From Hand Towel To Holiday Pillow: Easy Anthropologie DIY

This post may include affiliate links in which we earn a commission, as we are supported by our users. All opinions expressed are always our own and any commissions earned are of no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

While Charlie and I traditionally do not decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, I most definitely have started preparing our holiday décor. Over the past couple of years, I have stayed true to the red, green, white and gold color palette, however this year, I think we both have been craving something a tad more colorful. I absolutely love classic Christmas décor, but adding in a pop of color feels like it brings in a touch of cheerful whimsy that just enhances the season. Despite mulling on this idea for a while, I had not entirely fleshed out the direction I wanted to go until I saw it… a charming, colorful, whimsical, floral inspired nutcracker hand towel from Anthropologie. Now, I absolutely love Anthropologie but my budget is not conducive to using them to entirely outfit my house. That being said, I immediately was drawn to this hand towel and knew instantly I wanted to use it as a springboard. As the pattern was quite large, I was afraid that displaying the dish towel as one normally would, would not show off the amazing design. Seeing this, I decided to take it from a hand towel to holiday pillow. Now, I am not a pro seamstress by any stretch, but I hope that if you have the perfect cloth napkin, hand towel, scarf or any other amazing textile piece you love and feel is too pretty to use, that this DIY will inspire you to add it into your Christmas décor another way.

Supplies

Hand towel, cloth napkin, scarf, fabric of choice – I used this adorable cotton Nutcracker Dish Towel from Anthropologie.
Sewing machine – My sewing machine is the Brother CS-770 Computerized Sewing Machine which I have loved for at least the past 10 years, however the Brother CS5055 Computerized Sewing Machine has taken its place since mine was discontinued. If you are looking for a great machine to start out on, I would highly recommend this one as it has been fabulous for projects like this.
Piping cord filler
Linen – about ½ yard. I choose a linen that coordinated with the neutrals in my fabric because I couldn’t find a velvet that coordinated the way I liked. However, you could use a velvet, cotton or any material that you feel looks best with your material.
White sheets / lining – I used white sheet lining that I had leftover from the Making Simple Bed Sheet Lined Curtain project that I did for our guest bedroom last spring.
Invisible zipper – I used this 12″-14″ invisible zipper, but for easier pillow access, I would recommend a 20″ invisible zipper instead.
Pillow form – For a 20″ pillow, I would recommend using a 22″ 90/10 Down Feather Insert
Pins
Metal ruler
Scissors or rotary cutter
Pen
Iron

Hand Towel To Holiday Pillow

Step 1: Start by ironing out your fabric of choice and determining the size of the pillow that you are wanting to make by seeing which part of the pattern you want to capitalize on. For this nutcracker dish towel, I saw a natural break between the first tier of 2 nutcracker men and the second tier of 3. This break gave me an approximately 21” x 21” square before sewing (which would create a pillow cover slightly larger than 20” to fit a 22” pillow form), so I cut off the top tier of the pattern.

Step 2: Iron out your lining fabric and linen as well. Cut out 21” x 21” squares from each material.

Step 3: Lay your lining over the backside of your linen and sew the entire square together to prevent the pieces from shifting.

From Hand Towel To Holiday Pillow: Easy Anthropologie DIY

Step 4: Next, cut 2” strips from the remaining linen fabric. Sew the strips together until you have a continuous piece longer than 85”. This will be used to make the piping for the edging.

Step 5: Once you have a continuous strip, iron down the seams of the piece connections. Then, fold the strip in half and iron down.

Step 6: Cut your piping cord to approximately 85” (21” per side + 1” extra). Fit the cord in the fold of the linen strip.

Step 7: Sew this strip together to create your linen piping.

Step 8: Pin your cord onto the face front of your hand towel fabric. Be sure to line up your previous cord stitching with the edge of your face fabric.

Step 9: Using a zipper foot, attach the cord to the face front by sewing as close to the piping as possible. I have found THIS tutorial for piping particularly helpful in the past if this is your first time attempting piping.

Step 10: Next, add your zipper. I wanted mine to be not concealed entirely as I bought a low profile option, however I did want it to tuck behind the cording. I found that THIS tutorial was most helpful for teaching about zipper installations, so if you need a refresher, I highly recommend checking it out!

Step 11: Finally, place your lined linen on top of the corded front with the linen side down. Pin the pieces together and then all the sides (except over the zipper section) together using the zipper foot. If you align the stitching of the lined linen with the edge of the piping, you can ensure a close connection as you sew.

Step 12: Once completed, turn your pillow right side out and viola! You are finished!

Final Thoughts

I had such a fun time making this little DIY and am tremendously pleased with the final look! For a quick afternoon project, I would say that this Anthropologie DIY was most definitely worth the effort and is the perfect launching point for our colorful Christmas. Do you have a favorite towel or cloth napkin that you have held off using because it is too pretty? If so, you definitely should give this project a shot because you just might be able to enjoy it all the more! I would love to know your thoughts, comments or questions in the comment section below!

Happy sewing!