Creative Ways To Turn Any Dollar Tree Fabric Item Into A Stylish Pillowcase

Monochromatic, animal print, geometric, bold stripes, thin stripes, loud patterns: naming all the prints you can find on pillowcases could take longer than listing all the states and capitals backwards, yet with so many options, do you ever feel like you can't find the color or design you need? You might relate to searching at Home Goods, Target, and even online through Amazon to find the best pillowcases for your home decor, only to come up short because that shade of green is just a little off. And then you head to Dollar Tree to pick up a few items and find the exact color that will match your couch seamlessly — only to realize you're in the dinnerware aisle and it's a placemat. Well, as it turns out, that placemat may just actually translate to a pillow easier than you'd think.

Whether you've been in this position, or you simply prefer making your own pillowcases, the following DIYs are for you. Rather than searching high and low for your ideal cases or throw pillows, you can make your own with Dollar Tree fabrics — and at a quarter of the cost of other options! When it's time to get rid of your old pillowcases (or at least repurpose them for cleaning and closet organization), these creative tricks will help you turn Dollar Tree-bought fabrics into the perfect replacement!

Using a placemat as a small throw might be the simplest creation ever. When you visit Dollar Tree, check out the placemat selection and see if there's any color or print you like. Pick up as many mats as you want pillows (and maybe a few extra in case you mess up). If the placemats have a separate piece of fabric as the backing, you're already halfway to having a pillow. You can fold one end of the rectangular mat diagonally, bringing one bottom corner to the top of the mat to get a square, then trim off the excess fabric. Leave about a half inch of fabric when cutting the square so you can fold this under to create a "seam" that looks more finished.

Use clips to fold over the cut, raw edges of your placemat, then stuff with Poly-fil. When you're ready to seal it up, use a hot glue gun or fabric glue to adhere both your folded-over edges, and then the opening, together. You can sew on tassels or ribbon, lace, or even rope around the edges to add a little more dimension! No sew pillowcases are the easiest and most efficient way to go if you're not an avid sewer, and this DIY is super simple.

Have you ever noticed that tea towels often boast the best prints, but you can never find similar designs in pillows? Well, pick up one or two tea towels from Dollar Tree featuring any print you like, and you're on your way to creating a pillowcase of your dreams. This DIY is especially great for seasonal pillows, since many kitchen towels feature fun designs for the holidays and changing seasons. You also want a large piece of plain fabric that works with your towel, as this will become the "backing" for your throw.

When you get home, fold your towel(s) in half, and cut them so you're left with two squares. You can trim the edges where needed, and make sure to cut off tags, too. Place your plain fabric down on a flat surface, then put your towel squares on top and cut out matching squares from the plain fabric for your backing. Once you have two matching pieces (one plain, one tea towel), flip your tea towel so the print is "inside out." Glue around the inner edges to adhere, leaving a small gap where you can add filling. Flip your pillow inside out so that your print is now on the outside, fill, and secure the last section!

In the theme of keeping it simple when it comes to making your own pillows from Dollar Tree supplies, you can use their rag rugs, which are made from thick material, combined with a t-shirt to make an easy decorative throw. Trim off one side of the raw edges of the rug, then fold the bottom corner up towards the top of your material to make a square. Add a piece of tape all the way down the middle of the rug following the raw edge you folded over. Cut down the center of the tape to get your square shape. Keep the tape in place — it will keep the rug from fraying while you work.

Then, cut the same size square from a Dollar Tree t-shirt — or whatever old shirt you have — so you have three pieces of fabric total, as you're cutting through both side of the shirt. You can either use one piece of the shirt and sew it around the edges to your rug, leaving a gap to flip it inside out and fill, or you can layer the two shirt pieces to create an envelope style opening that allows you to slip a pillow inside and remove it whenever you want. Regardless of which approach you take, it's recommended to sew the edges rather than glue them, as the rug fabric is thick.

Do you want the perfect combination of super soft and super chic? The microfiber and leather pillowcase hack is easy to do and leaves you with a pillow that microfiber on one side, and half leather-half microfiber on the other. 

Pick up a microfiber cloth from Dollar Tree, as well as a roll of Crafter's Square Synthetic Leather. Use the fold over trick (corner to top) with the microfiber to make a square. Trim off the extra fabric and put it to one side. Cut out a square of leather the same size as your microfiber square, then grab the extra strip of microfiber and glue the less fluffy side to the edge of one end of the leather with a hot glue gun and fabric-specific hot glue. Once it's secure, flip the strip up, then layer the square of microfiber so that it lines up with the strip and leather. You should be left with a little bit of leather at one end that needs to be trimmed. Glue all the edges except for a small hole that you can use to flip the pillowcase so that the seams are inside, then stuff, and seal up the remaining opening.

You don't have to get super creative to make Dollar Tree pillows: In fact, you can just pop into your local store and pick up a couple pieces of any of their Crafter's Square fabric. Stock will vary, but most stores should have a few different patterns and designs. You can trim the 18x21-inch pieces to fit the size you want for your pillows. If you want to be able to wash your pillows, it might be worth making a pillow case that can be removed, or if you don't mind throwing the whole thing in the wash, just sew the edges. 

Flip the fabric upside down so the print is turned inwards. Sew around all of the edges, leaving a small gap you can flip inside out. Fill the interior with your stuffing of choice, then fold over the two pieces of fabric and finish sewing these. You might be able to see this small section of string, but it won't be noticeable if you use a color that blends into your fabric.