Let’s Make A Fun And Easy DIY Patriotic Star Pillow

Does your porch space lack a touch of patriotic cheer? Mine sure did! So, I decided to whip up this fun and fabulous patriotic pillow. Trust me, it’s so simple to make – perfect for anyone who loves easy DIY projects!

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DIY Easy Patriotic Pillow

Supplies

• Cotton Pillow Cover
• Pillow Insert
• Large Star Stencil
• Tacky Spray Adhesive
• Paint – Dixie Belle’s Silk All-In-One Mineral Paint in Deep Sea
• Chip Paint Brush
• Piece of Cardboard
• Red Embroidery Thread
• Embroidery Needle
• Embroidery hoop (optional)
• Scissors
• Old Tea Towel
• Iron

Note: Use your coupons. I know that Michaels will have coupons available so be sure to check.

Getting Started

Find an old piece of cardboard to slide under your pillow cover. Here a gift box bottom was slid to protect the bottom cover from any bleed through from the paint.

You can iron your pillow cover first. However, we will be ironing it later to set the paint.

Find the star stencil that will work best for your pillow. I selected the large star for my project. You can use painter’s tape to hold down the stencil. I prefer to use Krylon’s Easy-Tack™ Repositionable Adhesive. It’s a great item to have for your craft projects. You take the stencil outside and spray the back of the stencil. Allow it a few minutes to dry and it will adhere great!

Stenciling

The trick to stenciling is a little paint goes a long way! With fabric, it is going to absorb the paint faster. You grab a paper plate and spoon some paint onto it.

Next using a chip brush, begin to stroke the paint onto the fabric. Do not be heavy-handed. You can always go back over a selection to add more paint. Here mine star has more of a worn look to it. It is a matter of preference. The paint color is Deep Sea by Dixie Belle Paint Company. You can purchase it here. This paint is not just used for furniture. There are so many options. You can see how I use Dixie Belle’s paints on some of my other craft projects.

Outlining The Star – Running Stitch

You can leave your pillow with the painted star or outline it. Using several strands of 498 Dark Red Embroidery thread, cut the thread to the desired length. Next, you would knot one end of the strand.

An embroidery hoop comes in handy (if you know where it is). Put your star image in the embroidery hoop. A small 3″ hoop would be fine and you can reposition it as necessary.

1. Begin the running stitch by poking your threaded needle up through the wrong side of the fabric.
2. Poke the needle back down through the fabric next to where you just came up, and pull the thread down into your first stitch.
3. Now poke your needle back up through the fabric, leaving a space from the previous stitch. Then poke the needle back down through the fabric again making your second stitch.
4. Repeat until you have outlined the entire star. It is an easy stitch for us “no sew gals”.

Heat Setting Your Image

To preserve the paint on the fabric, we will need to heat-set it.

Turn your iron on using the silk setting. You need to make sure it is set to dry with no steam. Once the iron has heated up, place a thin cloth over the image. I am using a thin cotton tea towel.

Run your iron over the tea towel several times where the stenciled images are located. Turn your iron off and remove the tea towel. Allow the pillow cover to cool before handling it.

It is ready for a pillow insert and to style it! 

Care

You can machine wash your pillow cover in cold water. Lay flat to dry. Avoid placing it in the dryer. Always remove the pillow insert before washing your cover.

Cleaning Your Stencil

The stencils clean up easily with soap and water. I use Dawn Dish Detergent, warm water, and a soft cloth. Gently rub to remove the paint and the adhesive without tearing your stencil. You want to be able to save your stencil to use again later.

DIY Easy Patriotic Star Pillow

Now you have a fun accent pillow that you can use in your home. Here my sweet star pillow is on a vintage bench on our front porch with some other pillows. It coordinates perfectly with the other pillows found tucked in the closet.

PIN IT!

If you are short on time save this idea for later, and pin it to your Pinterest Board. Just hover over the left corner of one of the photos above and the Save button will appear for Pinterest.

Summer Home Tour

Did you see my Summer Home Tour last week? If you missed it you can see My Summer Home Tour here. I joined thirty other very creative women! There is so much inspiration and something for everyone.

Take a tour of my Patriotic Front Porch!

Tips on creating a charming and patriotic front porch can be found here. I have a video tour to share with you as well.

You can see my Patriotic Wreath tutorial here.

Other craft projects can be found on my blog. Just click on this tab labeled “CRAFTS“.

A brand new patriotic star pillow to add a pop of color and festivity to the home. Hope you enjoyed this fun DIY project, sweet friend!