One of the things I really enjoy about my Etsy shop is when I get to work with customers on custom orders.

I received a conversation, which is the Etsy version of a text, from “Liz” wanting to know if I could make a European sham from a fabric I had in stock.

Of course, I would love to!

I wrote up the order and sent it to her and we then chatted about the flange of the sham. (Try and say that 10 times fast)

A standard Euro sham is 26 square inches with a flange, or border around the edge. Liz and I discussed if the finished size of the sham would be 24 or 26 inches.

She decided that she would like it to be a finished 26 inch center.

Part of her decision came from the fact that she was going to purchase a larger than 26 inch insert.

Many times people send me conversations wondering what size insert to use. A rule of thumb is to insert a pillow into the cover that is 2 inches larger than the cover. This gives the cover a nice full look and fills the corners out.

For example:

16×16″ cover should have a 18×18″ insert

18×18″ cover should have a 20×20″ insert

Now lets compare the look of a sham to the look of a pillow cover.

A Euro sham is the largest pillow and is placed closest to the headboard. The pillow on the right has a flange, 1″ sewn border vs. no flange on the pillow on the left.

I think it gives the pillow structure and definition.

What do you think?

Are you team flange or team no flange?

Do you like the look of a full/fat pillow or a softer/more loose pillow?

I’d love to hear from you,

Wendy