I've got a mermaid at my house. She is 5. Has long red hair. Enjoys playing in the pool or bathtub...daily. Loves belting out songs from any musical or just some she has made up on the spot.
She truly is my little mermaid. And requests ALL the mermaid things.
Which means I had to figure out how to make a mermaid pillow. You know, I couldn't disappoint her. She is a mythical creature after all.
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Have you ever sewn on mermaid sequin fabric? Not my favorite. There is a lot more work involved in sewing a mermaid pillow. I was really hoping to find the awesome mermaid sequin fabric.
Which turned out to be much easier than I thought it would be. I just jumped over to Etsy and found exactly what I was looking for. And it shipped quick. What probably took longer, was getting my fabric prepped.
Since prep takes a bit, I wanted to share how to sew sequin fabric since it can be tricky.
Related: Little Mermaid Inspired Outfit
Now, I don't want to scare you. Mermaid sequin fabric is not scary, but you want your sewing machine to live through the experience of sewing a mermaid pillow.
You do need to make sure to use a heavier weight needle and prep your fabric so you won't end up sewing over sequin pieces and breaking needles.
Now let me walk you through how to make a mermaid pillow.
Make a Mermaid Pillow
Materials Needed
- Mermaid Sequin Fabric aka Sequin, two toned, reversible fabric
- Poly Fiber Fill
- Garbage Scissors {That just means scissors you don't mind making dull}
- Hand Sewing Needle
- Thread
Step 1
Use some paper and cut out a pattern for the size of pillow that you would like. You don't need to worry about seam allowances because you will do that a little later.
Place your pattern on your fabric. You can try to pin it or just place some weights on it.
Step 2
Using a needle and thread, stitch a basting stitch around the pattern.
I would suggest using a contrasting thread that will show up on your sequin fabric. You'll want to be able to see it.
Step 3
Remove pattern and stitch a second line 1/2" above your first line all the way around. This will mark your seam allowance on your pillow.
Step 4
Get out those "garbage" scissors. Now you will be cutting out all the sequin pieces that are in between the 2 basting stitches you put on the fabric.
Yes, you are trimming them out completely. Just make sure not to cut through the fabric. Just the sequin. It will get messy, so you might want to lay out a sheet or trim them out over a garbage can. {They fly all over the place.}
Step 5
Cut your pillow piece out cutting as close to the edge of your seam allowance.
Repeat Step 1-5 for the other side of your pillow.
Step 6
Now that you've cut out the excess sequin, let me show you how to sew sequin fabric. Place your 2 pillow pieces with right sides together and pin or clip where you can.
Step 7
Stitch the 2 pieces together but leave a 2-3" opening to place your fiber fill in.
Step 8
Clip your corners and turn pillow right side out. Stuff with fiber fill.
Step 9
Using your hand needle, stitch your pillow closed. Need help on how to stitch your pillow closed? Check out this great post.
One thing to think about is what direction your design moves. Some directions are easier to draw or make letters.
So play with your mermaid fabric a bit before you decide which direction to cut your pillow.
You're done! Now you can sit on your couch and draw on your pillow all day long. It is actually very therapeutic.
Not only does my little mermaid love hers, but big brother had to have one too. He loves his just as much if not more than she does.
Wouldn't one of these make a great gift for a mom or dear friend?!
Just buy a yard of fabric and you can do an assembly line of fun mermaid pillows since you now know how to make a mermaid pillow. Give them as gifts to everyone this year. They are a great stress relief.
