying.
Tape Measure (for measuring your coasters to a perfect square)

Instructions:

Start by folding your oilcloth in half. We need two exact squares to make one coaster (both front and back will be the vinyl, water-resistant side).

Step 1: Measure out a perfect square on your oilcloth fabric.

I measured approximately a 4 inch square coaster. (It’s totally up to you on sizing. Most drink coasters are between 3-5 inches square. For fun you can also cut circles instead of squares. Use a bowl or circle template to make a perfect circle.)

Step 2 : Use your pinking shears to cut out your measured square.

Since your fabric is folded in half – you can pretty much cut two squares at once. You can also use regular scissors here and even them with pinking shears after sewing.

Step 3: Line up your two squares and sew them together vinyl sides out.

Use use small binder clips (another little sewing trick I use a TON) to hold your two pieces of fabric together while sewing. I wouldn’t suggest using pins because the holes will be visible even after removing them.

A straight stitch is fine, but feel free to try something fun like a zig zag stitch.

Tips for sewing and working with oilcloth fabric :

Because oilcloth is vinyl and kind of plastic feeling, it will stick under your presser foot. To combat this, use two hands to feed the coaster through.
An alternative is to purchase a Teflon presser foot – they are fairly inexpensive and won’t stick to the vinyl fabric as easily.
DO NOT IRON OILCLOTH. It will melt and the mess won’t be pretty. If your oil cloth is wrinkled, lay it out and throw some heavy books on top for a few days. This usually presses the wrinkles out. Oilcloth also “releases” more wrinkles when warmed up a bit. Therefore you can try laying it by a sunny window. Don’t microwave your oilcoth. 🙂

Step 4: Use your pinking shears to clean up the edges of your coasters

Simply snip along the edge without cutting through the seam to straighten and clean up the ends.

Guess what? All done! See how fast it was making these DIY oilcloth drink coasters?

These coasters look so cute and are perfect for Summer! Pin this image to share with a friend:

I don’t know about you, but I may need to mix up a batch of margaritas tonight. I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial!

If you enjoyed this tutorial, you might want to check out my tutorial on DIY frayed napkins. They also make a nice gift and pretty setting for your tables. And for even more inspiration – be sure to check out Brittany’s amazing backyard and patio reveal, what a beautiful space!

You may also like this tutorial for making mosaic tile coasters…

…or DIY personalized wood slice coasters.

I’ll be back here next month and I’m looking forward to connecting with you all again soon.

~ See More of Karen’s Tutorials ~

Hello! I’m Karen, the creator of the Home Decor and DIY Blog: Decor Hint . I’m a Native of the East Coast, but I currently live in beautiful Seattle with my hubby, our two wonderful children and our spunky wheaten terrier.

You can usually find me with some sort of craft in one hand and a coffee in the other. And I’m always rearranging furniture or moving lamps from room to room. I have a passion (read: obsession) for decorating, DIY, and gardening. In short, I love making my house into a home.

Like many, I’m inspired by what I see in home decor magazines, but I’m not so inspired by the price tags. Consequently, I love finding and creating beautiful budget-friendly home decor items. In a head to head competition, I bet you’d never know the difference between the designer items and my DIY creations! Many of my DIY projects focus on sewing, crafting, upcycling and organizing. Some of my favorite projects have been making pretty wreaths , sewing my own tassel hand towels, and crafting these trendy wood bead garlands . I can’t wait to inspire you and spark your creativity through my DIY projects.

You can always connect with me on Pinterest , Twitter or Instagram.

April 17, 2019/2 Comments/by Karen Decor Hint

arts and craft, Decorating, DIY, Do It Yourself, Pillows, Sewing

41 Decorative DIY Pillows

If you are looking for a quick and easy way to update any room in your house, change out your pillows! Pillows are easy to add, move, re-cover, or take to another room. They are used for adding texture, pattern, and warmth to your space (and let’s not forget comfort). Here are 41 Decorative DIY Pillows that will inspire you to make some beautiful pillows for your home.

Create beautiful textured DIY Moroccan Wedding Pillows for any room in your home.

Repurpose skirt into rectangular pillow Repurpose a skirt into a pretty rectangular pillow with bold pattern and texture.

Check out this Free Pillow Sham Pattern to create decorative pillows for your bedroom.

Make a quick 10-minute Dollar Store Bandana Pillow Cover.

Recycle old dress shirts to create these Plaid Pillow Covers and add some patterns to your decor.

Make this gorgeous, modern no-sew metallic foil pillow.

Learn how to easily sew this Cute Ruffled Pillow.

Use some fabric and add some fancy trim to make this beautiful Pillow with Jute Brush Fringe.

Make a beautiful Shabby Chic Throw Pillow Cover from light linen fabrics.

Sew some fun Beach Themed Pillow Covers for your beach themed room.

Learn how to make both a no-sew faux Alpaca pillow cover and a Kilim throw pillow from a rug.

Map Coordinates throw pillow for first home by Michelle j designs A Map Coordinates Throw Pillow would make the perfect first home gift!

How fun are these DIY Pom-Pom Pillows? Adorable!

DIY Pillow Covers made with Dinner Napkins by 2 Bees in a Pod Repurpose cloth dinner napkins to make a pillow cover.

diy st patricks day pillow Make a St. Patrick’s day pillow to keep your room more festive.

Help your back by making a DIY Lumbar Pillow for your favorite seat.

Make a fun Cricut DIY Mermaid Pillow by Our Crafty Mom This adorable DIY Mermaid Pillow would be great in a little girl’s room.

diy striped euro shams Create Striped Euro Shams to add a decorative element to your bedding.

Sew an Outdoor Pillow by Creative Ramblings DIY Outdoor pillows are awesome too, learn how to make one for the patio.

Use Fingerprints in stars in red, white and blue to create this awesome patriotic pillows.

birch tree pillow covers Design these Birch Tree Pillows with white felt for a bold statement.

If you like farmhouse style, these DIY Stenciled Farmhouse Pillows are perfect for you.

Add some freshness to your room with this Watercolor Pineapple Pillow Cover.

diy modern flower pillow by hazel and gold designs Make a Modern Flower pillowcase using iron-on vinyl.

DIY Paint by Numbers pillow by Shrimp Salad Circus Use Paint by Number skills to make this beautiful pillow cover.

Anthropologie-inspired tasseled pillow by shrimp salad circus Make a Beautiful Tasseled Pillow inspired by Anthropologie from fabric circles.

recover outdoor pillows using curtains Use Curtain Panels to re-cover outdoor pillows and update your patio.

Shibori Dyed pillows by shrimp salad circus Try out Shibori Dyeing to create these rad patterned pillows.

diy anthropologie knock off octopus pillow This DIY Anthro-inspired Octopus Pillow is a cool modern statement piece.

diy back pillow Make your own Back Pillow to have the support you need while it looks good.

Add some greenery to your room with gorgeous Botanical Stenciled Pillow covers.

diy pillow cover by design inside the box Make this bright and bold pillow using just a yard of fabric and a pillow form.

drop cloth pillow cover by girl just diy Turn a drop cloth into a pillow and add letter stenciling to make it beautiful!

Create a fun, festive DIY Pom Pom Pillow using a placemat.

If you have a beach-themed home try creating this Nautical Come Sail Away Pillow.

diy felted wood throw pillows by h2obungalow Create Felted Pillows to add color and pattern to your room.

Farmhouse pillowcase by making it in the mountains Make a Simple Ruffled Farmhouse Pillowcase from a simple old pillowcase.

Tell others how much you love your home with this Our Happy Place pillow.

ruffled farmhouse burlap pillow by making it in the mountains A 15-Minute Ruffled Burlap Pillow would be a perfect addition to farmhouse styled homes.

Make a Double Sided Pillow and get more bang for your buck!

make pillow from placemats by green with decor Repurpose Placemats into Pillow covers for some durable throw pillows.

I hope you were able to find some inspiration for making custom and fun DIY pillows for your home. It’s a great change to make a big impact in a room without spending a lot of time or money. if you like this collection, please share on Pinterest by pinning this image:

Thanks so much for reading! I’d love to hear what you think or what kind of pillow you’d like to try to make!

Hi, I’m Sheri from Hazel + Gold Designs. Here are a few fun stats about me: I ~~like~~ love chocolate and peanut butter (together of course.) If you like stats, I have been crocheting for about 16 years, crafting for 20, and woodworking for about 4 years. I found a passion in making and being creative and began documenting my projects online at Hazel + Gold Designs.

When not working on projects, I enjoy spending time with my husband, four children, perfect dog, and ornery cat. You can find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.

Read all of Sheri’s tutorials.

~Find more of Sheri’s projects here ~

March 13, 2019/1 Comment/by Sheri

bedroom, Decorating, Home Decor, Kids Room, Pillows, Sewing, Tutorial

How to Make a Felt Letter Pillow Cover

How to Make a Felt Letter Pillow Cover

Friends! I’m so excited to be back today with a new project for you, a DIY felt letter pillow cover. One of my favorite things to do is to scour home decor stores for inspiration for my kids’ rooms. I love trying to recreate trendy looks for my home, but on a budget. Today’s project accomplishes this goal! I’ve seen some really cute letter pillow covers and I knew I could DIY one myself. Originally I made one for my son’s room. It turned out so well that my daughter requested one for her room too. Lucky for you, a sewing machine is optional – so this project is for truly for anyone who wants to make their own Felt Letter Pillow Cover.

Let’s get started!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here .)

Felt in the color of your choice
Pillow Cover
Sewing Machine (or fabric glue or thread and needle)
Sewing scissors
Pen or chalk or pencil
Pillow form (to match the size of your pillow cover)
Pins
Word Template or Letter Stencils

Instructions:

Step 1: It’s helpful to type up and print out a word template for this project or use letter stencils. It’s not totally necessary, but when tracing your letters onto the felt it helps keep all the letters relatively uniform.

Making Your Word Template:

Open up Word or Google Docs and type out the word you want. Add a space between the letters. (I used the Impact font at font size 150pt for this project.)

You can make your letters bigger or smaller. Just be aware, it gets a little tricky to cut out smaller letters. Cut your letters out of your template and let’s move on to the next step.

Tip: If your word contains more than one of the same letter – you only need to cut that letter once. For instance – WANDERER has two E’s and two R’s, but I only needed one template for each letter because I could use the same one to trace two letters. This should save you a few minutes.

Step 2: Trace your letters onto the felt using your stencil or cut out letters (or draw them freehand if not using a template).

You can use pen, chalk, or pencil to trace. Just make sure you can see the lines so you can cut them out.

Step 3: Cut out your letters using scissors.

Step 4: Space your felt letters onto your pillow cover. (I made a lumbar pillow cover from canvas drop cloth for this project, but you can also buy a plain cover.) It’s helpful to play with the placement and see where you want to start the word on your pillow cover.

Attaching the Letters:

Sewing – Pin your first letter to the pillow cover. Hand sew or use your sewing machine to sew the letter onto the cover. You can use matching thread or a different color to give it more of a rustic vibe. My thread was white on brown felt.
Fabric Glue – Glue your felt letter to your pillow cover.

Step 5: Continue to sew or glue the rest of your letters onto your pillow cover.

Step 6 : After you finish sewing on the letters, cut off any loose strings. If you used fabric glue, you want to let this dry for 24 hours before attempting to wash it. (Please refer to the instructions on your specific fabric glue. )

Step 7 : Insert your pillow form into your new cover.

All done! This looks fantastic, don’t you agree?!

I have seen these letter pillow covers in stores for over $25! Yet, I was able to make this knock off for less than $5 with a simple DIY canvas pillow cover and some inexpensive felt.

I love the way this pillow turned out. As I mentioned, my daughter requested one for her room. (Although she’s having a little trouble choosing which word she wants!) So far she’s come up with: Cupcake, Ice Cream, Unicorns – she can’t decide.

This project would also be cute as a personalized pillow cover. Or make it as a gift for someone who has young children. It’s the perfect touch for a nursery or kids room.

Another idea would be to create one for each holiday: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are great occasions to display a felt letter pillow.

I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial for a DIY felt letter pillow cover. You might also like to learn how to sew a rope basket at Decor Hint (where I blog regularly).

I’ll be back next month with another fun project for you! In the meantime, be sure to check out some other sewing tutorials on Pretty Handy Girl.

Thanks for reading!

~ See More of Karen’s Tutorials ~

Hello! I’m Karen, the creator of the Home Decor and DIY Blog: Decor Hint . I’m a Native of the East Coast, but I currently live in beautiful Seattle with my hubby, our two wonderful children and our spunky wheaten terrier.

You can usually find me with some sort of craft in one hand and a coffee in the other. And I’m always rearranging furniture or moving lamps from room to room. I have a passion (read: obsession) for decorating, DIY, and gardening. In short, I love making my house into a home.

Like many, I’m inspired by what I see in home decor magazines, but I’m not so inspired by the price tags. Consequently, I love finding and creating beautiful budget-friendly home decor items. In a head to head competition, I bet you’d never know the difference between the designer items and my DIY creations! Many of my DIY projects focus on sewing, crafting, upcycling and organizing. Some of my favorite projects have been making pretty wreaths , sewing my own tassel hand towels, and crafting these trendy wood bead garlands . I can’t wait to inspire you and spark your creativity through my DIY projects.

You can always connect with me on Pinterest , Twitter or Instagram.

February 27, 2019/0 Comments/by Karen Decor Hint

Sewing

Home State Pride Garden Flag from a Placemat

Home State Pride Spring Garden Flag | Pretty Handy Girl

You know I’m a lover of saving money when it comes to decorating. That’s why I love to create garden flags made from placemats! They are the perfect size for a garden flag stand. You can decorate flags using a variety of paints, fabric and even fake flowers. Best of all, if you have the fabric, these Home State Pride Spring Garden Flags will only cost you a dollar because the placemat is from The Dollar Tree!

Previously, I made a Snowman, Valentine’s Day, Fall and Summer Flag, but I really wanted a Spring flag for our yard. That’s how I came up with the idea to create this Home State Pride Garden Flag.

Want to learn how to make one in less than an hour? Grab some fabric, some thread and let’s get sewing!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Dollar Tree fabric placemat
State shape print out
Patterned fabric
Solid color fabric
Sewing Machine
Sharpie Stained Markers
Thread (coordinating with the placemat and with the patterned fabric)
Pencil
Quilting pins
Ruler
Sewing scissors
Double-sided Fusible Interfacing
Iron
Painter’s Tape

Optional (if you don’t want to hand letter):

Instructions:

Search online for your state’s shape. Print it on a sheet of letter paper. Lay the state on a piece of double-sided fusible interface. (You can use pieces of tape if you need to secure the shape in place.

Cut out around the outline of the state shape.

Discard the state print out. Flip the fusible interfacing over so the state shape is backwards. Iron the fusible interfacing onto the solid fabric.

Cut around the edges of the interfacing. Remove the backing from the interfacing. Set the fabric state aside.

Measure and fold over 1 ½” from one short side of the placemat. Iron to hold in place.

Lay the placemat on top of the patterned fabric (leaving the folded edge folded.) Cut around the placemat shape.

Fold the edges of the patterned fabric under approximately 1/2″ on all sides. Iron the folds.

Center the patterned fabric on the placemat and secure with pins. Center the state cut out on the patterned fabric.

Iron the state shape to the patterned fabric until the interfacing melts and bonds.

Open up the folded edge of the placemat and stitch around the perimeter of the patterned fabric.

Flip the placemat over and stitch the folded edge down to create a pole pocket.

Choose a decorative stitch (if you have a sewing machine that will make decorative stitches) and sew around the border of the state flag cut out.

Lightly trace your letters in pencil. Draw over the pencil lines with Sharpie Stained Markers. (I chose to outline the state shape to help it stand out better.)

Hang your DIY Home State Pride Garden Flag out in the yard and enjoy!

Be sure to pin this project for a friend (because friends don’t let friends pay full price for home décor! Right?!)

Like these cute garden flags? Stay tuned because we’ll have a lot more on Friday.

February 13, 2017/9 Comments/by Brittany Bailey