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Easy DIY Euro Sham (Pillow Sham) With Flanges

I have one more quick sewing project to share with you from the second condo bedroom makeover — an easy DIY euro sham with flanges.

condo bedroom sneak peek

I made some similar euro shams for the other bedroom, but they had slightly smaller flanges.

If you can sew a straight line, I think you’ll be amazed how quick and easy these are.

Euro shams are generally 26 inches square, so you need to start by cutting a square of face fabric that is 26 inches + 1.25 inches (for a standard 5/8″ seam) + the desired width of the flange.  I made these flanges to be 2.5 inches all the way around, so I cut my face fabric to 32.25 inches square.

easy DIY euro sham with flanges - 1

(Note:  I actually prefer smaller flanges, like the ones on the navy blue shams in the other bedroom.  Smaller flanges stand up and out on their own much better, and have a much more polished, finished look to them.  I think I made those flanges 1.5 inches.  The larger the flange, the more of a tendency they’ll have to flop over on top.  If you want a larger flange, it’s better to add something between the layers of fabric around the edges to give it more body.  Buckram would work.  An iron-on interfacing would be even easier to work with.  Just cut some strips of iron-on interfacing that are slightly wider than the flange, and iron it onto the back of the face fabric on all four edges before sewing the sham together.  Or you can avoid that extra step and either make the flanges smaller or live with floppy flanges.  😀 )

Next I cut the back piece.  Since I didn’t have enough of the paisley fabric to do the backs of the two shams, I just used some leftover white fabric for the backs.  I also wanted to make an envelope back, since I think those are way easier and faster than messing with zippers, so I cut the back piece to 32.25 inches by 40 inches.

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Then I cut that piece exactly in half so that I had two pieces that were 32.25 inches by 20 inches.  The inside cut edges are the ones that I sewed in the next step.

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With the right side of the fabric facing down, I turned the fabric one inch, then pinned, and pressed the fold in place.

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Then I folded it over again one inch, pinned, pressed, and then sewed along the inside fold to keep the hem in place.

easy DIY euro sham with flanges - 5

The I repeated that on the other piece of white fabric.

With the hems in both of the back pieces, I placed the face fabric on my work surface (I always work on the floor 🙂 ) with the right side facing up, and then I placed one of the back pieces on top, right side facing down, lining up the three edges with the face fabric, with the hemmed edge in the middle.  I pinned it in place around the edges of the face fabric.

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Then I took the other piece of the back, and with the right side of the fabric facing down, I lined it up opposite the first back piece and pinned it in place around the edges of the face fabric.  The hemmed edges overlapped each other in the center.

easy DIY euro sham with flanges - 7

I stitched all the way around all four edges using a standard 5/8-inch seam, and then I flipped the pillow sham right side out and carefully ironed the edges so that I had a neat, crisp fold along the edge seams.

easy DIY euro sham with flanges - 8

And then to create the flanged edge, I stitched all the way through the face fabric and the back fabric 2.5 inches from the edge, all the way around the sham on all four sides.  I always use painters tape to mark any length that isn’t marked on my machine so that there’s no guess work.

easy DIY euro sham with flanges - 9

And that’s it!  You can easily make a pair of shams in an hour-and-a-half or less, and save yourself quite a bit of money in the process.

 

 

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9 Comments

  1. You’re right… shams with flanges are easy to make. I had so much fun my first time.. I had no pattern I just used an old one for an example. I actually made mine from lined drapes I picked up at an outlet that coordinated with the bedding I purchased there. It was a great deal. Because the fabric was lined my flanges weren’t too floppy… but I would like to make more and wondered about the appropriate material to use. Yesterday you mentioned using Buckram for the top of the curtain so it’s not floppy either. I vaguely remember my mom using something that looks similar when she made drapes when I was a little girl. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂 Also… I’m so glad to see that your drapes graze the floor but don’t crumple in a bunch on the floor. I so don’t like that look and it’s really a pain for cleaning… especially when you have fur babies in the house. Thanks for all the wonderful little tips lately. I look forward to seeing what you do with your entry walls. You can never go wrong with beautiful wainscoting and framed fabric/wallpaper is always stunning.

    All the best for an extraordinary weekend, Kristi!!

  2. A great trick to save $$ …thanks Kristi! I think your hint to use buckram or iron on interfacing is terrific. Now why di did I not think of this??? 🙂

  3. Thank you for this great tutorial! I make pillows with flanges, but I always put a zipper in and getting it in the right spot is a pain in the gizzard. Now I will do the envelope closure…thanks to you!!!
    Blessings,
    J

    1. PS: I’m glad to see you have a furry helper….
      Posie always assists me by playing with the ruler, trying to steal any marking equipment and if all else fails, she hops on my shoulder so she has a bird’s eye view. Most everything I make comes with cathair trim!
      :^)

  4. Decorators Tape! What a simple yet brilliant idea. I always try to find a point of reference, which fails me more often than not. Why didn’t I think of this!
    The room looks fabulous btw.

  5. Hi Kristi:
    The best way to get your flanges to stand up is to cut a piece of thin, but stiff batting the same size as the face of the pillow. Then add a piece of lining over that. That way when you sew it all together the flanges now have some bulk to them and they will stand up nicely.

  6. Thanks for such great instructions for Euro sized flanged envelope pillow. I have made many pillows in my day but none this big and with the flange. I have a client that knew I sewed since I made her a quilt out of her late husbands neckties so she asked for some pillows this time. Not as big of a project but just as rewarding. Thanks again. I will be checking out your site in the future.

  7. I just made a quilt and it really needs a coordinated euro pillow sham. But I didn’t know how to do it…until now! : D
    Thanks for a very helpful and easy tutorial!