How to Make a Heart Pillow
Heart pillows make great gifts for a special friend or relative, especially on Valentine’s Day. They are not as easy to sew as a regular square pillow, but they are not too difficult. If you can sew a simple seam, you can sew a heart pillow. If you are good at drawing, you can design your own heart pillow pattern on a piece of cardboard. Alternatively, you can buy heart stencils or patterns at a craft-supply store. If you are handy with a sewing machine, you can make this pillow quite quickly. However, heart pillows don’t take long to make by hand. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Red or pink fabric
- Matching thread
- Sewing needle
- Pillow stuffing
- Stiff cardboard or heart stencils in two sizes (one slightly smaller than the other)
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Fabric chalk or fabric pen
- Ruler or tape measure
- Straight pins
Instructions
-
-
1
Draw a heart shape on a piece of stiff cardboard. Cut it out and trace the shape with a pencil or fabric chalk/pen onto your fabric. Or use a heart-shaped stencil from a craft store to trace a heart shape directly onto the fabric.
-
2
Draw a second, slightly smaller heart shape within the larger heart. Having two sizes, one within the other, will create a border for the seam. The border should be 1/4", at least. The line for the inner heart is the line upon which you will sew the stitches.
-
-
3
Cut along the lines of the outer, largest shape on both pieces of fabric. Then place them on top of each other with the edges matching. You will initially be sewing the pillow inside out, so both surfaces facing outward should be the surfaces you want on the inside.
-
4
Pin the two pieces of fabric together along the top two curves of the heart. Place pins at intervals all along the outer edges of the heart. Make sure your two pieces of cloth match up exactly.
-
5
Sew the pillow, starting at the center of the top two halves of the heart. Note that you will be sewing along the inner line, not the outer. As you sew together the top and sides of the heart, leave the bottom point open enough to fit your hand inside. This will be your opening for stuffing the pillow.After you turn the cloth right-side out, you are ready to start stuffing the pillow.
-
6
Push the first clumps of stuffing into the top curves of the heart pillow. Add more stuffing, making sure to fill out the entire top half that has already been sewn. Continue stuffing the pillow until you've reached the open end. Add a little extra stuffing to be pushed up after you've finished the sewing.
-
7
Sew the bottom area of the fabric to close the pillow. Make sure you've folded the seam in so that it will be consistent with the rest of the pillow. After you've sewn the final stitch, plump the pillow to evenly disperse the stuffing.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If fabric is creased, be sure to iron it before sewing
If you want to avoid using stick pins, buy fabric glue at a craft store. You can glue the outer edges in place before sewing.
For a pillow that will last longer, add whip stitches along the seam before turning the pillow right-side out. These stitches will reinforce the seam.
Fabric glue can be used in place of pins.
Don't be in too much of a hurry when hand-stitching: Stitches need to be even so that unsightly bunching does not occur.
