Pillows are used for a variety of reasons, the main one being part of the bedding.
In recent years, wall picture frames and pillows have been used for decorative purposes both for the bedroom and for the living room.
The pillows used for decorative purposes can come either in the form of pillow shams or cushions.
They go a long way in contributing to the overall décor of your room thus making them stand out.
Since the pillows are frequently used, there is a need for a protective cover so that you are not washing your pillows every other day.
Pillow covers or pillowcases come in handy since they protect the pillows from dirt and other elements that would reduce the lifecycle of the pillow.
This means the choice of the fabric should be one that is no shrinkable, washable and durable so that they can serve for a longer time.
How to decorate your pillow cases
Pillowcases contribute to the beauty of the room and these can frequently be changed to change the overall theme of the room.
This is a cheaper way of changing the themes and colors of the room without spending on buying new pillows to fit into your new theme. Commercially made pillowcases come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors.
With the availability of a myriad of printed fabrics, you are spoilt for choice whenever you are looking to redecorate your house with pillows.
Sometimes, however, as much as there are a variety of prints to choose from, there are those pictures that you cannot find in the usual places.
These may be in the form of photos of your favorite vacation spot, a favorite family moment, or a lovely photo of your favorite pet that needs to be immortalized.
Other times, you would want to gift a friend with their favorite photo but in a different form from a normal printout.
As the world goes digital, and printed photos are getting phased out, it is undeniable that printed photos still look splendid. Some memories just leave an unshakable imprint on your heart.
There are many ways to handle your photo memories and bring them to life each time you walk into the room.
One way of making these memories special is by printing these magical moments on a personalized pillowcase. You can give your living room a distinct touch of style using these personalized pillows. This can be done by finding a way of doing it yourself.
Adding photo on a pillow – DIY
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Choose the pillowcase fabric
The first step in creating your photo pillows will be to choose the fabric on which you want to print your pillow.
Since the pillow cover will need to be changed often so that it can be washed, you need to choose a fabric that can be washed often without looking rugged.
Its important to note that picking the right fabric also applies when buying bed sheets and other bedding items. Polyester and cotton fabrics are known for their durability through time.
They are not only washable but also make them comfortable to use. You can play around with the choice of colors of the fabric to also vary the color theme of the room.
Since you will need to sew the edges of the fabric to create the pillowcase, as you cut out your fabric, make sure that you leave some allowance for sewing along the edges.
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Choose and edit the photographs
Second, you need to choose the photo or a variety of photos that you want to print on your pillowcase. You can have the photo presented in a variety of forms depending on what you want.
You can form a collage of different photos using photograph applications. You can also select one photo and tile it on the photo pane. Ensure that you choose high-quality photos for your printing job.
If you are using a photo application like Photoshop, you can have a variety of colors and hues to work with to make your photo beautiful. As you crop and enlarge the photos, ensure that the resolution is kept as high as possible.
A resolution of at least 150 dpi (dots per inch) is recommended, however, a higher resolution of about 300 dpi would work better.
Ensure the photos are in the size of the pillows you want to print it on for example if you want your pillow to be 18 inches by 18 inches, size the photo to have those dimensions.
When using photographs with people’s faces, ensure that you have them centered so that they do not look odd when printed. Once you are satisfied with the photos, save them in the jpg format.
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Printing and stitching of the pillowcases
You can opt to use your home printer in printing out the photos onto your fabric. This is however very limiting since the size of photos you can print. It can also be tedious to master how to print your photos on the fabric.
An easier option would be to send them to a commercial printer with the specifications of what you want to be printed and how you want it done.
This can be an opportunity to print several pieces of photos for different pillow sizes. These orders can be done online through different online design systems and then you wait for your order to be sent to you once your order is ready.
Once your order has been delivered, you can iron the fabric so that the ink sets into the fabric. This will help in reducing the chances of the color running when the fabric will be washed.
You can then cut the photos into the individual pieces needed for your pillow covers. Then you can stitch around the fabric to create the pillow cover.
If you measured the photos very well when laying them out, they will fit in well and you will add the back cover to make the pillow complete. You can use the same to decorate your pouf if you so wish.
As you stitch the pillowcases, ensure that you take care of the edges so that you do not lose portions of the photos. You can also add some pompoms to the edges to improve the beauty of your pillows.
