Embroidery Library Urban Threads The Study

💫Get 10 Designs for $20!

SHOP ELIGIBLE SINGLE DESIGNS

Wear It. Stitch It. Love It. 🌟 Apparel & Accessory designs are 60% off!

Embroidered Bolster Pillow

Embroidered Bolster Pillow

This decorative Firecracker Pillow is not only stylish, but also zipper free!


Dream up a new design and fabric combination for each room in your house -- living room, family room, and one for each bedroom! This pillow also makes a great gift for weddings, house warming parties, and bridal showers. Personalize it with school colors, and give it to a student to dress up a dorm room this fall!


The finished size for this project is 29 x 9 inches.

Supplies & Materials:

Supplies needed:

** 1/2 yard fabric for front panel


** 1/2 yard fabric for side panels


** 1 yard fabric for back panel


** Bolster pillow form -- 20 x 9 inches


** Two 27-inch decorative tassel ties


** 1 yard decorative trim (optional)


** 16 inch length of 5/8 inch-wide Velcro


** Medium weight, cut-away stabilizer


** Air-erase pen


** Temporary spray adhesive

The designs used in this tutorial include: 


- C4583, German Folk Art Border
- C4590, German Folk Art Accent

Gather Materials:


Measure the circumference of the bolster pillow form and add 2 1/2 inches for overlap and seam allowance.


Measure the bolster's width, subtracting 1 1/2 inches from each end.

Hand measuring the circumference of a white bolster pillow with a yellow tape measure on a wooden surface against a blue background.

Cut the front panel fabric to 18 x 31 1/2 inches.


Using an air-erase pen, measure 6 inches down from one of the short edges and 6 inches in from the side edges. Use a straight edge to connect the two marks. Measure the width of the fabric and divided by two to find the center and mark it on the line. 

A hand holds a blue and white pen, marking a straight line on a green fabric using a metal ruler on a wooden surface.


With your embroidery software, create paper templates of the designs by printing them at full size. Cut around the designs to make them manageable.


Using an air-erase pen, poke a hole in the center design template and match it to the center mark. Place the other designs about 1/4 inch from the center design.


Poke holes in the center of the two side designs, and mark them on the line.

Hand drawing black intricate floral and sunburst designs on white paper strips, placed on olive green fabric on a wooden table.

Remove the template and draw lines connecting the vertical axis points of the center and side designs.


These lines will be used for hooping.

Hand holding white chalk marking a line along a metal ruler on light green fabric with faint grid lines, on a blue surface.

Start Embroidering:

Lightly spray the stabilizer with temporary adhesive. Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together, aligning the lines on the hoop with the lines on the fabric. Attach the hoop to the machine, load the design, align the needle directly over the center point on the fabric, and embroider the design.


Once the design has been embroidered, carefully cut away the excess stabilizer and cut out the rectangle shape.

White embroidery hoop placed on a beige fabric with black grid lines and a central mark for alignment. The fabric appears smooth and unembroidered.

After all the designs have been embroidered, trim away the excess stabilizer.

Hand trimming edge of embroidered fabric with floral and sunburst designs using black and orange rotary cutter on dark surface. White backing paper partially peeled back.

Cut two pieces of the side fabric to 31 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches. Place the front panel right side up and lay the side panel pieces right side down on top of the front panel fabric, aligning the edges of the long side. Pin in place.

Partially folded pale yellow fabric with floral damask pattern over a blue-gray fabric panel embroidered with small red and blue flowers. Hand visible.

Sew a 1 inch seam along each side. Press the seams on the backside of the panels.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching light golden fabric with a subtle floral pattern, guided by pins placed along the fabric edge.

Measure the total length and width of the assembled front and side panels. Cut a piece of the back panel to this size.


Cut a 16 inch length of the loop side of the Velcro and pin it to the center of the back panel fabric about 1 1/2 inches from the edge.


Pin in place, and sew a seam around the outer edge of the Velcro to secure it in place.

White fabric pinned along one edge with several straight pins through a white braided trim. A hand holds the trim on the right side.

Lay the assembled fabric right side up and lay the back panel fabric on top it, right side down. Position the Velcro facing the bottom edge of the front panel.


Add the trim by tucking it between the front and back panels along the the bottom of the front panel, with the trim facing toward the inside.


Pin the layers together.

Partially sewn bolster pillow cover with white fabric pinned on a blue textured fabric with fringe, placed on a dark wooden surface.

Sew a 1/2 inch seam around the sides and bottom, leaving the bottom edge open for turning.


Close-up of a sewing machine stitching cream fabric with an embroidered floral pattern and a blue-green braided trim on a white surface.

Turn the fabric right side out and press the seams. Turn the fabric of the open edges in 1/2 inch and press in place.


Top stitch around the entire outer edge of the fabric closing the open edge as you sew. Top stitch along the seams of the front panel.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching olive green fabric with a yellow pin holding the fabric in place, illuminated by the machine's light.


Cut a 16-inch length of the hook side of the Velcro and pin it in place along the top edge of the fabric. Sew the Velcro in place.

Close-up of olive green fabric with hand-embroidered floral motifs in blue, red, yellow, and white, pinned along edges on wooden surface.


Wrap the fabric around the pillow and press the edges together by aligning the Velcro strips.

Close-up of an embroidered bolster pillow with floral designs in red, blue, and cream thread on gray fabric, featuring blue-green fringe and visible zipper.

Gather the ends of the pillow together and secure them with tassel ties by tying them in a bow.

Hand tying gold braided cord into a bow around a round yellow fabric bolster pillow with tassels, against a plain white background.


This is a firecracker pillow that is sure to set off sparks of creativity in your imagination!

Embroidered cylindrical bolster pillow with a floral stitch pattern in blue, red, and yellow on a beige panel, tied ends, set against a green background with text.