Sarah and I are planning a fabulous Mother/Daughter holiday next year to Paris so our mind is filled with travel related projects. I spotted travel pillow covers made by Anna over at Thimbelanna for her recent trip which inspired some new covers for our travel pillows.
The first cover I made was a craft fail. It fit the neck pillow perfectly but I forgot to take into consideration that the neck pillow is filled with polystyrene balls that mould to your neck and are nice and squidgy My well fitted cover did not allow the balls to move so it was as hard as a rock! Not want you want on a long haul flight. In hindsight, using a stretch fabric would have been better but I really wanted to use fabric that I already had in my stash. The next version worked so much better but is not as pretty due to the slightly baggy cover required. I think of it more as a pillow case for your neck pillow. At least the colour is better and it can be easily removed for laundering.
If you would like to make your own, here are some general instructions showing the process. You will need to check the size of your travel neck pillow and adjust accordingly. Our travel pillows are approximately 12 inches (from top to bottom) and 13 inches wide.
Materials:
- 2 fat quarters or 1/2 yard (0.5 m) of quilting cotton
- 5 inches of ribbon
- 10 inch (25 cm) zip
- 16 1/2 x 13 inches (pillow cover front)
- 16 1/2 x 9 inches (pillow cover back)
- 16 1/2 x 5 1/4 inches (pillow cover back)
6. Pin the front and back of the cover together with the right sides facing and the zipper opened. Position the pillow on top of the fabric. Squish it down as flat as you can whilst tracing around it, leaving 1/2 inch -1 inch clearance.
7. Fold the ribbon in half, and pin to the top of the pillow, between the two layers. Stitch around the traced outline. Pop the pillow inside the cover to check the fit. If you are satisfied with the fit, stitch around the outline a second time for reinforcement. Then trim away the excess fabric, leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Clip curves.
8. Turn the cover out the right way and press.
Looks good. I just bought a sewing machine but I haven’t even got it out of the box yet!
Your neck pillow is much better than mine! Love it!
Those are super cute Lisa — and I see you stuck with our red/aqua color scheme LOL!
What a simply way of doing that cover! Thanks!
Hey what a useful idea! Great work! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
http://craftanddecorate.blogspot.com/
Great idea! Nice and personalize travel pillows!
These are so cute. Enjoy using them!
Thanks for the tutorial My travel pillow definitely needs anew cover and this is just perfect
Hey Lisa & Sarah! We just wanted to let you know we thought this was such a fantastic idea that we will be posting about it on our Facebook page on Friday, November 9th!
You can check out the post tomorrow at this link: http://www.facebook.com/HobbyLobby
Hello, my name is Mary! I do like your pillow covers and I have an idea of cooperation with you. Drop me a line if you are interested – maryvenkova@rambler.ru
You are a genius . I made different and so much more difficult….
You are a genius . I made different and so much more difficult
Thanks Silvia! It is fun travelling with a unique pillow.
I didn’t see version 1, but why didn’t you put the zipper in the seam-just curious? Was it more difficult due to the shape of the pillow? I recently made foam covered chair cushions which required the seam on the curve around the back. I did that first before assembling the rest of the cushion so it was not difficult. It’s just that that pillow in that place looks awkward.
The travel pillow I covered was very “squishy” and it needed quite a bit of adjustment to get a good fit. It the cover fitted too well, there was no room for the pillow to bulge and you lost some of the comfort. (Hope that makes sense!). Also I wanted the zipper to be away from my neck as if the seam shifted position, it may rub during a long flight. I am sure it would work equally well in the seam.
Instead of sewing a cover for my neck pillow, I just purchased a pair of men’s tube socks. You may stitch the ends closed or just tie the ends with a piece of ribbon. Remove and launder when needed.
Fabulous idea Arcie! Thanks for sharing – will have to remember that for a cosy cover.
Thank you. I am going to make two for me and my husband. They will be very useful when we fly to Cancun in April.
Happy travels! Enjoy Cancun 🙂
Obrigada gostei muito irei fazer um
Love your idea! I had some fabric and a neck pillow that needed a cover. Didn’t have a zipper so used velcro tape instead of the zipper. Super easy, super cute and functional. Thanks!
Thank you so much for your wonderful idea and instructions! Your posting is truly life-changing!! My 99 yo mother uses a wheel chair, and a travel pillow helps her to sit comfortably for long periods. Having coverings that can be laundered separately from the pillow makes life MUCH easier! I’m now making them for other elderly friends. Thank you!!!!!