How to Sew a DIY Velvet Pillow Cover with an Exposed Metallic Zipper

Do you love velvet as much as I do? Then learn to make a DIY pillow cover in a luxurious velvet fabric with an exposed metallic zipper! This is a gorgeous handmade pillow option for fall and winter decor. With some inexpensive pillow inserts, you can add a whole new level of comfort and luxury to your home for a fraction of the price of buying velvet pillows new.

Come and see how I did it!

Velvet has always been a favourite fabric of mine, and I especially love it in the colder months for its soft texture and the warmth it brings to a chilly night when I’m snuggled on the sofa under a blanket with a book and cup of tea.

And just in case you’re reading this and feeling skeptical of the durability of this fabric, let me assure you that it’s not as delicate as people think! As long as you use the gentle cycle you can absolutely machine wash your cushion covers. Just do NOT tumble dry your velvet. Instead, lay it flat to dry to preserve the fibers.

These teal velvet pillows were featured in my fall home tour, and I love them so much because they have a beautiful copper-coloured exposed zipper! I know some people might prefer an invisible zipper closure but I love adding metallic accents to my home wherever I can find them. Especially if you have brass light fixtures or other hardware in the same room, they add such a nice touch. So, just in case a set of gorgeous accent pillow covers like this is on your seasonal home decor wishlist, I’m going to show you how I made them.

Watch my YouTube video tutorial to learn how to make these DIY velvet pillow covers, or follow the written instructions below:

Materials:

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• Pillow insert (I love the IKEA 20″ x 20″ down inserts)
• Velvet fabric (Enough for the size of your pillow insert x 2 and in a great color of your choice. I find solid colors work best with velvet.)
• Metallic continuous zipper
• Pins
• Thread
• Sewing machine
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Fabric pencil

Directions:

Use a ruler, pencil, and scissors to measure and cut two squares of the velvet fabric that are the same size as your pillow form. Mine are 20″ x 20″ each.

Attach the zipper

Thread a zipper head onto the continuous zipper, and cut the zipper to fit the width of the fabric squares. Cut out two rectangles of velvet fabric that measure approximately 1 x 2″. Fold those in half horizontally, and sew them to each end of the zipper with the raw sides matching.

Pin the zipper to one edge of the large square of fabric, right sides together.

Using a zipper foot, sew the zipper to the top edge of the fabric, sewing as close to the zipper as possible.

Open up the zipper, place it with the pillow square right-side-up, and then place the second large square of fabric right-side-down on top of the zipper and the first square of fabric. Make sure the nap of the velvet matches on each piece of fabric. Pin the edge of the zipper to the edge of the second piece of fabric.

Using the zipper foot, sew the second piece of fabric to the zipper.

Here’s what your fabric pieces should look like with the zipper in place, opened up to the right side:

Sew the rest of the pillow cover

Now, place the fabric pieces with the right sides together again, matching all the corners and sides and pinning them in place.

Sew the pieces together on all three sides using a 1/2″ seam allowance. You may have to hand-crank your machine over the zipper portion so that you don’t break a needle!

Clip the corners at a diagonal, and turn the pillow case right-side-out. Stuff your pillow form inside, zip your cover up, and you’re done!

I am so happy with how my teal pillow turned out. Of course, you can pick a different color that matches the color palette of your own home. You could even add some hand-embroidered embellishments if you wish! That’s the beauty of DIY: it’s whatever you want to do.

Now tell me: Would you make these velvet pillow covers for your home?

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