Romantic Country Style Ruffled Pillow Covers

I have to admit country style ruffled pillow covers have not been high on my decorating wish list. But lately, I’ve been bringing blue back into the farmhouse by displaying our willow pattern china and adding blue cushions. This has made the farmhouse feel more traditional and elegant but I want it to feel more romantic too. There are so many ways to add softness and femininity to a room but I chose cushions (of course).

Enter the ruffled pillow cover.

I used to sew a lot when I was younger but it’s been years since I’ve attempted a ruffle. In fact, possibly since the children were young and I used to sew ruffles on the doll’s clothes. I’ve never made ruffles on a cushion or pillow. This didn’t stop me from giving it a go, however. And once I’d sewn the first ruffle and witnessed the pretty result, I was obsessed. It was hard not to incorporate ruffles everywhere. Very hard!

Why a Ruffled Pillow Case?

If you follow my Instagram or Facebook you know I’m always changing the look of our bed and couches with pillow covers. Since moving to the farm, I’ve made two different lots but this third set is definitely my favourite. Not only is blue and white my favourite decorating accent but adding ruffles to blue and white pillow covers adds timeless elegance. Ruffles are soft, pretty and very feminine. The smooth the harsh lines of our farmhouse kitchen-living space. Yes, it takes a few minutes longer to make a ruffled cushion cover but a successful decor scheme is in the details. And these little ruffles, really add the finishing touches to our home.

How to Make a Romantic Ruffled Pillow Cover

There are a lot of very detailed tutorials on YouTube showing you the exact process to sew a ruffled country style pillow cover. I’m not going to add my version. I will say I don’t use a pattern, preferring to use the existing cushion cover as a template and cutting around that.

• Using the existing cushion cover as a template cut ONE piece of fabric to size, adding a 2cm seam allowance on each side.
• Lay this new piece on the fabric. Cut a second piece, this time adding around a third of the length of the cushion to make a larger rectangle. This will make the back of your envelope opening. The pieces must be long enough to overlap when sewn to the front of the cushion

• Iron a seam to neaten the edges on the two overlapping pieces where the cushion will close. Sew these two edges down.
• Cut TWO strips of fabric that are one and a half to two times as long as the sides of the cushion your finished ruffle will be placed on. The strip needs to be double the width of your finished ruffle, so the width is up to you. I tested a few different widths. The wider ruffles look very blousy and casual, perfect for a vintage country home. I can see them piled on our bed. The narrower ruffles are a little more formal.
• Fold the ruffle strip right sides together and sew the edges down. Then turn right side in and iron flat.
• Using a gathering stitch, gather along the raw edge of the ruffle.

• Pin the raw edge of the ruffles to the right side of the front piece of your cushion and sew them on. Make sure you leave a couple of centimetre seam allowance before the start of the ruffle. This way when you turn everything in the right way, the ruffle will be at the edge of the seam and will face out.

• Now lay the back pieces, right side in, on top of the ruffled front.
• Pin seams so the overlapped parts don’t move and sew all four seams. You should end up with an opening like an envelope and a totally inside out pillow.
• If you have not overlapped enough, you may need to sew a button or some velcro to pull the edges together. If you’ve made a decent overlap, the cover will hold the pillow nicely in place when you stuff it in. The cushion cover pictured below does not overlap enough as I was using leftovers. I tacked it closed with a needle and thread to hold the pillow in.

Styling with Your Country Style Ruffled Pillow Cover

Styling is easy. Mix and match your romantic ruffled pillow covers with normal cushion covers to show off their detail. Go completely overboard and put ruffles on every cushion for a truly casual romantic feel. Use them stacked on a bed with long, elegant ruffles hanging down. Make narrower, stiffer ruffles to use on a chair cushion. However you decide to use your romantic pillow covers, they’ll add a touch of country charm to your decor.

Here are a couple of tutorials you might find useful:

Mountain View Cottage Ruffled Pillow Covers

If you want to make a more structured cushion cover try DIY Mommy

Don’t forget to pin this quick tutorial if you love the idea or colours!