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DIY the $150 Mermaid Pillow

Kelly Bryden

Kelly Bryden, an east coast native, is stoked to be a part of the Brit + Co team. Design, DIY, and fashion are her passions. If she isn't crafting you can catch her on the dance floor or wrapped up in aerial silks.

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Jan 27, 2016

A couple weeks ago the internet was blowing up over this “mermaid pillow.” Everyone was astonished that the sequins could move to reveal a shiny silver side or a matte navy side. I mean, it’s pretty cool and moving the fabric around is pretty addictive, but I thought we all wore dresses like this to dances in high school — or was that just me? #addictedtosequins #addictedtobeingbeyonce

When this video was going around Facebook, my co-worker Maddie showed it to me and said, “Uh, Kelly, don’t we have this fabric upstairs?” The answer was YES! I bought this fabric back in December for a DIY holiday halter dress. The fabric was about $25 for a yard at Discount Fabrics here in San Francisco. To put this all into perspective, one yard of sequin fabric can make about three pillows. This means you can make a $150 dollar pillow for about $15 — adding in a little extra for the fiber fill or pillow insert ;) Let’s get to it!

Materials and Tools:

1 yard of mermaid sequin fabric
scissors
sewing machine
thread and needle
sewing pins
ruler or measuring tape
pillow insert or fiber fill

Instructions:

1. Measure a 15 x 15-inch square on the inside of your sequin fabric. Cut it out.

2. Pin the good sides facing in and then sew around three edges of the pillow case.

3. Turn right side out and stuff the pillow insert or fiber fill into the case. Pin closed.

4. Hand stitch the opening closed.

We had a 14-inch pillow insert lying around the office, so we decided to make a sequin case to fit this pillow. We measured a square that was 15 x 15 inches to leave a half-inch seam allowance. Cut out your square and pin the good sides facing inward.
Sew around three of the four edges of the pillow case. Real talk, guys — I sewed around three and a half sides of the pillow case and the last edge turned out funky. When working with sequin fabric, you can really notice the inconsistency between hand stitches and sewing machine stitches. I would definitely recommend leaving the last edge of the pillow case completely open and hand stitching it closed.
Flip your case right side out and stuff your pillow insert or fiber fill inside.
Grab your sewing pins and pin the last side closed, then whip stitch the edges together.
That is all it takes to create a $150 pillow! Here is my PSA to everyone out there — NEVER BUY FANCY PILLOWS! Fabric stores most likely sell a fabric that is the exact same pattern, texture, etc. as the one you are gushing over in stores. Sewing pillows is really one of the most simple projects out there. Four straight stitches and you’re done!