British Royalty Pillow Tutorial {Another Ballard Knock-off}
So, it’s Royal Wedding Week & I’m wishing I could be in London taking in all that Royal excitement. I’ve always been a little fascinated by Britain & the Royals, and when Dave & I took our first trip to London last Spring, my fascination only intensified. I can’t wait to go back someday, but until then, I’ve decided to add a little taste of British chic here at home.It all started when I saw this super-cool British Royalty Pillow from Ballard Designs. 
I knew I needed this for the library, but I also knew I would never pay $70 for a throw pillow I could re-create myself, so I got to work.
Here’s my version:
Not an exact replica, I know, but still just the touch of Cool Brittania this space needs. If you want a little taste of royalty for yourself, here’s a little tutorial:Start with a couple of pieces of beige linen in the size you want for your pillow. Mine is approximately 13″H x18″W. 
Set aside one piece which will become the back of the pillow later. Prepare the top piece for painting by taping it down onto some newspaper or plastic. Then, using a ruler or straight-edge, mark the lines of the British flag with a pencil. I kept an image of my inspiration pillow in front of me as a guide. If you don’t feel comfortable “eyeing” it, you may want to print out a pattern of the flag in the size of your fabric.
After the lines are penciled in, it’s time for the paint. I used craft paint in English Navy & Cardinal Red, then painted it on with a small artist’s brush. If you want to create a vintage look, don’t worry about applying the paint consistently or perfect coverage. Letting some of the fabric show thru will give it more of a worn look.
After I painted it all, I went back with a little more craft paint in Royal Blue (thinned down with a little water) & highlighted some of the navy areas to brighten it up a little.
For the crown, my own prince did his magic & came up with this image for me (thanks, Honey!). 
Use heat transfer sheets for dark fabrics to print the image & create an iron-on transfer. I used these Transfer Magic sheets from Hobby Lobby. (Don’t forget to use your 40% of coupon!)
After it’s printed, use scissors & an exacto knife to cut away the unwanted areas of the transfer.
Then, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to apply the transfer over your painted flag. Be sure the paint is completely dry before you do this step. And watch your transfer carefully as I noticed the red paint started pulling thru onto my transfer when the heat was applied for the full amount of time. After that, you’re ready to sew the pillow together & finish it off.
That’s it! For less than $10, you’ll have a cozy little pillow to curl up with early Friday morning while you watch the Royal Wedding!
And for those of you who still can’t get enough royal romance, the internet has been a-buzz with William & Kate memorabilia of all kinds, but these two are a couple of my faves:
(Pillow or no pillow-I love that chair.)
Not an exact replica, I know, but still just the touch of Cool Brittania this space needs. If you want a little taste of royalty for yourself, here’s a little tutorial:Start with a couple of pieces of beige linen in the size you want for your pillow. Mine is approximately 13″H x18″W. Set aside one piece which will become the back of the pillow later. Prepare the top piece for painting by taping it down onto some newspaper or plastic. Then, using a ruler or straight-edge, mark the lines of the British flag with a pencil. I kept an image of my inspiration pillow in front of me as a guide. If you don’t feel comfortable “eyeing” it, you may want to print out a pattern of the flag in the size of your fabric.After the lines are penciled in, it’s time for the paint. I used craft paint in English Navy & Cardinal Red, then painted it on with a small artist’s brush. If you want to create a vintage look, don’t worry about applying the paint consistently or perfect coverage. Letting some of the fabric show thru will give it more of a worn look.After I painted it all, I went back with a little more craft paint in Royal Blue (thinned down with a little water) & highlighted some of the navy areas to brighten it up a little.For the crown, my own prince did his magic & came up with this image for me (thanks, Honey!). Use heat transfer sheets for dark fabrics to print the image & create an iron-on transfer. I used these Transfer Magic sheets from Hobby Lobby. (Don’t forget to use your 40% of coupon!)After it’s printed, use scissors & an exacto knife to cut away the unwanted areas of the transfer.Then, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to apply the transfer over your painted flag. Be sure the paint is completely dry before you do this step. And watch your transfer carefully as I noticed the red paint started pulling thru onto my transfer when the heat was applied for the full amount of time. After that, you’re ready to sew the pillow together & finish it off.That’s it! For less than $10, you’ll have a cozy little pillow to curl up with early Friday morning while you watch the Royal Wedding!And for those of you who still can’t get enough royal romance, the internet has been a-buzz with William & Kate memorabilia of all kinds, but these two are a couple of my faves:(Pillow or no pillow-I love that chair.)
Click here to see more cool William & Kate stuff. And then visit these sites I’m linking up with for more creative inspiration!
Related Posts
24 Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
April 26, 2011 @ 8:40 pm
I LOVE YOUR PILLOW. LIKE IT BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL . GREAT JOB
April 26, 2011 @ 8:46 pm
So cute! Great knock off! Thanks for sharing…..Aren't Kate and Wills a cute couple!
April 26, 2011 @ 9:47 pm
How cute is that pillow! Awesome!
have a happy day~ LC
April 26, 2011 @ 10:46 pm
Oh My! Julie, this is such a neat pillow…I will try to make one this summer….too busy teaching school this week….Love the crown…Bravo to the hubs! Lyndaoflakeland.blogspot.com
April 26, 2011 @ 11:10 pm
That is fabulous!! I totally think yours is better than the original!!
Hmm.. I might need some union jack around here..
-Jennifer
allthingsbelle.blogspot.com
April 27, 2011 @ 4:12 am
Just a quick note to let you know that a link to this post will be placed on CraftCrave today [27 Apr 01:00am GMT]. Thanks, Maria
April 27, 2011 @ 4:42 am
omg! Im in love with this! Thanks for this great tutorial, I have been eyeing that Ballards pillow too sooo chic!
April 27, 2011 @ 5:06 am
I love the pillow. I can BARELY tell the difference between the two. I sorta wish that I got in on the royal buzz, but without TV and girly talk shows I didn't realize the wedding was even happening until I started seeing projects linked up. Oh well.
April 27, 2011 @ 7:38 am
Wow, am I impressed! It looks amazing. XOL
April 27, 2011 @ 1:15 pm
I love it! Looks even better than the original, I think. Thanks so much for sharing the tutorial too as this is something I'd love to have in my own house.
April 27, 2011 @ 2:46 pm
Since January I have been writing Royal Wedding Wednesday posts. Today is the linky party.
Would love for you to link up this Royal gem!
April 27, 2011 @ 8:14 pm
Well done. Yours looks just like the $70 Ballard's one – I love it.
April 28, 2011 @ 1:20 am
you pillow looks way better,love how your office is coming along! thanks for sharing this at my party!
April 28, 2011 @ 1:44 am
As I was watching the news about the royal wedding this evening I realized how much I wanted something with the Union Jack flag on it. I love your pillow and your instructions are so clear that I think I could actually make one.
April 28, 2011 @ 7:04 pm
You did and Amazing job on that pillow – I LOVE it ! I shared this on my blog today
April 28, 2011 @ 7:25 pm
That turned out perfect! I love it!!!
April 29, 2011 @ 5:13 am
love your pillow!! so awesome!! just as good as the original!!
Amy
http://www.sistersofthewildwest.blogspot.com
April 29, 2011 @ 9:22 pm
Just so you know, I actually like yours better!! That's a great idea! I could use a pillow like that around here, anglophile that I am! đŸ™‚
April 29, 2011 @ 10:57 pm
cute, cute!
April 30, 2011 @ 7:02 am
This is SHARP! I LOVE it!!!
April 30, 2011 @ 8:41 am
I love your pillow!!! It turned out so great!! I shared it on my blog:)
link: http://sewhappiness.blogspot.com/2011/04/narrow-down-time-very-useful-link.html
Have a great inspiring weekend:)
xo
Eleni
May 1, 2011 @ 12:37 am
I like yours better the the Ballard one! Serious!
November 5, 2012 @ 5:26 pm
You did a beautiful job! I think I would love just the crown too!
Andie
June 8, 2021 @ 8:05 am
Thanks for sharing this informative article. For more info about custom pillow boxes very beautiful article nice use of pics.