Christmas Plaid

  I found this dinner napkin at the Pottery Barn outlet.  We looked high and low in the store to find another to match it, but it was a "loner".  I would have loved to have had two of them so I could use the plaid on the backside too, but had to settle for using a solid green fabric for the back of the pillow.  

  They had pillow covers in this plaid "ready made" to buy, but they were $29.50 each.  They also had a different red plaid dinner napkin (set of 4) for $17.50, but I liked this plaid the best.  What I really wanted was a set of 4 napkins in this plaid so I could make two pillows, but had to settle for just this one.  

  These napkins were 20 inches square and had a very generous 1-inch hem on the backside.  I carefully removed the hem and cut off the excess on each side, which I then used to make self-cording.  If you did not want to cord your pillows, you could very easily just sew two napkins together and create a straight-edge pillow.  You could then either sew the pillow closed or insert a zipper for easy removal.  

  The advantage to buying a single "lone" napkin was that they sold it to me for $.97.  The only other thing I had to purchase to complete this project was the zipper, so the pillow came in under $3, making it a real deal. The pillow fits perfectly on my dining room bench, tucked in the corner with a throw, berries, and bowl of fruit, giving me a touch of Christmas in the corner.