15 Minute DIY Sharpie Pillow (Number, Monogram, Ampersand)

Create a quick unique design statement with purchased pillows and a sharpie!

Yes, it's a sharpie project for this installment of our handmade gift series! I often resort to using a sharpie when I need a quick way to create something cool like a monogram or document fabric.

And this DIY sharpie pillow is not only done in 15 minutes, it's adorable and adaptable to anything you'd like to make. I think you're going to like this!

Actually, when I did this project a few weeks ago, I didn't really intend to share it with you - I just wanted to make some inexpensive pillows I had bought look a little more interesting.

But then they turned out really fun and were such a quick and easy craft that I knew right away you guys would love it - to make as gifts or to just keep for yourselves.

Anybody who would appreciate a pillow similar to those you might find at stores like Pottery Barn, Anthropologie, and Crate & Barrel would love a gift of one or two of these sharpie pillows.

And you will love how inexpensive and quick it is to give your loved ones a special and individualized gift.

15 Minute DIY Sharpie Pillow

Materials Needed

• Pillow. I used purchased outdoor pillows I found at Grocery Outlet, of all places. And they were $6 each - gotta love that. Purchased, homemade - use whatever works for you, just make sure the fabric is a tight weave and fairly smooth. Dropcloth would be awesome, as well as linen-blends, cotton and of course outdoor canvas-type fabric like I used.
• Printed number, letter, ampersand, or whatever you'd like to put on the pillow (Mr. & Mrs. pillows are popular and would make a great gift for a couple). Play around with the size and font to get a look you like. I used the font Didot sized to 700.
• Small scissors. I have an old pair of small, curved scissors that I think may be cuticle scissors? Whatever they were meant for, the curve is great for cutting out the typography.
• Straight pins.
• Black sharpie.

Instructions

1. Cut out your typography, center it on the front of the pillow (double check to make sure it's the front and if using a purchased pillow, make sure the tag is on the bottom because even when you cut it off it will leave a bit of fabric that can still be seen) and use the straight pins to pin through the paper right down into the pillow.
2. Use the sharpie to outline the shape. Hold down the paper if it puckers anywhere and draw close to the edge. Don't worry if it's not perfect - it's easy to fix uneven lines later.
3. Remove the paper.
4. Start filling in the outlined shape with the sharpie, straightening any of the outlines that need it.
5. Go back over the sharpie-colored areas adding more ink in a circular motion. This helps get rid of the lines that are sometimes noticeable when coloring with markers.

The resulting graphics will be permanent right away, with no residue.

Up close, they look a tiny bit marker-ish, though surprisingly well-traced, don't you think?

But in the living room, they are perfect!

No one has even guessed that they aren't made with a traditional transfer method. You know, the kind that require special products like CitriSolv, transfer paper, or a vinyl cutting machine.

Nope, just 15 minutes and my trusty sharpie.

I love them, can you tell?