How to Make Round Pillow Form: In 4 Easy Steps

If you’ve ever fallen in love with a round throw pillow only to discover that the insert inside it is lumpy, flat, or just the wrong size, you already know the frustration of not being able to find the perfect pillow form. Round pillow forms — sometimes called disc pillow inserts or bolster-style round cushions — are notoriously harder to find in stores than their square or rectangular counterparts. And when you do find them, they’re often overpriced, understuffed, or made with materials you don’t feel great about.

The good news is that making your own round pillow form is one of the most satisfying and straightforward sewing projects you can take on, even if you’re relatively new to sewing. You don’t need a long list of specialized tools, and the process breaks down into four clean, manageable steps. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a plump, perfectly shaped round pillow form ready to stuff inside any cover you’ve sewn or purchased.

Let’s get into it.

What Is a Round Pillow Form and Why Make Your Own?

Before diving into the steps, it helps to understand what you’re actually making. A round pillow form is simply the fabric casing filled with stuffing that sits inside a decorative pillow cover. Think of it as the skeleton of your pillow — the thing that gives it shape, loft, and body. Without a good form, even the most beautifully sewn pillow cover will look deflated and sad.

Round pillow forms come in a few different styles. The most common is the flat disc style, which looks like a thick coin — circular from the front and back, with a gusset (a strip of fabric) running around the sides to give it depth. You can also make a simpler version without a gusset if you want a flatter, more decorative pillow. Both are covered in this tutorial, though the gusseted version will give you the most professional, store-bought look.

Making your own form instead of buying one gives you complete control over the size, the firmness, and the fill material. You can make a 14-inch form, an 18-inch form, or any size in between. You can stuff it densely for a firm, structured look or loosely for something soft and casual. You can use polyester fiberfill, recycled fabric scraps, buckwheat hulls, or even repurpose old pillow stuffing. That level of customization is simply not possible when you’re shopping from a store shelf.

There’s also a cost argument. Buying specialty round pillow inserts — especially in larger sizes — can get expensive quickly. Making your own costs a fraction of the price, particularly if you already have muslin or inexpensive cotton fabric on hand.

Materials You’ll Need

Gather these supplies before you start so the process flows without interruption.

For the fabric, you’ll want muslin or an inexpensive woven cotton in a neutral color. Since this is a form and not a decorative cover, the fabric doesn’t need to be pretty — it just needs to be sturdy enough to hold the stuffing without tearing at the seams. A yard of 44-inch-wide muslin is enough to make a single round form up to about 20 inches in diameter.

For stuffing, polyester fiberfill is the most widely available option and works beautifully. It’s lightweight, washable, and gives a consistently fluffy result. You’ll want somewhere between half a pound and a full pound depending on the size of your form and how firm you want it. If you prefer a more eco-conscious fill, you can use shredded foam, cotton batting, or even old t-shirts cut into small pieces.

You’ll also need a sewing machine (though hand-sewing is possible if you have patience), matching thread, fabric scissors or a rotary cutter, a cutting mat if you’re using a rotary cutter, pins or sewing clips, a fabric marker or tailor’s chalk, and a flexible measuring tape. A compass or a piece of string tied to a pencil will help you draw your circle templates accurately. An iron and ironing board are helpful but not strictly required.

Step 1: Measure and Cut Your Fabric Circles

The first step is figuring out your finished size and cutting your fabric accordingly.

Decide on the diameter of the pillow form you want. Common sizes for round throw pillows are 14 inches, 16 inches, 18 inches, and 20 inches. Keep in mind that your finished pillow form should be about one inch larger in diameter than the decorative cover you plan to put it in. This ensures the pillow looks full and plump rather than swimming loosely inside its cover. So if your pillow cover has a 16-inch opening, cut your form to be 17 inches across.

Once you know your finished diameter, add a half-inch seam allowance all the way around. This means your cut circle will be one inch larger in total diameter than your finished size. So for a finished 17-inch form, you’ll cut circles that are 18 inches in diameter.

To draw your circle, find the center point of your fabric and use a compass, a round object to trace, or the string-and-pencil method. For the string method, cut a piece of string that equals the radius of your desired cut circle (that’s half the diameter — so 9 inches for an 18-inch circle). Tie one end to a fabric marker and pin the other end to the center of your fabric. Pull the string taut and draw a complete circle around the center point, keeping the string at a consistent length throughout.

Cut two circles using this template. These will form the front and back of your pillow form. If you’re making a gusseted version (the kind with depth and dimension), you’ll also need to cut a long strip of fabric for the side panel, which you’ll handle in the next step. If you’re making a simpler flat version, you can skip the gusset and move straight to Step 3.

Take your time with the cutting. Precise circles make a significant difference in how cleanly the seams come together and how round your finished form looks. Cutting slowly with sharp scissors, following your marked line carefully, will pay off later.

Step 2: Cut and Prepare the Gusset Strip (For a Full Round Form)

This step applies if you want a pillow form with real depth — something that looks dimensional and full rather than pancake-flat. Skipping the gusset is a valid choice for decorative, bohemian-style pillows, but if you want something that resembles a commercially made round pillow insert, the gusset is what makes it happen.

The gusset is simply a long rectangular strip of fabric that runs along the outer edge of your pillow, connecting the front circle to the back circle and creating the side walls.

To figure out the length of your gusset strip, calculate the circumference of your circles. The formula is Pi multiplied by the diameter. So for an 18-inch circle, the circumference is approximately 3.14 times 18, which gives you about 56.5 inches. Add one inch to that total for seam allowances where the ends of the strip will join together, bringing your gusset strip length to roughly 57.5 inches.

For the width of the strip, decide how thick you want your finished pillow form to be. A standard round throw pillow is about 4 to 5 inches thick, so your gusset strip should be cut to that measurement plus one inch for seam allowances (half an inch on each long edge). For a 4-inch-thick pillow, cut your strip 5 inches wide.

If 57 inches is longer than your fabric piece allows in a single cut, no problem. Cut two or three shorter strips and sew them together end to end to reach your total length. Press those seams open with your iron so they lie flat.

Once your gusset strip is at the right length, sew the two short ends together with right sides facing to form a continuous loop. Press this seam open. Now you have a fabric ring that will wrap around the perimeter of your circles. Mark the strip into quarters using pins — place a pin at the seam, one directly opposite it, and one at each midpoint on either side. Do the same on both of your cut circles, marking the circle into four even sections. These quarter marks will help you ease the fabric evenly as you sew, preventing puckering or distortion.

Step 3: Sew the Pillow Form Together

This is where everything comes together. If you’re making the flat (no-gusset) version, skip to the second paragraph of this step.

For the gusseted version, start by pinning one of your fabric circles to one long edge of the gusset loop, right sides together. Match your quarter pins on the circle to the quarter pins on the gusset to ensure even distribution. Because you’re sewing a straight strip to a curved circle, you’ll need to ease the fabric as you go. Sew slowly, using a half-inch seam allowance, and stop frequently to adjust the fabric so neither piece is stretched or puckered. Clip small notches into the seam allowance of the gusset — cuts spaced about every inch around the curve — before sewing if you find the fabric is fighting you. These clips release tension and help the fabric curve smoothly.

After sewing the first circle to one edge of the gusset, attach the second circle to the other long edge of the gusset the same way, but leave an opening of about 6 to 8 inches unsewn. This gap is where you’ll insert the stuffing. Make sure your opening is positioned somewhere easy to reach — a flat spot on the gusset works well, or you can leave the opening along the back circle instead.

Backstitch at the beginning and end of all your seams to secure them, because these seams will be under pressure once the form is stuffed.

For the flat (no-gusset) version, simply pin your two circles together with right sides facing, sew around the perimeter with a half-inch seam allowance, and leave a 6-to-8-inch opening for stuffing. Clip notches into the curved seam allowance all the way around — this step is especially important here, because without notches, the seam will pull and the circle will look more like a polygon than a circle when turned right side out.

Once sewn, trim the seam allowance to about a quarter inch around the sewn portions, and clip notches at roughly one-inch intervals. This reduces bulk and allows the seam to curve smoothly. Turn the form right side out through your opening, using a finger or a blunt tool to push the seams out fully. Press gently with your iron if you’d like clean edges, though for an inner form this isn’t strictly necessary.

Step 4: Stuff and Close the Pillow Form

You’re in the home stretch. Now it’s time to fill your form and bring it to life.

Stuff the pillow form through the opening you left. Start with small handfuls of fiberfill rather than pushing in large clumps all at once. Working in small amounts lets you distribute the filling evenly and avoid lumps. Pay special attention to the edges and seams — these areas tend to look flat if you don’t work the fill into them deliberately. Reach your fingers inside and push filling toward the perimeter, then add more to the center.

The amount of stuffing you use depends entirely on your preference. For a firm, structured form that holds its shape well on a couch or chair, stuff it very full — the fabric should feel taut and spring back immediately when you press on it. For a softer, more casual pillow, use less stuffing. If you’re unsure, err on the side of more rather than less; you can always pull some out before you close it, but adding fill after the fact requires reopening the seam.

Once you’re satisfied with the firmness and shape, it’s time to close the opening. Fold the raw edges of the opening inward so they align with the surrounding seam allowance, and pin them in place. The cleanest way to close the opening is with a ladder stitch, also called a slip stitch or blind stitch. Thread a hand-sewing needle and knot the end. Working along the folded edges, insert the needle into one folded edge and bring it out a little further along, then cross to the opposite folded edge and repeat. When you pull the thread, the two sides draw together invisibly. Work along the entire opening this way, pulling the thread snug as you go, then knot it securely and bury the tail inside the pillow.

If you don’t want to hand-sew, you can close the opening with your sewing machine instead. Simply topstitch close to the folded edge. It won’t be invisible, but for a pillow form that lives inside a cover, it genuinely doesn’t matter.

Give your finished form a good fluffing — squeeze it, shake it, and pat it into shape. If your filling has shifted during sewing, spend a few seconds redistributing it by feel before sliding the form into its cover.

Tips for the Best Results

A few extra notes can make the difference between a form that looks homemade and one that looks like it came off a shelf.

Always cut your circles larger than you think you need. Seam allowances have a way of eating into your finished size, and a slightly too-large form is far better than one that rattles around inside its cover.

Use a walking foot on your sewing machine if you have one. It feeds the top and bottom layers of fabric through at the same rate, which is particularly helpful when sewing curved seams and helps prevent the puckering that can happen with a standard presser foot.

Don’t skip the notching step. Curved seams that haven’t been notched will pull and distort when turned right side out, and no amount of stuffing will fix that underlying tension. Notching takes two minutes and saves the shape of your entire pillow.

If you plan to make multiple round pillow forms in the same size, cut a reusable template out of cardboard or template plastic. Trace around it each time for perfectly consistent circles without re-measuring.

Consider the weight of your fill. Polyester fiberfill is light and easy to work with, but if you want a pillow that sits heavily and doesn’t slide off furniture easily, mixing in some cotton batting or even a small amount of weighted material can help.

Final Thoughts

Making your own round pillow form is one of those projects that teaches you something genuinely useful while also giving you a finished product you’ll actually be proud of. Once you’ve made one, the process becomes second nature, and you’ll find yourself reaching for this technique every time you want a round cushion in an unusual size or with a specific level of firmness that you just can’t find at the store.

The four steps — measuring and cutting your circles, preparing the gusset, sewing the form, and stuffing and closing it — are each simple enough on their own, and together they produce something that looks polished, professional, and completely custom. Whether you’re making a round pillow for a window seat, a meditation cushion, a floor pouf, or a decorative accent for a nursery, the process is the same, and the results speak for themselves.

So pull out your muslin, measure twice, cut once, and get stitching. Your perfect round pillow form is only a few hours away.