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How to Make a Neck Pillow

Neck pillows are often U-shaped to provide extra support and comfort for the head. They’re great for traveling, or for relaxing at home. You can find foam neck pillow forms in some fabric stores, or you can stuff the neck pillow with fiberfill stuffing for a soft pillow, or you can fill the pillow with rice to help it conform to the shape of your neck. You may want to make the neck pillow from cotton, or you may want to use a soft, slightly stretchy fabric such as fleece, microfiber or a t-shirt knit. You’ll need a piece of fabric that’s a little over twice as big as you want the finished neck pillow.

Things You'll Need

Fabric
Matching thread
Pencil, pen or chalk
Foam, stuffing or rice
Measuring tape
Scissors
Straight pins
Sewing machine
Hand sewing needle

Instructions

- 1
  Fold the fabric in half with the right sides together. Draw a U-shape that’s slightly bigger than you want the finished neck pillow to be, or download a free pattern from the website below. If you are using a foam U-shaped pillow, put the foam on top of the fabric and draw a line around it that’s about 2 inches bigger than the pillow all the way around.
- 2
  Cut out both layers of fabric and pin them together.
- 3
  Sew the layers of the neck pillow together, leaving an opening in the outer edge of the bottom of the U-shape. If you are using a foam pillow form, you’ll need to leave a large opening, while an opening that’s about 3 inches long will suffice for a stuffed pillow.
- 4
  Cut small slits in the seam allowance around the curved edges of the pillow, without cutting through the stitching. Clipping the curves will make it easier to turn the pillow right side out, and keep the edges smoother.
- 5
  Turn the neck pillow right side out. Insert the foam, or fill the neck pillow with fiberfill stuffing or rice.
- 6
  Turn the edges of the pillow opening under, so that the raw edges of the fabric are tucked inside the pillow, and pin them together.
- 7
  Hand sew the opening of the neck pillow together using a whip stitch.

Sewing