Here’s the Best Way to Remove Tags from Decorative Pillows

Michele Debczak

The tags on decorative pillows don’t look great on your furniture, and they don’t feel great on your face when you lay down on them. But despite the myths you may have heard about mattress tags growing up, you can’t get in trouble for removing a piece of paper from something you already own. The only thing stopping you from de-tagging your pillows may be the fear of damaging the item during the procedure. Instead of hacking away at your pillows without a plan, follow these steps for successful tag removal. 

Attempting to rip the tag off with your hands could leave an unsightly hole in your pillow. According to SFGate, the simplest way to cut the tags off your throw pillows is with a pair of scissors. Pull the tag away from the pillow until it’s stretched tight, and use the scissors to cut the paper as close to the pillow as possible without tearing the fabric. This method leaves a small strip of material along the pillow’s seam. 

If removing most of the tag is good enough for you, you can stop here. To get rid of any signs that the tag was ever there, break out your sewing supplies. Take a seam ripper and cut the stitches attaching the remnants of the tag, taking care not to rip the fabric of the actual pillow. 

To close the hole you just created, sew it up with a running stitch. You can do this by pushing a needle with a knotted thread down through the material and up again, continuing the pattern every 1/16 to 1/8 inches until the seam is secure. Only opt for this method if you’re confident in your sewing abilities – or find a friend who’s more skilled in that department than you are to do it for you. You can also sew a slip stitch by looping the thread across the opening with the seam tucked inside, but this may not look as neat. 

Removing the tags from your newly-purchased items is almost as annoying as peeling off stubborn stickers. Here are the best ways to safely remove stickers from any surface.

1. Hold the tag taut with one hand. Nick the tag as close to the pillow seam as possible with a pair of sharp embroidery scissors, without damaging the fabric. Cut straight across the tag and remove it. If there is a second tag, hold it taut and cut it off. This removes most of the tags but leaves some evidence that they were attached to the seam.

2. Place your seam ripper under the stitches closest to the tags, if you wish to remove all evidence of them. Cut each stitch carefully along the seam. Tightly woven fabric is less prone to damage. If you are removing stitches from loosely woven textiles such as knits or chenilles, however, lift each stitch gently to confirm that no fabric is caught on the seam ripper before cutting the stitch. Remove the tags.

3. Sew the pillow closed using a running stitch. To begin a running stitch, thread the needle and knot the thread at the end. About 1/4 inch before the opening, push the needle through the fabric's thickness to the other side. Push the needle back through the fabric around 1/16 to 1/8 inch from the first push and continue this pattern until the pillow is closed up, to about 1/4 inch past the opening. Secure your hand-done seam by reinforcing the last stitch at least five times before cutting off the needle and thread.

Alternatively, you can close up the pillow using a less-tidy slip stitch, essentially sewing the opening closed by quickly looping the thread across the opening.