UncategorizedMy Secret for Textured Bohemian Pillows May 1, 2014 I got a great question from a lovely reader about my bedroom pillows. And it hit me. I haven’t shared my pillow secret since back before I started White Buffalo! I know many of you are new around here and may not have seen that old post. I rely on this secret for every single room redo. To me, nothing spruces up a room like some throw pillows. It’s no secret around here that I am in love with kilim, texture, and bohemian. My favorite way to infuse that into a space is through pillows. But kilim pillows are expensive! In comes my life-changing pillow discovery. I make all of my textured, kilim-style pillows from cheap rag rugs. Remember these kilim pillows from last summer? They started out as $3 rag rugs from Fred’s Dollar Store. No joke. I about died when I stumbled upon these beauties! I laid like a hundred out on the floor of the store and was so in love with the prints! But I couldn’t decide how I would use a million 2×3′ rugs. Then, it hit me. They look like the kilim pillows I’d been swooning over for so long! So pillows, they became. These have remained some of my very favorite pillows ever. When I went to design our bedroom, I pictured two kilim pillow shams with a textured, colorful pillow in front. I thought it would really pop off of the white bedding. I searched for kilim pillow shams. I’m not really sure why I even bothered because I could’ve told you, THEY’RE FREAKING EXPENSIVE! I know some people have $60-$100 to throw on a pillow (yes, a single pillow), but I just don’t. And then I had a bang my hand against my forehead moment. What to do when the textured, kilim pillows I want are too expensive? Go on a rug hunt! I headed out to Garden Ridge and hit the jackpot on my first stop. I remembered Garden Ridge having a large selection of rag rugs for really cheap. See? Jackpot, I say. The lumbar pillow started out as a 2×3′ rag rug that was $2.99!!! The key with that style of woven rugs is DO NOT CUT IT. I made this mistake when making my rag rug covered ottoman. The entire thing falls apart. So, for this rug, we backed it in white and left it the full length so that the fringe still showed on the end. These rugs are thin enough, too, that you can run it right through your machine. We used pillow stuffing for the inside so that you can do a more custom size and maximize the print! Lovely, bohemain, textured, pillow goodness in a couple of minutes for $5 or so? Yes, please! Those kilim-style pillow shams were such a pleasant surprise! They were a little more pricey, but I could not turn them down. They were 2×3′ rugs as well, but were about twice as thick as the other. I immediately knew it wouldn’t run through a machine, but it just had to work somehow! They were $19.99 each. $40 for two shams isn’t bad, but when you’re comparing it to the $3 price range, it was steep! But I knew they’d look so good on my white bedding and with my great-great-grandmother’s quilt, I couldn’t resist. We folded them in half and they were the perfect sham size. In doing that, you don’t have to back them with anything. Hand-sewing these would’ve taken a while and been difficult because they were so thick. So we glued them. Yep, we took fabric glue and attached all three sides. And they have held up amazingly! Now that I’ve discovered that fabric glue works for these pillows, I’m going to turn into a kilim pillow making factory! So quick and easy. This pillow secret has changed my life! I know that’s dramatic, but I cannot tell you how much I love these things. One even made an appearance in our Home Depot Patio Style Challenge.
Lindsay says May 2, 2014 at 7:21 am Thank you, Caroline! I really appreciate that. I know others have probably used this idea, but it’s totally changed how I design rooms! Reply
Sena says May 1, 2014 at 8:03 pm I AM SO HAPPY. This is my new favorite thing ever. I am now on the lookout for every rug ever! Love you’re creativity to keep this style affordable! Reply
Lindsay says May 2, 2014 at 7:05 am Yay, Sena! I’m so glad that this answered your questions and that you love it! You can make the most amazing pillows from this! I’m always on the lookout for rugs 🙂 Reply
Beth of designPOST interiors says May 1, 2014 at 8:21 pm And this is why I love you- always willing to share the good secrets! Reply
Lindsay says May 2, 2014 at 6:48 am Absolutely, Beth! That’s the point of all of this, right? Share the love 🙂 Reply
Julia@Cuckoo4Design says May 2, 2014 at 6:14 am I love them all. The blue ones are my absolute favorite though. I recently discovered fabric glue too and was wondering where it has been all my life 🙂 Reply
Lindsay says May 2, 2014 at 6:47 am Isn’t it awesome, Julia?! Blue are my fave too 🙂 They turned out better than I expected. Reply
Lacey says May 2, 2014 at 7:22 am Ok, so these are great! With the big blue ones that you glued, you just used stuffing on them as well, glued them up, and done? Do you think they are washable? I am all over this! Reply
Lindsay says May 2, 2014 at 8:21 am Lacey, those blue ones are my absolute favorite! You asked a great question. I stuffed them with regular pillow stuffing and glued them up. So quick and easy! I would be weary to wash them. I never wash pillows with pillow stuffing inside. I really think it would change the consistency or it and would be really difficult to try. I only wash pillow covers (where I could remove inserts). I’m sure you could use rugs to make a pillow cover with an insert, but I’d probably sew it. I’m not sure how the fabric glue would hold up going through the washer. The good thing with these pillows is that I’m using them in a place where they won’t get a ton of wear and the color/print camouflages anything that would get on them really well. Reply
Sonya~At Home with The Barkers says May 2, 2014 at 12:04 pm I literally just got home from Fred’s!! I should have read your post before I went 🙂 Love these! Reply
Bethany @ Dwellings by DeVore says May 2, 2014 at 1:56 pm love this idea Lindsay! In fact I think I have a rug in my garage that needs to become a pillow ASAP! Reply
Summer Hogan says May 2, 2014 at 9:49 pm I love these! Can’t wait to try them out 🙂 Oops, I might need to buy that sewing machine that’s been on my list for awhile now… Reply
whitney @ thecurtiscasa says May 4, 2014 at 9:16 pm umm, this is brilliant!! we were working on bedding for our room and guest room #1 today and i could not stop thinking about this post! i’m going to be on the lookout for these rugs to add a little unique touch 🙂 Reply
Lindsay says May 5, 2014 at 9:48 am Whitney, I’m so glad you like them!!! You have such great taste, so that’s a huge compliment. Can’t wait to see your lovely home in July! Reply
Jamie Leman says July 4, 2014 at 12:49 pm Love this idea…had never thought of using those rugs for a pillow. Thanks for sharing ! Reply
Elizabeth says August 5, 2014 at 10:59 am I love this! It’s so cheap and easy – just glue! My next mission is to find a UK shop that sells those rugs! Reply
Deb says January 14, 2015 at 11:39 pm GREAT idea!! I’m going to look at rugs in a whole new way now! Reply
Kristen Falk says February 7, 2015 at 10:45 am Seriously, this is fantastic. I am already planning my dorm room decor for my dorm in college next year and I have been looking forever for a reasonably priced lumbar kilim pillow. I will start my hunt for rag rugs now! Do you know of any online shops that would have them if I cant find ones that I like in stores? Reply
Lindsay says February 13, 2015 at 5:04 pm Hi Kristen, I think Urban Outfitters has some good ones 🙂 Home Goods and TJ Maxx usually do too. So glad you love the look and tutorial! It’ll bring so much personality into your dorm room! Reply
Cassie says May 7, 2015 at 11:28 pm What fabric glue did/do you use for the thick kilim rug shams? Reply
Jennifer Bean says February 8, 2016 at 8:05 am I have found that you can use sturdy vinyl tablecloths to make pillows for outside use. Easy to clean and cheap. Reply
Ophelia says July 3, 2016 at 5:55 am I know you are getting ready to die about this comment BUT – you *can* also glue a zipper in that seam & then you CAN wash it if you like. Just make the pillow form under from any old scrap you have since it would only show when washing AND if you use a good glue, wash on gentle in a lingerie bag & lay flat to dry it should really come out okay. Just thought I’d share. 😉 Reply
Marty says July 19, 2016 at 12:18 am Hello…..love the pillows but love the wood slab headboard even more….do you have a DIY page for making that too? Martyviser@Yahoo.com. thanks Reply
Lindsay says July 20, 2016 at 7:38 am Hi Marty! Yes, you can find the tutorial here: http://thewhitebuffalostylingco.com/diy-wood-round-headboard/ Reply
Laura says July 26, 2016 at 4:44 am I love this! It is such a brilliant idea! There have been so many times I have seen rugs and placemats that I thought were beautiful but just didn’t have a good space for them. Now I can use them anyway! Was there a particular type of fabric glue that you used? When I started looking for some, it turned out there were all sorts of varieties having nothing to do with brand. Any advice from the expert? Reply
Lindsay says July 26, 2016 at 5:29 pm Hi Laura! I don’t have a preference at all! I just grabbed the first one I saw at Michael’s and it worked great! It was so long ago now, I don’t remember the brand. Good luck though! This is a great project! Reply
Angela says April 5, 2017 at 2:05 am This is an older post I see but I will try and see if I get a response. I love this idea but am clueless how did you make pillows out of them ? There aren’t any directions that I see to put them together Reply
Lindsay says April 10, 2017 at 2:15 pm I just sewed them and where needed added a fabric backer 🙂 Reply
Kilim Pillows says November 22, 2017 at 6:16 am Purchase kilim pillows on somkilimpillows, the largest collection with reasonable wholesale and retail prices. Bring vintage Turkish culture for your decor. Reply
Kilim Pillows says November 22, 2017 at 6:17 am Purchase kilim pillows on somkilimpillows, the largest collection with reasonable wholesale and retail prices. Bring vintage Turkish culture for your decor. Reply
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