Weddingbee Blog

While trolling Etsy looking for a ring bearer pillow, I realized all the pillows I liked had one thing in common: they had a big flower as the main focus of the pillow. Observe:

Y and E Bridal on Etsy

Creations4Brides on Etsy

I loved the look of these pillows, but I wasn’t a fan of the ~$40 price tag. My crafty bridesmaid LC assured me that we could DIY this in no time. And DIY it we did, for under $15!

My DIY ring bearer pillow! (Personal photo)

Here’s how we did it:

Materials needed:

• half yard of matte ivory satin fabric
• 2 feet of 1 1/2 – 2? wide colored ribbon
• large open silk rose/peony
• pretty rhinestone charm
• 2 feet of thin ivory ribbon or cord
• quilt batting/polyester fiberfill

TO MAKE THE PILLOW:

Step 1: Measure and cut fabric into two squares of equal size. If you want your final pillow to measure 8 x 8, cut out two 10 x 10 inch squares (this leaves a 1″ allowance for you to sew around).

Step 2: Pin your two fabric squares together, making sure that the “good” sides of the fabric (what you want the exterior to be) face each other.

You can see how it is pinned here. Bridesmaid LC is doing the sewing.

Step 3: Use a sewing machine to sew the two squares together (or if you’re me, enlist the help of your crafty BM to do this for you), about 1″ in from edge of fabric. Important: make sure to leave 2 inch gap along side unsewn so you can stuff the pillow with batting. We aligned the gap with where the ribbon would go, so that my hand-stitching would be covered up by the ribbon.

BM LC on her mom’s sewing machine. I couldn’t have done it without her.

Step 4: While the pillow is still inside out, cut the corners off (make sure you don’t cut into the seam though!). Then iron the seams flat. I hope this makes sense, I’m not too good on my sewing terminology. Maybe a picture would help:

Step 5: Turn the pillow inside-out through the gap you left open. Iron it flat.

Step 6: Fill pillow with batting. It helps to break off small chunks of the batting, fluff them with your fingers and then stuff them into the pillow through the 2 inch gap.

Step 7: Once you’ve stuffed the pillow to desired fullness, stitch the gap shut using a hidden stitch, which you can learn how to do here.

Yay, your pillow is complete! Now to make the embellishment:

FLOWER EMBELLISHMENT

Step 1: Starting with your store bought silk flower (I got mine at Michaels – it’s a cream peony), cut the flower off the stem and use wire cutters to cut the green plastic parts away from the silk flower.