Easy Feedsack Throw Pillows

Back in May, I admired a round-up of products in Country Living magazine that were labeled as "Feed-Sack Chic" (see below). However, I was downright shocked at the idea of paying $150 for a throw pillow made out of an old grain sack. (I was admittedly tempted by a $58 bolster from Mothology, but still, the price was daunting.) So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when I discovered a pile of feedsacks in a junk shop in upstate New York. I could make a feedsack pillow myself!


Well, with my busy schedule and my sewing machine tucked away in a cabinet, it took more than a month for me to get around to it, but when I did, these throw pillows were a cinch to make. I used two 20 x 20 pillow forms from IKEA as the fillers for the cases.

First, I cut one sack in half lengthwise (the sack was just about 39" long and a little less than 20" wide, which was a little shorter than ideal, but since the pillow stuffing was pliable, I was able to squash them down to size). Next, I turned the sack inside out. Then I threaded up the machine with a neutral thread and stitched one side fully closed and left an opening wide enough to insert the pillow form on the other side. (Since the sack wasn't very much bigger than the pillows, I used only a very narrow seam allowance.) Next, I turned the cases right side out and pushed the pillows into the sacks. To finish, I handstitched the last of the opening shut. Easy-peasy and each pillow cost less than $10.