Make your own bed pillows

The last time I purchased bed pillows was about 3 years ago.  I had found an $80 pillow with memory foam goodness that I wanted and it finally went on blitz sale on black friday for only $20.  I bought 5.  Sadly these pillows have already broken down.  If you head rests on them they go completely flat.  I do not recommend the isotonic brand sold at Belks.  A pillow should last more than 3 years.  Three years is the average life of a $10 polyfiberfil pillow.  I tend to be on the frugal size and dislike spending all that money on quality or what I thought was quality only to let me be disappointed.

So I had some red stripe pillow ticking and decided to make a bed pillow like I had when I was a little girl.  That pillow was awesome and I used it until I left the nest.  It was a pillow stuffed with latex foam pieces.  Indestructible against drool and vomit and completely washable.

So I had to make a trip to Joanns to get the foam.  Unfortunately they no longer sell latex scrap foam but they do sell this which is close.  This bag of foam was on sale for half price so I got two bags for the price of one, which for my pillow firmness is exactly what I needed.

To make your pillow you will measure your existing pillow and add 5/8 seam allowance for each seam.

My scrap of pillow ticking fabric I had purchased in a $20 bag of fabric from Goodwill about a year ago and held onto this piece of fabric just for the pillow making purpose.

Cut your pieces the desired dimensions.  I made my pillow with a gusset because I like my shoulder to be up against the pillow but not resting on it with plenty of neck support. Gusset pillows are more difficult to sew.  Make sure you mark your corners at 5/8 for applying your seam allowances.

Sew your pillow up and choose an end to leave an opening for stuffing.  Stuff your pillow.

 

If you notice on one end I have safety pinned it closed.  You can sleep on it a few nights and make sure your stuffing is just right.  I recommend then stitching the pillow closed with contrasting thread.  The contrasting thread will allow you to reopen the pillow and add more stuffing or remove because you will be able to see the stitches.  (My pillow as a youth had a zipper installed, and you could install a zipper).

And do not worry if you cannot get the corner of the gussets just right.  It will be tucked away in a pillow case for no one to see.  Sewing imperfections in this case are ok.  Just make sure where your corners come together there are no gaps for foam to leak out of as some of the pieces of foam are small.  I have $5 and some change in this pillow.  It will probably outlive all my other pillows and when I find it does go flat, I will reopen it up and remove the old foam and install new.

In the process of sewing this pillow I had to remove my current project off the table.  I am still quilting on the jelly roll wrong quilt.  I have it 45% quilted.  It is going remarkably fast.  My progress will allow me to post pictures very soon so keep checking back……..happy sewing!

 

 

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