How to Easily Apply HTV on Pillows
Pillows are something that has always been on my mind as a craft project I’d like to try and do. I love that I can personalize and customize them any way I want. Everyone uses pillows, right? I’m talking toss cushions for your sofa or that extra cute little pillow on your bed. Here’s your guide to how to easily apply HTV on pillows.
Pillows or cushions are a nice way to update the look of your living area or bedroom. They make nice gifts for housewarmings, weddings and even baby showers. Who doesn’t love laying on a sofa with a comfy pillow?
Pillow Supplies
To make pillows the easy way, you need 2 things – the pillow cover and the pillow. Sometimes they are combined – just one piece. The nice thing about 2 separate pieces is that you can throw the cover into the washing machine when needed – this is a must-have for those with kids and pets.
Ikea seems to be the go-to place when it comes to pillows. Lucky for me, Ikea is 15 minutes away so I can easily grab supplies when I need them (although our Ikea is a complete zoo on the weekends). There, you can purchase inexpensive pillow covers, as well as the inserts.
- Pillow Covers are great as they let you change up your look for a relatively inexpensive cost. The basic pillow cover is the Ikea Gurli. These pillow covers are made out of 100% cotton and come in a variety of colours. They measure 20×20, which is a decent-sized pillow. They have a zip closure and are machine washable. These are perfect for any home.
Ikea carries other pillow covers at higher price points – these tend to be a softer cotton or patterns. There are also larger sizes.
If you are interested in sewing your own pillow covers – stay tuned! I have a post all about that coming up next month! Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it! - Pillow Inserts are also available at Ikea. There is a variety of them – the differences are the quality and price. They range from the basic insert called the Inner which is a soft, polyester filled insert that measures 20×20. If you want to step it up a bit, consider the Fjadrar which is filled with duck feathers. Again, you can get other sizes – just be sure to match the size to your pillow cover. They are packaged all rolled up – so if you are stocking up, they don’t take up too much room. Once out of the package they fluff up nicely and easily. Don’t these look funny?
HTV on Pillow Covers
Since the pillow covers are fabric, you would use HTV (heat transfer vinyl) on them. Applying HTV to pillow covers is just as easy as doing shirts. The process is exactly the same.
Here are the supplies you will need to apply HTV to a pillow cover.
- Graphic or design – it can be a picture, or a quote, or a word. Be creative! There are lots of images on line for inspiration. I love personalized and meaningful quotes.
- Pillow cover
- HTV – I use Siser Easy Weed or Siser StripFlock
(more on StripFlock in a future blog post) - Weeding tool
- Heat Press or iron
- Quilting ruler (optional)
Applying HTV on Pillows
- Choose a graphic or saying. If your pillow measures 20×20, you probably don’t want your graphic to be 20×20 – you’ll want to leave some space around. The maximum I would suggest would be around 12 inches – give or take an inch or two either way. It really depends on the design. Remember that the pillow isn’t exactly flat and so if your graphic goes right to the edge, it may not show.
Keep in mind that on the Cricut, the longest you can make one side is 11.5. Don’t forget that you can use a 24 inch mat to cut larger items. That kind of helps me determine my sizing. - Cut your design out on your machine. Don’t forget to mirror!
- Weed your design. Don’t forget to leave it on the carrier sheet.
- I like to press and preheat the pillow cover first. I also like to press it folded in half to find the centre/midline
- Put your graphic on to the pillow cover.
TIP: fold your HTV graphic in half vertically and crease the carrier sheet. Match that line up with the one on the pillow cover when you pressed it folded in half.
TIP: to make sure it’s straight, I use my clear quilting ruler to make sure it’s lined up right. - Press your graphic. When I use Siser Easy Weed I press at 305 degrees for 15 seconds
- Remove the carrier sheet
- I like to press again for another 10 seconds to make sure it’s on well.
TIP: If you can see the texture of the fabric on the HTV you know it’s been applied well. If not, you may not have enough pressure. - Put your pillow insert in.
There! It was that easy. Working with basic squares or rectangles makes this project manageable, especially for beginners.
HTV on Pillows – Project Ideas
A nice find I found at Ikea was the Ofelia Blad Cushion. This cushion measures 16×24. This is a cream-coloured pillow cover with a duck feather insert. The pillow cover is removable and consists of 3 textured panels. The centre panel is smooth with a velvet feel – HTV applies very easily to it. Look how nicely it turned out. I don’t see them on the website anymore so I don’t know if they are still available.
Looking for a wedding gift? How about this?
Birth stats are always a popular baby gift. They are so meaningful. I’ve done them in reverse canvas (read all about that here), but how about a pillow? Or let’s put the entire family in one of these subway art collages. Don’t these look great using different colours?
Housewarming or moving gift? This would also be great for a new, furry addition to the family.
As you can see, the possibilities are endless. You can use a variety of designs and a variety of colours to customize it any way you want. You can never have enough pillows!
Want to remember how to put HTV on pillows? Be sure to save this to your favourite Pinterest board.
Cricut Projects
Looking for other projects to do with your Cricut? Here are some great ideas.
How to Do Glass Etching With the Help of Your Cricut
Here's a quick summary of how to do glass etching using your Cricut.
These are so cute! Do you wash the pillowcase first or just apply the HTV to it? I’m giving it as a gift, if that matters. Thanks!
I do not prewash. Washing it first makes it look “used” if you know what I mean. I bet yours will be great.
Can I press the htv on a pillow that the cover doesn’t come off of?
Yes, you can. You just have to be careful about getting enough pressure and even pressure which can be a bit challenging when you are dealing with something that is not completely flat.