Have you noticed that shaggy cushions pillow covers and rugs are really trendy right now. Interior stylists call it ‘texture’, I call it fun! It’s a throwback to the 70’s where shag was all the rage. The era of Flokati rugs and ankle deep wall to wall carpeting. What a nightmare to clean!
Put your hand up if you ever made one of those latch hook kits as a kid. They always had the weirdest designs like sad clowns holding a bunch of balloons or a horse head.
I picked up a piece of latch hook canvas about 2 years ago while thrift shopping but had no real project in mind for it. After seeing lots of shaggy 70’s style cushions in stores and magazines an idea finally clicked – a Shaggy Latch Hook Pillow.
Because I love colour this pillow is super bright. But if you prefer more neutral decor in your home choose softer colours greys or creams. The key is mixing up the yarn textures for an interesting finished result.
It’s not difficult but it does take quite a time commitment. I worked on this project on and off for 5 months. It’s easy to pick up and put down so it’s a perfect craft project to have at hand when you need something to do while.
You will need:
- Latch hook tool
- Latch hook canvas piece about 50x50cm (20″x20″)
- Backing fabric – cotton canvas or thin faux leather 50cm x 65cm (20″x25.5″)
- Assorted Yarn – lots of it
- Scissors
- Clipboard
- Cushion insert 40x40cm (16″x16″)
- Sewing machine
- General sewing supplies
How to:
This project is comprised of 2 main parts: making the latch hook canvas cushion cover and hooking the cover design.
Part 1 – How to make a blank Latch Hook Canvas cushion cover
Every tutorial for latch hook pillows I’ve ever seen works on the hooked canvas design first and then sews up the cushion cover at the end. But that seems and awfully complicated way to do things I mean trying to wrangle all that bulky yarn and several layers of fabric under a sewing machine foot seems like a big pain in the butt.
In my opinion working on the canvas first is a big.
Here’s my solution to the problem, make the pillow cover first!
It’s logical when you think about it and I’m actually surprised you can’t buy pre-made blank latch hook canvas covers already. Someone get onto that!
These instructions will show you how to make an Envelope Back Pillow Cover which is the easiest style of cover to make and is manageable for all sewing levels. If you are an experienced sewist feel free to make a zippered version if desired.
I’ve made mine to fit a 40x40cm (16″x16″) cushion insert and have included those measurements but you can adjust the sizing to suit whatever size cushion you are making.
For the backing fabric I chose to use some thin faux leather that was left over from another project. It was an ideal choice as it didn’t fray was a little bit stretchy and quite robust. If you don’t have access to something similar upholstery cotton would be a suitable choice.
I’ve just free styled my design and didn’t really follow any pattern. If you have a pre planned design in mind you can mark it onto your canvas with a permanent marker at this stage before you do any sewing.