Easy DIY Ruffle Linen Pillow Sham | Spring Bed Refresh

This easy DIY ruffle linen pillow sham cover is simple to make and so feminine and lovely. A perfect way to freshen up your bed for spring.

Ruffles in home decor seem to be having their moment once again. I’ve noticed at several home stores that there are pretty ruffles on the edges of pillows and throw blankets. It kind of reminds me of the shabby chic style that was so popular. Personally, I love it!

Since starting the #handmadehomechallenge, I have been enjoying the process of learning to do things that I didn’t know how to do before. Making ruffles was one of those things that I never really learned how to do. So, I’ve been practicing and having fun making throw blankets and pillows!

Ruffled Pillow Cover Cut List

This is for a standard-size pillow sham. I bought this olive-colored linen blend fabric. It’s nice to work with and more affordable than 100% linen. The color was not an exact match to the linen on the throw but I don’t like things to be too matchy-matchy anyway! Here’s the cut list for the ruffle linen pillow sham.

28″x22″ for the front allowing for a 1/2″ seam allowance
Two-17″ for the back allowing for a 1/2″ hem and 1/2″ seam allowance and for the pieces to overlap 3″-4″
Two 46″x 6″ strips for the ruffles

Making a Ruffle for a Pillow Sham

I showed you how to make a linen ruffle for a throw blanket here. The process for the pillow sham is the same. Cut a strip of fabric that is at least 1.5 times the length of the pillow, I chose to make mine twice the length for extra ruffles.

Hem the ends and sides of the strip. Leave the top raw.

Using your sewing machine, set the tension to the highest it will go and set the stitch length to the longest stitch.

Stitch down the length of the fabric without backstitching. As the thread comes out of the spool use your finger to add a bit more tension so that the machine has to pull a bit to get the thread. This will bunch your fabric perfectly into ruffles. When you cut the thread leave a pretty long tail.

Hold the ruffle up to the edge of the pillow and adjust as needed. You can pull the thread to tighten the stitches and make the ruffles tighter, or you can spread the ruffles out a bit if you need more length.

Ruffled Pillow Assembly

Lay out your cut pieces with the right sides facing each other. The two back pieces should overlap at the middle. This will create an opening in the back. Those pieces should each have a 1/2″ hem as that will show.

After laying out the pieces, take your newly made ruffles and sandwich those in between the sides. Make sure the finished side of the hem is facing the front of the pillow and the hemmed edge is facing the backside.

Pin everything together around the edges, make sure the edges of the ruffle are tucked in and pinned out of the way so you don’t accidentally stitch those to the inside seam of the top.

After stitching around, you can turn the sham right side out, and voila! You now have a lovely ruffled linen pillow sham!

Ruffled Pillow Cover

I used some of the leftover flannel from the throw blanket to make some matching pillow covers as well. I used this method for an easy envelope pillow cover but added the ruffles to the edges. It’s the same method as above, you sandwich the ruffle in between the layers with the right sides facing in.

The only difference between the pillow cover and the pillow sham is the size and the direction of the opening. And of course, the fabric that I chose. The flannel ruffles are pretty too, the drape isn’t quite as nice as linen but they add a nice feminine touch.