Wooden storage boxes are a great way to store your outdoor accessories in a subtle and sophisticated ways. Often, these boxes can also double as benches, providing additional seating for your backyard. One of the best ways to add to the aesthetic appeal and comfort of your benches is by making your own custom pillows.

The pillow is one of the most basic items to sew, and even the novice seamstress can make one with ease. With a few materials and a little time, you can easily decorate your wooden storage boxes.

It is important to use a material that can withstand the outdoor weather and dries quickly. Ehow.com recommends you use a vinyl fabric, or to make a more cost-effective pillow, you can simply use a vinyl tablecloth. You can also use acrylic or polyester fabrics, depending on what feel or stiffness you desire.

The first step in pillow creation is to measure your wooden storage box to determine how large of a cushion you want to create. Then, add one inch and the depth of the pillow to the measurement. Carefully cut two pieces of fabric of this size.

Next, lay the two pieces of fabric together, with their right sides facing in. Pin along the sides of the vinyl, and begin to sew. Complete three sides and begin sewing the fourth side, leaving a hole large enough to fill the pillow with stuffing.

The next step in creating decorative pillows for your wooden storage boxes is filling it. There are several options from which you can choose to pad your pillow.

For a firmer cushion, use a poly fiber fill. This stuffing permits for excellent air circulation, which allows the pillow to dry faster. You can determine the firmness of your cushion by how much of this fiber you use.

You also can choose to fill the pillow with foam. Foam can be custom cut into the size of your cushion, and many companies create outdoor foam which dries quickly. However, foam stuffing is a less resilient option than the poly fiber fill.

Turn the fabric inside-out so that the right sides of the table cloth are both facing out. Fill your pillow to the desired firmness and thickness with your stuffing of choice. If you have old pillows you want to get rid of, you can recycle the filling by using it in your new cushions.

Once the cushion is full, finish it up by sewing the remaining opening by hand. Be sure to use tight, even stitches so that the pillow does not fall apart. Also, since these stitches will be on the outside, it is important that they be neat and aesthetically appealing.

These easy steps are all you need to do to create personalized cushions for your wooden storage boxes. By simply adding these pillows, you can take your outdoor storage from boring to interesting and completely unique. You don't need to be a master at sewing in order to create these cushions and help fashion and style your backyard.