How to sew a body pillow from two pillows and how to sew a pillowcase

Finding a body pillow that suits your need is quite a daunting task that too if you are on a budget. Today I am going to show how you can make your own body pillow from two jumbo pillows that I got from Walmart. Before going into the tutorial, I have a news to share with you all,  We are expecting our first baby this June.(Woohoo!!) So, I was in a real need for a firm body pillow to avoid myself from turning too much while sleeping which resulted in today's post. Now, let's get to the making.

Materials Used:
Two jumbo pillows
Printed cotton for cover - 1 and 1/2 yard
Buttons - 8 (optional)
Sewing machine
Matching thread
Hand sewing needle
Fabric scissors
Straight pins
Iron

Step 1: Cut off one side of the pillow and remove the stuffing. Do this for both the pillows. Turn the pillow covers inside out and lay one over the other. Use pins secure all the layers together. Cut off the other side too.

Step 2: Trim one side of the pillow. If you feel the width is too much then trim some inches of fabric instead of just trimming the seams alone. The pillow I used were 20" in width. I trimmed 3 inches on the sides so the final pillow will be 16" in width plus one-inch seam allowance for the side seams.(17" in total). 

Step 3: Now join the pillow covers in the center. To do this, open the pillow covers and place them right sides facing each other with seams aligned at the center. Sew along the center with one-inch seam allowance. Open the seam allowance and Iron. Fold the seam allowance for half-an-inch on each side and Iron. Sew on each side to secure the allowance. Doing this way ensures the seam at the center lays flat when the pillow is stuffed. (I'm not sure if there is a particular name for this seam, if you know leave it in the comments below.)

Step 4: Fold the cover lengthwise with right sides facing each other and sew both the sides with half an inch seam allowance. Then sew width wise leaving a few inches gap for stuffing.I also sewed an extra zig zag stitch on all the sides. (shown below) Turn the whole cover inside out and stuff the pillow as desired. I wanted my pillow to be firm so I used all the stuffing that the two pillows had. 

Step 5: Sew a ladder/blind stitch using hand sewing needle and matching thread to close the gap after stuffing. The pillow is now ready!

How to sew a pillowcase:

Step 1: Measure and cut the fabric for the pillowcase. The final body pillow measured 50" in length and 16" in width. 

The measurements I used for pillowcase:

Length - 50"+ 3" +3" = 56"

Width - 16" + 16" + 1" = 33"

Step 2: Once the fabric is cut, fold the fabric lengthwise with right sides facing each other and sew along the side with half-an-inch seam allowance. 

Step 3: Fold one side of the pillowcase for half-an-inch and Iron. Then fold over for one-inch and iron again. Do this for both the sides. 

Step 4: Mark the spots for the buttons to go on the one-inch allowance and sew the buttons. 

Step 5: Now fold the 0.5" allowance and sew all the way around to secure the sides. 

Step 6: On the other side, mark the spots for the buttonhole and stitch the buttonholes. Repeat the same steps for the other side to complete the pillowcase. Stuff the pillow into your pillowcase and enjoy your sleep! 

I have used buttons as closure but if your machine doesn't have this feature you can swap it for velcro or snap buttons. Also, I came up with this design as I thought closing the pillowcase with seams on three sides will be difficult to put on and remove the case when necessary. By doing it this way, you can easily pull the pillow from another side and close it shut using the buttons.What do you think? 

The total cost for making the pillow and the cover comes to $17 (Two jumbo pillows - $8 and 1 1/2 yard fabric - $9, I had the matching thread, buttons, hand sewing needle already in my sewing kit. You can reduce the fabric cost more if you use 60% off coupon and shop for the sales) which I find is still less than the store bought cover and pillow. The body pillow you get at the stores are not this firmer and also the cover you get for another $10 or $12 is either big or difficult to put on, not in the print you want, etc you can keep adding to the list. So, for the amount I spent, I am happy that how this pillow turned out the way I want. 

If you or anybody who you know is expecting, this is a perfect gift you can make for yourself or for anybody who is expecting. If you think, this tutorial will help any of your family or friends, share with them using the social media icons on the left. Share what you think in the comments below. As always I am happy to hear from you. 

Other sewing projects you might like:

DIY Nursing Cover

DIY Nursing Pillow 

How to sew Bib - 2 ways