DIY Polka Dot Pillow

One of my resolutions for the year was to make my home into a space that I actually love. To decorate it up and do it right with a mix of DIY and quality pieces. Well I have been working away since January and am so happy to finally be sharing a sneak peek with you today!

The first room in my apartment that’s getting a makeover is my bedroom/office. The space is a little confusing (I’ll explain it all in another post), but for now here’s a simple diy that you can also make for your own home. I made this hand painted polka dot pillow for my bed in about a half hour and it was beyond easy. Here’s how:

Time: 30 minutes + set time
Materials: pillow case, rit dye, paint brush

I found this plain white linen pillow cover from West Elm (bonus, it’s on sale right now!). You might remember the dye from this picture frame diy.

Start by adding warm water to your dye. The more water you add, the lighter the color will be. For my pillow, I used  ~1/3 cup of dye and added 2 tbs of water. To keep the dye from bleeding through your pillow case, and to give you a better surface to work on, place a sheet of cardboard inside.

To make your design, simply dip your brush in the dye, just like you would with watercolors, and paint on the pillow. Because of the linen, you won’t be able to get super crisp lines, so I embraced the hand painted element and kept the edges of my circles loose.

Let dye sit until dry. Keep in mind that the colors will be darker before washing. You can also rinse early, but the longer you leave the dye on, the more vibrant your colors will be. Rinse in warm then cold water until the water runs clear. Dry, iron, then fill with an insert and you’re all done!

And that’s it! Bada-bing, bada-boom, color! I can’t wait to show you the entire reveal within the next few weeks!

Product for this post was provided by West Elm, a company I frequent and love. Thanks for supporting the brands that keep The Crafted Life making!