Have you ever purchased a new throw pillow for your living room, only to spill a glass of soda or wine on it a week later? Here's a solution! Outdoor pillow fabric is made from a cotton polyester blend that is both stain and sun resistant. Some styles even come in luxurious silks and wools. Not only will it last a lot longer if you are raising young kids, but now you can get that puppy you always wanted.

There's nothing more annoying than damaging a brand new pillow, except perhaps watching your older pillows' vibrancy fade away from sunlight exposure. Outdoor pillows fade more slowly (some don't at all!), and it will protect the integrity of your decor when a couch or chair is opened against large, south-facing windows.

Decorating With Outdoor Fabric

The protective polyester comes in a great number of styles, colors, and various textures. In fact, it is easier to find well-decorated, textured fabric with outdoor-woven covers. Comfortable lawn chair cushions make great body-sized floor pillows in the TV den or basement or perhaps just a comfortable place to relax with a book.

If you are unable to match your indoors with the outside, consider bringing the outside in! Bamboo ceiling slats or tiles look smashing paired with wicker furniture and a bold color. If you are one of those people with a spring and summer furniture set, you can seasonally decorate by swapping out the bases and keeping the cushions to match the ceiling and walls.

Make Your Own!

As it turns out, making outdoor pillows is pretty easy. You can find the weather-resistant inserts you need for the cushion for as cheap as $10. Next, purchase a waterproof fabric. You will have a variety of options and outdoor canvas comes in several styles and is easily purchased online.

If canvas sounds too rough, you can also use outdoor tablecloth. There are other fabric options which work just as well, but they are a tad more expensive. You can use solution-dyed acrylic, or 100% spun poly fabric. Solid dyed acrylic averages $30/yard, while stripes and woven are between $40-50/yard. Spun polyester is much cheaper, ranging between $10-20/yard. The big drawback to spun poly is it will fade in sunlight.

You can read through the process step-by-step here. The project guide recommends also using a shower curtain liner to prevent mold growth in the insert. Besides that, all you need a sewing machine!