Seat Belt Pillows

I have been wanting to relearn how to sew for quite a while. Over Christmas break, a friend asked if I wanted to take lessons with her. That was exactly the push I needed. I went out and bought myself a machine and tried to teach myself all I could before we signed up for lessons. After making a doll dress, I took on this project. The finished product is extremely comfortable. 

I found the tutorial on this website: http://perfectlyimperfecthome.blogspot.com/2012/07/pinterest-seat-belt-pillow-tutorial.html

Start by cutting a standard pillowcase into three strips. Each strip will become one pillow. 

Take one strip and turn it inside out. 

 Stitch up the long side. (If you picked an end strip, that is all you need to do to have the three edges sewed up. If you are using the strip from the middle, you will have to sew both long sides.) 

Now, take the pillowcase strip and turn it right side out. Fill it with cotton stuffing. (This large bag fills about 7-8 pillows. 

Sew the end shut so the stuffing does not fall out. 

Here are the three pillows stuffed and sewed. 

The next step is to make covers for the pillows. The covers will attach to the seat belt. 

I got 3/4 of a yard of fabric for each one, but had a large strip of fabric leftover. 

For each pillow, you will need to cut two panels of fabric. (About 8 1/2 inches wide. Just lay one of the pillows down and make sure your fabric is long enough, leaving about 4-5 extra inches in length.) 

Cut four panels of fabric about 6 1/2 inches by 6 1/2 inches. These will become the tabs that will velcro around the seat belt. 

Fold each of the tabs and sew the two short ends. 

Lay one panel down, with the print facing up. Place the four tabs on the panel, making sure the long side of each tab that is not sewn is against the edges of the panel. Place the tabs so they are directly across from each other. 

Next, lay your second panel of fabric face down over top of the tabs and the first panel. Pin the sides together so they stay in place and sew the three layers together. You must also sew up one of the short ends. The other end should be left open so you can place the pillow in the cover. 

Turn the cover right side out. Your tabs should be sewn into place. The last step is to sew on some velcro strips. Cut the strips the size you want them to be and place them on the tabs as shown below. Sew the tabs in place. 

Put your pillow in the case, and you will be ready to attach to a seat belt. This pillow also works well for a lower back rest when you are sitting in a desk chair.