How to Make a Floor Pillow With Batting

Turn a colorful beach towel into comfortable extra seating.

Extra seating is sometimes hard to come by in the living room, especially if you have kids that invite friends over. One simple answer is to invest in a collection of soft floor pillows. Stack them in a corner or closet until the crowd shows up, then strew them around at movie-watching time. Make simple pillows using a surprising fabric for the ultimate in kid-friendly seating.

Things You'll Need

• Beach towel
• Measuring tape
• Scissors
• Twin bed quilt batting
• Worsted weight yarn
• Size F crochet hook

Instructions

1. Fold the beach towel in half horizontally to create a double layer of square terrycloth fabric. Measure the folded towel in both directions. These measurements will be the size of your batting layers.

2. Open the quilt batting and unroll it on your work surface. Cut multiple squares of batting in the same size as your doubled beach towel. Cut the entire batting piece into as many squares as you can create.

3. Open up the folded towel. Layer the batting squares on top of one half of the towel. Keep the edges of the batting even. Fold the other half of the towel back in place when all the batting layers have been stacked.

4. Cut 6-inch strands of worsted weight yarn. The amount of yarn you need to cut depends on the size of your towel, but start with 100 pieces and add more when and if they're needed.

5. Hold the two layers of towel together. Push a size F crochet hook through both layers of the fabric right at one of the corners. Keep the hook just inside the hem of the towel.

6. Double one strand of yarn. Catch the center loop of the doubled strand with the hook end of the crochet hook. Pull the loop through the two layers of towel fabric until the loop and the two strand ends are about the same length.

7. Thread the two strands through the loop. Grasp the strands and pull, tightening the loop around the strands until the loop rests right against the edge of the towel. This completes your first fringe.

8. Place a second fringe about 1/2-inch away from the first. Continue adding fringes in this manner until you have finished the entire edge. Add fringes to the other two open edges in the same manner, then to the edge that contains a fold. You will have a closed pillow with fringe all around the outside edge.

Tips & Warnings

• Use inexpensive beach towels from a drugstore or dollar store. These have a looser weave than quality towels, and the crochet hook will pierce the fabric easier.