How To: Upcycle Your Pillows with Pom Poms

Upcycle a cushion with pom poms - Cath Kidston

How To: Upcycle Your Pillows with Pom Poms

The shift of seasons makes the perfect time to give our homes a refresh. It doesn’t need to be a bit overhaul, it’s the little things that can make a big difference. Bring a bit of the outdoors in with hand-picked posies, swap out darker blankets and cushions for lighter and brighter ones.

We’re all about using what we already have at home, so today The Sewical Circle is going to show you how to freshen up a pillow you already own to make it something completely new, with a welcome pop of colour and a bit of craft therapy for us all.

Let’s get started!

Upcycled cushion with pom poms - Cath Kidston

Start of by making sure you have everything you need:

-A pillow! Choose any throw cushion you might already have that needs a little upgrade
-Yarn (Choose an assortment of colours that make you happy. I like using aran/worsted weight yarn in merino wool for my pom poms because they’re lush and squishy)
-Pom Pom maker (this bamboo tool is my favourite to use, but in a pinch two pieces of cardboard will do too)
-Cardboard trim guide (cut a small circle of card, about 4 cm in diameter to help you trim your pom poms accurately)
-Strong string or embroidery floss for tying the centre of the pom poms
-Needle and thread
-Sharp scissors
-Optional but highly recommended, a cup of tea!

Homemade pom poms to upcycle cushion - Cath Kidston

Make the Pom Pom

Wrap the yarn around the pom pom tool with an even tension, not too tight, not too loose. Keep wrapping until you have a nice big bundle then put the end of the yarn in one of the notches to hold it in place and cut the yarn from the ball.

Secure the Pom Pom

Cut a 40cm piece of strong string or embroidery floss and wrap it around the bundle and tie a tight double knot.

Trim to Size

Use your scissors to cut all the loops. Place the trim guide in the centre of your bundle, and cut around. This will give your pom pom a nice shape really quickly. Turn the bundle on its side and trim again using the guide, then tidy up the rest of your pom pom by eye.

Sew the Pom Poms onto the Pillow

Measure the side of your cushion and place pins or make a little mark equal distance apart so that you know where to sew on the pom poms. For this cushion, each side is 44 cm long, so I’m going to sew a pom pom on every 11cm, which means I’ll need 16 pom poms total for this one.

Instead of sewing pom poms all the way around, you could make 4 and sew one on each corner.

Thread a needle and sew through the cushion at your first mark. Then look through the pom pom to find the middle string. Feed the needle under the string and back through the cushion. Pull it tight. Sew through the pom pom again and through the cushion 3-4 times to make sure it’s secure. Tie it off with a knot and move on to the next pom pom.

Finished Pillow

Keep going until you’ve secured all the pom poms onto the pillow and admire your handiwork. This is such an easy way to add a bit of colour to a tired cushion and up-cycle something you already own to make it new again.

If you tried this project at home, share your snaps with @CathKidston and @Sewcial_circle on Instagram.