The humble drop cloth is meant to be there to catch your mistakes, but it can also take center stage by becoming a pillow cover. With an image stenciled on top you can also personalize it with whatever you want.

In this Instructable we'll cover the making of the cover and the application of the stencil. All of the materials shown here cost about $6 and it can be done in 1-2 hours.

This project is a courtesy of Lowe's Idea Exchange, be sure to visit Lowe's Idea Exchange on Facebook for more awesome projects.

Step 1: What You Need

Supplies needed:

60" x 48" canvas drop cloth
black paint
shelf liner
18" x 18" pillow insert
white thread
tape
Super 77 spray adhesive

Tools:

Sewing machine
Utility knife or X-acto blade
Sewing needle
1" brush
yardstick
pencil
scissors
cutting mat (optional)

Step 2: The Drop Cloth

To get the drop cloth ready you first need to wash it and iron it. The ironing is key to making the fabric easier to work with, especially for the stenciling.

With a clean and flat drop cloth, mark out a 19" x 37" rectangle with a yardstick and a pencil and cut it out.

Step 3: Print and Connect Stencil Pieces

Print out the 2-page PDF attached to this step.

Using the utility knife or other blade, cut off the bottom blank area of the top piece and the top blank area of the bottom piece. This is easier if you use a ruler or other straight edge to guide the cut.

With those pieces off, attach the two pieces with some tape. The two black lines are there to help with alignment. If you look at the two pieces from a low angle you'll be able to easily see if the two pieces are lining up correctly.

DropClothPillowStencils_statue.pdf
Download

Step 4: Attaching the Stencil

Cut out a piece of the shelf liner that's big enough for the stencil. Peel this off of the backing and place it down on the area of the drop cloth where you want the image to go.

Now, apply an even coat of the Super 77 spray adhesive to the back of the paper stencil. Let it dry for a couple minutes and carefully press it down on the shelf liner precisely where you want the final image to be.

Step 5: Cut the Stencil

Use the utility knife or blade to cut through the paper and shelf liner. You should be applying enough pressure so that you can feel the texture of the drop cloth, but not so much so that you're cutting the cloth as well.

Since the shelf liner can be strong stuff, you'll probably need to run the blade around the edges two times for a complete cut.

When you're done, slowly peel off the gray part of the stencil. There may be small parts that aren't completely cut through and need an extra bit of knife work to be freed up.

Step 6: Paint!

Use the brush to apply the black paint to the stencil. For the edges, be sure to apply the paint to the stencil from the outside in. This will help prevent paint from bleeding under the edges, making the results look rougher.

With a coat of paint on the drop cloth you can peel off the stencil. I'd recommend waiting for the paint to dry first before removing the stencil as you'll need the paint to be dry to move on to the next step and removing it while wet can lead to accidents and the wet stencil falling on the clean drop cloth, making a mess.

Step 7: Sew It Up

Are you absolutely sure the paint is dry? OK, then, fold the fabric in half to form a 19" x 18.5" rectangle with the stencil on the inside.

Using a sewing machine, sew up the two sides 1/2" from the edges.

As an optional extra step, you can sew towards the middle along the open side for a couple of inches as the pillow insert will be able to squeeze inside.

Step 8: Finishing Up

Turn the pillow cover inside out and stuff the pillow insert inside.

Fold the open ends in and use a whipstitch with the needle and thread to completely seal up the pillow cover.

Step 9: Enjoy

Now you're ready to put the pillow wherever you want. Enjoy!

This project is a courtesy of Lowe's Idea Exchange, be sure to visit Lowe's Idea Exchange on Facebook for more awesome projects.