2 x Ikea pillows ($2 each)
1 pair dollarstore pillow cases ($2)
Total cost: $6 for 2 cushions
Build time: About an hour
Step 1: Squish the stuffing to one side of the pillow, and sew a line across it to make a square. These cheap pillows feel understuffed, but they make decent 50cm x 50cm square pillows. It would probably be pretty easy to sew two perpendicular lines, to make smaller, puffier pillows.
Step 2: Cut off the excess material.
Step 3: Sew a line across the pillow case, inside out, to make a square. Leave approximately 6 inches of a hole to stuff the pillow through. I made the holes too small and ended up ripping some of the stitching. Either sew from one side and leave the hole at the other side, or sew 2 lines of stitching from either side, to leave the hole in the middle of the pillow's edge.
Step 4: Cut off the excess material, leaving about an inch excess, and turn the pillow case right-side-out.
Step 5: Stuff the pillow into the pillow case. The easiest way is to roll it tightly, the way that it comes packed in the store. Once it's in, pull the corners of the pillows to the corners of the pillow case, from inside. Fluff up the pillow and pull any clumps of stuffing out even across the pillow.
Step 6: Sew the hole shut, from the outside. Store-bought pillows will have the sewed-up hole in the middle of an edge, which looks nicer. To save time, I left the hole at the corner of the pillow.
