How to Easily (and Cheaply!) Make Monogrammed Grain Sack Pillows

7 Materials
$5
1 Hour
Easy

I love grain sacks but they can be so pricey! In this tutorial, I took two pillows found at Michaels on clearance and turned them into beautiful monogrammed pillows with just paint. Check out how easy and cheap it was to get the same look.

The Pillows


I am in love with vintage grain sacks and it was my favourite grain sack look that came to mind when my Mom found these pillows for me (pre-COVID) at Michaels on clearance for less than $2 each!


They were just plain old white and begging for something to be done to them.

Dying the Fabric


I wanted the pillows to have more of an authentic grain sack colour so I decided to dye the covers with paint. I do this quite often and you can see another project here...


To get that colour, I made a bath of one part Miss Mustard Seed's Milk paint in Schloss to 10 parts water.


After mixing the milk paint and water, I let it sit for about 10 minutes (to let the Limestone and clay dissolve) and then popped in the covers off of the pillows.


I wasn't worried if the colour came out uneven as it would make them look old and worn but if you are looking for an even colour, I would wet the pillow covers first.

Adding the Stripes


Next up was to add some classic stripes. I used low-tack painters tape to make a line down the middle of the cover and then painted it in with Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Artissimo - you can use any blue paint though. Using the paint mixed at full strength for the stripes and monogram (one part mix to one part water) is ideal. If you dilute the paint for detailed work, the excess water will cause the paint to run.


Once the large stripe was dry, I added a thin stripe to each side freehand.

Adding the Monogrammed Letters


To add the monogram, I used the same method I use on my signs. Since monograms on grain sacks were often stitched in a cross-stitch style, I used a font called Home Sweet Home to design and print out my initials.


With the letters taped in place, I slipped a piece of carbon paper under the letters and traced over each X with a pen.


Painting the Monogram


Using the same paint as the stripes, I painted over each X using a thin artist's brush.


Don't forget, when your pillows are done, do not wash the covers for 30 days until the paint has cured or it will run!

The Monogrammed Pillows


For less than $2 a pillow I am so happy with my new monogrammed pillows! As much as I love the authentic thing, paying $50+ a pillow just wasn't in the budget right now.


You can see more of my grain sack projects (and more info about grain sacks in general) over on the original RECREATED DESIGNS post at the link below...

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Recreated Designs
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  • Kelly Hintz Kelly Hintz on Jul 22, 2020

    Will the paint dying process work with only milk paint or does it also work when using chalk or acrylic paint?

  • Phyllis Phyllis on Aug 16, 2020

    Your pillows are nice but I love the wall. How do you do it? Did you paint some of the pieces or use wallpaper? Thanks for your post.

  • Carollynda Carollynda on Jul 22, 2022

    Maybe I missed something! It looks like pillows are stitched around all four sides. So how are covers removed?🐱🐈️

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