Why Crochet a Decorative Pillow Cover?
A crocheted pillow cover is a practical way to refresh a sofa, bed, or reading nook without buying new décor outright, and it’s a project that scales to your skill level — from a simple envelope cover made from one folded rectangle to a more involved granny square design. Many free patterns are also written as covers rather than stuffed pillows, meaning you crochet a removable case for an existing pillow insert, which keeps the project simpler and the cover washable.
Common Pillow Sizes for Crochet Covers
Looking across several free pillow patterns, two insert sizes come up most often: 16x16 inches and 20x20 inches. A 16x16 inch insert fits a number of popular designs, including textured stitch covers and simple envelope-style covers, while 20x20 inches shows up for a chunkier, granny-square sunburst design made with super bulky yarn. These aren’t universal rules — pillow patterns can be adapted to almost any insert size by adjusting your stitch and row count — but they’re a reasonable starting point if you’re buying an insert before you start crocheting.
Granny Square Pillow Covers
Granny squares are a popular building block for pillow covers because they let you mix colors and reuse a technique you may already know from blankets or bags. Patterns we reviewed include a sunburst design made from nine textured granny squares joined with simple slip stitches, worked in super chunky yarn for a cozy, boho look, and a larger design using 25 smaller sunburst squares joined the same way, sometimes finished with tassel details. If you enjoy granny square construction, it’s a technique that also carries over directly to projects like a granny square bag.
Textured Stitch Pillow Covers
Not every pillow pattern relies on granny squares. Several designs use simple repeating stitches to build texture instead: one beginner-friendly cover works single crochet through the back loop only for a ridged texture, while another alternates single crochet and extended single crochet rows for a similar effect using soft blanket-style yarn. These tend to be more straightforward to follow since they’re worked in plain rows rather than assembled from multiple motifs.
Envelope-Style Pillow Covers (Easiest for Beginners)
For a genuinely simple first pillow project, envelope-style covers are worth starting with. These are made from a single crocheted rectangle, folded into thirds or similar, with the overlapping back panel creating an “envelope” opening so the cover can be removed and washed without buttons or zippers. One pattern reviewed uses this approach for a standard 16x16 inch insert with minimal shaping, which keeps the stitch count simple and the finishing quick.
Yarn and Hook Choices
Yarn choice in the patterns reviewed varies by the look you’re after. Soft, plush blanket-style yarns (like Bernat Blanket) appear in both a textured cover and a basic throw pillow pattern, giving a cozy, thick finish, and one basic throw pillow pattern pairs that yarn with a notably large 9mm hook for quick results. Super chunky or super bulky yarns are used for the granny-square sunburst designs, which also work up faster than a finer-weight yarn would. If you want a firmer, more structured cover, a worsted-weight cotton or acrylic yarn with a standard hook size (closer to what you’d use for a dishcloth) is a reasonable substitute, though this will change your finished gauge and likely your finished size.
Choosing a Pattern for Your Skill Level
If you’re new to crochet, an envelope-style cover or a back-loop-only textured cover are the simplest places to start, since both are worked in plain rows without assembling multiple pieces. Granny square designs are a good next step once you’re comfortable joining motifs, since the individual squares are usually easy but the assembly and finishing (joining, borders, and often tassels) take more time than a single-rectangle project.
More Crochet Patterns for Home Décor
If you’re building out a cohesive handmade look for your living room, you might also like a crochet mandala wall hanging or free easy crochet rug patterns to pair with your new pillow cover. For smaller matching accents, see our crochet mug rug pattern guide.