Sew A Needlepoint
Pillow Backing

Making a professional job of needlepoint pillow backing does require some machine or hand sewing experience. If you have never sewed before, you might be happier with sending your completed canvas off to a needlepoint finisher to be made into a pillow. See your local needlepoint store for a reliable finisher, or contact us about needlepoint pillow backing. We can arrange to have your pillow canvas backed for a reasonable price. Also, at the bottom of this page there is a list of needlepoint finishers.

But, if you think you're up to it........ we'll show you, step-by-step, how to take your stitched needlepoint canvas and turn it into a lovely pillow for your sofa (or for the dog to chew!).

Block Your Canvas

Remember, you are making a square or rectangular pillow, not a parallelogram. Please block your canvas back into shape before you sew anything. Click here for instructions for blocking needlepoint canvas.

Choose A Pillow Backing Fabric

Most needlepoint is washable (unless you have used synthetic fibers), so you will probably want to choose a backing fabric that is also washable. Make sure it is a durable fabric, like an upholstery velvet, faux suede, or similar.

Pre-shrink the backing fabric. It is always a good idea to wash and dry the backing fabric (if you have chosen washable fabric!) before you sew it. This will prevent it from shrinking and mis-shaping the pillow later on down the track if you ever need to wash the entire pillow cover.

Sew The Pillow Backing To The Canvas

Trim the needlepoint canvas to approx. 1" away from the needlepoint stitching. Cut the backing fabric to this size.

Lay the needlepoint on the backing fabric with right sides together. Pin around the edges to secure.

NB. If you want to trim your pillow with a fringe, then you will need to insert this now, between the pillow backing and the canvas.

With the canvas facing up, stitch either by hand or machine, between the outside two rows of needlepoint stitching. (This will put one row of needlepoint into the seam allowance and ensure the pillow is strong and there is no canvas showing.) Try to gently curve the corners rather than coming together at right angles. Stitch all four corners, but only three of the sides - leave one side open for stuffing the pillow, but make sure you back stitch well at both ends so the stitching is secure.

Trim the seam to about 1/2" all the way around. It is now also a good idea to zig-zag the raw edges together - except where the opening is, where you should zig-zag them separately.

Stuff And Stitch

Turn the pillow right side out and press out the corners so it looks "pillow-shaped". Squeeze the pillow inner (the one you have already gone and bought, or made!) into the pillow through the hole you left for this purpose. Manipulate it around until it sits nicely in there, especially focusing on getting the inner into the corners so that your job looks professional.

Satisfied? Now turn in the seam allowance on the open edge and hand sew the opening closed.

There, you now have a nice needlepoint pillow backing.

It would be especially nice to put a zipper into the backing fabric, or into one of the pillow seams, but instructions for this are beyond the scope of this website. If you want to do this, then we suggest you consult a sewing or home furnishings book. There is sure to be one at your local library. Alternatively, you can send your pillow away to a service who will finish it for you. We do not recommend any particular finishing service, but below is a list of needlepoint finishers:

Marlene Custom Pillows 1455 Bush Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco,
CA 94109 TEL: 415-346-8112 FAX: 415-346-8191

Unique NZ Designs, LLC, 23086 Terra Dr Laguna Hills,
CA 92653 Ph 877 722 8463

To view our range of gorgeous pillow kits, click here.

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