Sew a Lumbar Pillow by Michele Muska

Beginner | 42 min

Taught by Michele Muska

Not only can a lumbar pillow add a quintessential pop of color to your home, but it’s also a handy tool for learning an array of sewing techniques. In this class, Michele Muska shows you how to make your own pillow form in order to optimize customization and sew a cover with an invisible zipper. Then, you’ll work with interesting fabrics and materials like grosgrain ribbon, suede, cork, vinyl, and hook-and-loop-tape to create unique and removable belly-bands.

Learn how to:

Make your own pillow form
Install an invisible zipper
Sew with vinyl, suede and cork

What you'll get:

A 5-part series of easy-to-follow video lessons on how to sew a customized lumbar pillow with 3 decorative options
7 HD video lessons you can access online anytime, anywhere
Detailed supply list
Step-by-step instructions by expert sewist Michele Muska
The ability to leave comments, ask questions and interact with other students

Chapters

Sew a Lumbar Pillow
Overview00:46
Materials01:32
Sew a pillow form03:39
Sew a cover with invisible zipper10:47
Piped belly band14:44
Vinyl cork & belly band03:10
Ribbon belly band08:19

Materials

Here’s what you’ll need:

For one pillow form: 2 pieces of lightweight cotton or other material, 12 1/2” x 16 1/2" each, plus stuffing (or opt to use store-bought pillow form 12" x 16")
1/4 yd main fabric (Michele uses patterned cotton)
1/4 yd lining fabric
1/2 yd linen
1/4 yd fusible stabilizer (Michele uses Heat Bond)
14" invisible zipper
3 pieces of 4" wide grosgrain ribbon, each 31" long
2 pieces of thin, pliable leather or suede, 2 1/4” x 28" each
2 yds piping (filler cord)
1/4 yd hook and loop tape
1 piece of vinyl with fleece backing, cut to 9" x 26"
Cork fabric with fleece backing cut to 2" x 26"
Velcro
Seam ripper
Marking pencil
Fabric shears
Snips
Rotary cutter
Large format acrylic ruler
Sewing machine and coordinating thread
Topstich #16 sewing machine needle or jeans needle
Invisible zipper foot or regular zipper foot
Iron and ironing surface
Measurements for pillows and belly bands:
Piped Belly Band:
12" x 16" pillow form
2 pieces of thin, pliable leather or suede, 2 1/4” x 28" each
6 1/2" x 27" piece patterned cotton (use 6 1/2" x 27" pieces of cotton fabric, fusible layer, and lining fabric in a sandwich as shown in video.)
2 yards piping or filler cord
Adhesive velcro: four 1" square pieces or one 3/4" by 5 1/2" strip
Vinyl and Cork Belly Band:
12" x 16" pillow form
9" x 26" textured vinyl with fleece backing
2" x 26" cork fabric with fleece backing
3/4" by 8 3/4" adhesive velcro
Ribbon Belly Band:
14" x 20" pillow form (you can make this with two 14 1/2" x 20 1/2" pieces of fabric, with a 14" invisible zipper, and follow the Pillow Form video)
3 pieces of 4" wide grosgrain ribbon, each 31" long