I decided that beings my Christmas tree is still up, let's talk about a Christmas gift today. Seems fitting.

My brother was in desperate need of pillows for his living room couch. He's also a nerdy hipster wannabe like his sister so I thought some easy sew pillows with way too many mustaches seemed like a fitting handmade gift idea for him. (That was a really long sentence.)

Totally adorable (I mean, manly) nerdy hipster, right? I thought so.

More importantly, Ike approved.

(Side note: Ike got a pretty bad hair cut right after these photos were taken. Ike misses his fur. I miss his super furry face. HE'S SO FLUFFY!!!)

Ike was happy to assist me in the pillow making because he has a special relationship with his uncle. They get each other.

Oh, brother. Someday he'll earn that Christmas card photos go faster if you stop messing around. But then again, we wouldn't have this gem if he behaved.

Back to the pillow making. Through many rounds of trial and error, I have finally mastered the art of pillow cover making in under 10 minutes. Seriously. You can sew a pillow case in the same amount of time it takes to make macaroni and cheese.

Warning: this tutorial is super technical. And by super technical I mean that it is totally not at all.

First you need to cut your fabric to a size that correctly fits your pillow. You don't want it too loose or too tight. I err on the side of tight because I hate sloppy pillows.

To determine the size of fabric I grab my pillow form (or whatever old pillow I'm covering) and my fabric. I fold one end about half way on the pillow. I fold the other end up and determine where to cut across. I leave about a 3" overlap for the "envelope" on the back of the pillow.

To determine how wide to cut the pillow, I leave a small amount (1/4"ish) on each side. Again, err on the side of tight.

After those wonderful instructions that make total sense, you should haven something like this.

You will need to hem each short end. I fold under about 1", iron and sew a straight line. The hard part of sewing isn't actually sewing. It's the dumb cutting. Seriously.

Once both ends are hemmed, you fold the fabric right sides together. I place my fabric next to the pillow and use the pillow as a guide for the size. Make sure to leave the 3"ish overlap. (FYI, whatever hemmed side you put on the bottom will actually be on the top of the back of the pilllow.)

Pin and sew along both sides (I use a 1/4" seam allowance). Fold inside out. Bam! Pillow cover sewn. Look at you!

Now that your cover is sewn, you can add a mustache (or whatever your heart desires) on the front on the pillow. I don't have a fancy cutting device so I go the old school route. Google "mustache clip art". Print one you like. Trace it onto some Heat n' Bond. Apply following Heat n' Bond's instructions. (Once you trace and cut out your mustache, you will peel back the paper back backing and apply with an iron.)