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I've had good luck finding designer pillows discounted on bluefly.com.

i'm in nyc, and i went to a marshalls/home goods out in jersey or upstate ny...anyway, i was AMAZED at how many inexpensive decorative pillows there were. all extremely good quality, some designerish names, and all for around $20, sometimes $20/pair. and they were actually good looking! i can't even afford pillows at target, and yet i got a PAIR of 26x26 satiny green/blue designed thickass euro blahblah pillows for $19.99 :)

I know not everyone has sewing experience, but making pillows is really really easy. I had no sewing experience whatsoever, and I took an intro class at Stone Mountain Daughter in Berkeley... our project was a pillow. I was hesitant, but it was really straight forward. I've now made all new pillows and curtains from Sale fabric at the Crate n Barrel outlet and got to be super picky about the patterns and color that I brought into my space.

not to be rude, but who can afford a pillow for $150 or even $50 for that matter? I'm with kdkabbom! Marshalls, tJmax and believe it or not, Ross! If you dig, you can find some good stuff! also, Urban Outfitters has some cool ones for the upper end of "cheap" in my opinion/ for my pocketbook, etc.

I agree, I'd have trouble spending even $50 bucks on a pillow, even if I had it. I say get cheaper ones, and then you can also afford to swap them out frequently.

World Market often has nice pillows. And I've also had good luck at Marshall's.

If you'ore in Chicago, Crate & Barrell outlet!

I agree that making pillows is pretty easy too.

stet, do you stuff your handmade pillows with batting, or find pillow inserts somewhere? I like the idea of making my own.

Ikea sells square pillow inserts, as they also sell the pillow cases. Also try your local craft store, they generally have them as well.

sure doing yourself is more cost-efficient but not all of us are that crafty. I've been digging the dwell for target line (have 3 of them) and they really nice and afforable. I've gotten some gorgeous damask pillows from the restoration hardware and crate and barrel outlet.

I've had great luck finding nice pillows at the local Ross and TJ Maxx. If you have the patience, you're able to find the same name brand/designer stuff at a fraction of the cost. For waaaay less than $50!

I've made quite a few. If you have access to a sewing machine, it's a beginner-level project. I did score one beautiful silk pillow for $20 when Butter & Eggs closed, but most of my store-bought pillows are from Home Goods or Ikea.

You can make them out of napkins with pretty designs from Pier 1 or World Market. Napkins often have a border which will make a fancy pillow for cheap. Then you get a pillow stuffer and finish it off for CHEAP. Then you can change with the seasons since the napkins are like 5 bucks.

I used to buy mine at The Dock Downtown. They had the best prices on Thomas Paul pillows and slipcovered ones from Anthropologie. I misss that place...sob!

Now I go to...

Anthropologie at The Grove (their clearance section always has good finds)

Little Tokyo and Chinatown for pillow covers (and then Ikea for the cheap inserts)

Anna's Linens (the Linen Outlet on Crescent Heights and Third)

Z Gallerie

Bluefly.com

Overstock.com

I could never afford a $200 pillow, and I do think the idea of designer pillows is annoying, especially when some of the most expensive ones are mass produced in factories. I can't afford Room and Board's pillows ($100) either but I think they're gorgeous and I like that they're handmade by one company (Gilbraith and Paul).

LA has a large fabric district, and there's lots of stores that sell pillow inserts, as well as foam. You can also buy thrift store pillows, just for the forms, and recover.

I buy neutral blah pillows at TJ Maxx, Ross, Marshalls, Home Goods, etc. and then applique, embroider (big stitches) and fabric paint them with my colors/designs. Easy.

World Market, BB&B, Urban Outfitters...

palmetto, great suggestion about custom-painting pillows. what types of paints do you use though?

Etsy. It is the best, and not everyone sells theirs for $50 and over. I love:http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5836351
(drunkenseamstress.etsy.com)

Ugh ... I saw pillows at HomeGoods in Union NJ for $39 that I paid $250 for at ABC last year. Exact. Same. Pillows.

WOW. I have found some great pillows at:
-HomeGoods (they also have amazing accent pieces)
-Pottery Barn outlet
-World Market

I totally agree with Home Goods/Marshalls/TJ Maxx. I went MONTHS looking for pillows for my living room couch and one day I found the most perfect blue/white flocked pillows...$30 for the pair.

West Elm Actually has decent prices on their pillows. You can buy the inserts from them or somewhere else and just buy the covers. Since they sell the covers separately, you can easily switch them out when you get bored. They have sales on these frequently too.

Home Goods, TJ Maxx and Marshalls are also great spots.

I like the following places for pillows:

- Burlington Coat Factory (They're more than great coats!...)

- Ross
- Pier One (Clearance!!!)

you have to dig, but this site is fun:
http://www.newyorkpillowsanddrapes.com/pillows.php

they ship super fast as well

You can find inserts on line that cost only a few dollars each - I don't remember the site but it was REALLY easy to find, and they had different sizes and densities.

I'd look on eBay and on-line for tribal-type pillows.

$200 for a pillow is insane - and I CAN afford it.

I purchased some very expensive fabric on sale for a few dollars. Then Target for a few uncovered pillows. I paid my dry cleaner, who has a tailor on site to do the sewing. Total for each pillow: $25. They look great and puts these $200 pillows to shame. Trick is to resource the fabric. Online or if you live in NYC, there are discount fabric stores readily available.

i'm with alisong! crate and barrell outlet has some good finds sometimes for us chicago dwellers :)

Here's a tip for some of you DIYers...if you're in need of some good quality fabrics, check out your local furniture stores/design centers to see if they keep any of their discontinued fabric samples. I work for a furniture store that handles mainly custom order upholstery, and have come away with some great fabrics for myself!

I forgot to mention that most places will (& should) let you take those discontinued samples for free.

This place has a lot of pillow covers (insert separate):
http://www.stretchandcover.com/cart/home.php?cat=363

I think they are all $14.00 for the covers. That includes silk and crewel too. Then you can have a wardrobe of covers and use the same filler inserts. The covers will store nicely when not in use. Allowing you to change your accents whenever you want.

I also like Marshalls/Home Goods.

But, I sew, so even paying $25 for an accent pillow seems like a waste to me! I can get the pillow inserts dirt cheap at JoAnn Fabrics with one of their many coupons, and then scout out fabric in the clearance section. Sure it's more time consuming (not that much though - pillows are a snap), but you get a custom look for so much less!

@selena I use acrylic paints and a medium that sets it but leaves the fabric soft.

GAC900 is manufactured by Golden Artist Colours, Inc.
A white ‘acrylic polymer emulsion’ which you mix 1:1 with acrylic paints to create fabric paint.

You can set it with an iron. I've done it on velvet and cotton, not on silk. You could use stamps, too, or stencils.

I've had good luck buying pillows from http://www.imaginefabric.com. They sell the covers and I buy the pillow inserts at Ross.