Pillow Project: Burlap + White Paint

For my bedroom, I needed a throw pillow on the bed. With dark furniture, an aquamarine quilt and shams, white comforter folded at the end and multi-colored throw blanket, burlap seemed like the perfect texture and color to finish the ensemble. It all started with a rough day... then a bath... then a paintbrush....

Supplies:

1 14" x 14" pillow casing (easiest to use, I don't enjoy stuffing pillows)

Burlap fabric to cover pillow (and some extra on each side for overlap)

1 spool of tan thread

Sewing Machine

1/2" paintbrush

1/4" paintbrush

Glop of white acrylic paint, enough to cover sketch

First key to remember... I'm not an expert sewer. To cover the pillow, I recommend searching online tutorials or try this link; just remember to use the dimensions of your pillow and not those indicated on the tutorials. After your pillow is covered, research coral images online until you find one that tickles your fancy. Now it is time to draw and this part I can do! Grab a Sharpie® marker and sketch the image, drawing directly on the pillow. The great thing about coral is there aren't any straight edges so messing up isn't easy!

Because the burlap is too tough and I won't be snuggling up with this pillow, I decided to use some leftover acrylic paints. If you want to create a pillow that is more comfortable, choose a softer fabric and check out your local craft store for fabric paint. I used two sizes of paintbrushes (1/2" and 1/4"). With the larger of the two, I loosely painted the white acrylic over my Sharpie® sketch. The paint thicker in some places, thinner in others to create a beautiful texture, but all the black was covered. With the smaller of the two brushes, you can add sharper edges to the coral.

Let dry, fluff up the pillow and toss on the bed! If you try this out, upload your pictures to the facebook page and share with the other busy bees of Humblebee!

As always, all artwork/photography posted on The Humblebee Hive blog are property and under copyright of Ashley Stuart. I am honored when my artwork is used for inspiration, so shoot me an email or comment below sharing the inspiration you've gathered from this blog. Please contact for more information on purchase and/or public use.