How to Make an Easy No Sew Place Mat Pillow

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Can’t sew a lick but want beautiful pillows for your home? This easy and inexpensive DIY no sew place mat pillow is the answer! No sewing machine required and it’s easy and cheap to change up for any season of the year!

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Have you ever known someone who was very handy with a sewing machine?

My mom used to make some of our clothes when I was little and my sister churned out window treatments like nobody’s business.

Me?

I’ve always known I could find clothes for our family cheaper at yard sales than I could buy fabric.

A cop out, maybe. Truthful, yes.

Plus, even as crafty as I consider myself, I don’t know how to sew.

A colorful living room with a couch and a chair

Let me tell you a little secret, though.

I have a $10 yard sale sewing machine up in my attic collecting dust while I find the time to learn how to use it.

I’ll let you know how that goes.

~eye roll~

Until then I have a quick and easy project for all you no sewers (I gave us a name, y’all!) that’ll make you feel all professional and creative.

This easy No Sew Place Mat Pillow is it!

Can you believe it? You need to run out and snag some cute place mats RIGHT NOW! 

Seriously, I had seen the idea of using place mats to make pillows and thought it was a genius. Here’s my version of the idea.

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Easy No Sew Place Mat Pillow

Materials:

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Place mat
Seam ripper
Polyester Fiber Fill
Mini hot glue gun

Step One: Make sure place mat is right for a pillow

The main thing in buying the place mats is to make sure you can take one seam apart for stuffing.

Also check that the fabric is thick enough for whatever you’re using the pillow for. In other words, if it’s just for show the fabric doesn’t have to be as sturdy. If your kids are going to be lounging on the pillows, use a thicker material.

Pillow and Sewing

Buy cloth place mats at the end of the season or on clearance to get a good price. (I paid around $3 for each one on sale you see in these pictures.)

Step Two: Using a seam ripper take apart the seam at one end of the place mat

Pillow and Sewing

Step Three: Stuff pillow

Use an old pillow for its stuffing or polyfill (found at craft or fabric stores) and stuff the place mat until it’s as fluffy as you want it.

Pillow and Sewing

One of my favorite yard sale tips is to find “ugly” pillows at yard sales and just remove the stuffing instead of buying new polyfill.

Step Four: Hot glue the end of pillow shut

A remote control

That’s it! You’re done! Isn’t that amazing?

If you don’t like the idea of hot glue you can also use hem tape (Stitch Witchery) to attach the ends together.

A bag sitting on top of a blanket

Yes, I know it might be hard to wash this, but for approximately $3 a pillow you can either use it decoratively or swap it out if it gets rough looking.

This project can easily be translated to any season or decor. Look for place mats on clearance or at the end of a season. 

A living room filled with furniture on top of a wooden table

The “Joy” place mat was my favorite Target find and the plaid pillows were place mats as well.

A colorful blanket in a room

Do you “no sewers” need more inspiration for your home? Check out these posts!

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Step by step tutorial for making a no sew window valance using fabric, plywood, a dowel and staples. Absolutely no sewing required!

No Sew Window Valance

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22 Comments

  1. I bid on pillow covers on ebay and got them for 2 dollars and just slipped them right over my pillows. I love the one I got with a little deer lost in the snow storm. Going to be looking for some spring covers soon. Please do not forget to go to youtube all in the family singers Jimmy The Little Cripple boy subscribe and leave us a like and a comment…bless you

  2. I forgot to commend you on the frugal yet “awesome” idea of buying pillows at garage sales and using the stuffing! Heck, we might get lucky one of these times and get a few pillow forms!

  3. Marty, you are a genius! Great idea! Super fast and darling!! I admit I have a sewing machine that I’ve used to sew straight lines and make curtains out of sheets but I’m much happier using my glue gun! I can’t wait to try this!!
    Thanks so much! ♥

  4. You can also find double layered table napkins. Same idea… Un pick part of one seam and then stuff and close. I made two before Thanksgiving out of 20 inch sq. Napkins. Popped a couple of 20 inch pillow forms and the slip stitched the opening closed. Yes I am a sewer. I like to be able to wash cushion covers on a regular basis. I plan on sewing some snaps or even velcro for ease of removal. You might prefer fabric glue or iron on tape for washability rat her than hot glue.
    Your pillows turned out great!

    1. Hi, Mary. What a great idea with the napkins. I hadn’t thought of looking for some that large but now I’ll be on the hunt! And yes, I’ve used fabric glue instead of hot glue as well 🙂 It just depended on how much time I wanted to spend on the pillow. Sometimes with the seasonal ones that will just get stored in a bag I don’t worry about it. Thanks for your tips!

  5. That’s a clever idea using placemats! Since I sew I would omit the hot glue and stitch it together, but the idea of placemats is cute as there are always pretty seasonal ones available.

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  8. I really like the rag wreath idea 🙂 🙂 Those placemat pillows….that’s another fantastic one 🙂 🙂 THanks for the great and easy ideas 😉 🙂 Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 😉