The perfect pillow may look square or rectangular shaped, but it isn’t. When a pillow is sewn as a square or rectangle, after the pillow is stuffed, the corners look floppy. The stuffed pillow expands in the center, and the corners look awkward. In the decorating industry, these are called “dog ears.” To prevent your pillows from having dog ears, the pillow’s corners should be sewn with a slight taper. The shaped corners follow the pillow form better, improving the overall look of the pillow.
For any square or rectangular pillow, divide each pillow side into fourths. Stitching from the center outward to each end, taper the last 1/4 section of the side. The taper should end 1/2″ inside the normal seam allowance line. Stitch the pillow as shown in the diagram below. If the pillow form is firm, stuff with the correct size pillow form (the same size as the pillow pattern). If the pillow form is soft, stuff with one size larger pillow form (2″ larger than the pillow pattern).
By following these sewing directions, you can create your perfect pillow and avoid the dreaded floppy dog ears. In the diagram below, the dashed black lines represent the original sewing line. The red dashed line represents the new sewing line, tapering the corners of the pillow.
