A Bit of Stitching

We are planning to check out apartments in Columbus tomorrow.  Mom will meet us and take Blake in the morning, so we can scoot around town more easily.  Today I remembered that I had promised her I would make her a buckwheat pillow.  I had enough leftover materials from the gift I made Terry for Christmas, so I pulled them out and, voila, a pillow!

These neck pillows are great, and cost upwards of $50 on-line.  I spent about $25 on supplies and made two!  Probably could have made it cheaper, if I could have found buckwheat hulls nearby.

I used moleskin fabric, and created a pattern by tracing around half of a neck pillow.   I added 1/2" around the outline for a seam allowance.  I used a fabric pen to transfer the outline to the fabric, then flipped the pattern and lined it up for a symmetrical u-shape.

With right sides together, sew a 4/8" seam allowance around edges.  Be sure to leave a 1 & 1/2" opening so the pillow can be filled later.

Sew a second, parallel seam for reinforcement.  I kept the left side of the footer on the previous seam as my guide.

Turn pillow inside out through the gap, and prepare to fill!

Use a funnel to pour in the lovely buckwheat hulls!  I purchased mine for $3.60/lb from http://www.save-on-crafts.com/buckwheat.html.  1 & 1/2 pounds is about right for a pillow this size.

I highly recommend finding an adorable little vacuumer for the mess you are definitely going to make!

Use a tight hand stitch to sew up the hole.

Ta Da!  Just as good as the expensive ones, and maybe even better!