Making a Child's Handle Pillow

Craft: Child's Patchwork Pillow With Handle

R Barbara
Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 190 Posts

September 3, 2014

patchwork child's pillow with vertical one inch stripes of various 1930s reproduction fabric I wanted to make my own version of a craft posted here on Thriftyfun back in 2009, see the original project here: Handle Pillow

Rather than make a pillow form using the final fabric I chose to make a muslin form and then sew up a removable cover with the handle incorporated into the cover. Here is that project: Small Handmade Pillow Form. This is the result.

Supplies:

various cotton fabric scraps, I used left over 2 inch wide strips of 1930s reproduction fabric from the baby quilt I had made previously
paper or cardboard for making the templates
ruler
pencil
tape measure
pins
scissors
sewing machine
thread
pillow form

Steps:

I first sewed together, end to end, a variety of the 2 inch wide strips.

Next I began cutting and piecing together a rough rectangle that would need to be 6.5 x 8.5 inches (including seam allowances). I wanted my strips to run top to bottom rather than side to side, so I sewed the strips together that way.

building up the front cover piece by sewing together the strips

Once I had finished sewing together enough strips to make the front of the pillow cover, I pressed the seams on the wrong side and right side of the piece in preparation for cutting out the block.

Make a paper template 6.5 x 8.5 inches. You will use this to cut out the front piece for the pillow cover. I reused the same one I had made for the pillow form.

I laid the pieced block over the pillow form to make sure I liked the arrangement of strips. This is a step you can skip if not piecing your cover front.

Now pin the pattern/template on the block and cut out the pillow case front.

case front pattern pinned to fabric strip piece

At this point I decided to double stitch the strips together for greater strength.

Next make the template for your pillow back. I like the envelope style. I decided to have a 2 inch overlap and drew the pattern accordingly. Mine was 6.5 x 5.5.

Cut two pillow backs from your chosen fabric. I used two different fabrics to continue the patchy overall effect.

pattern on blue fabric for one back piece

Pin a 1/4 inch hem on one long side of each back piece. Sew.

sewing .25 inch hem on edge of back pieces

With right sides together pin and sew the two pillow back pieces to the ends of your pillow front along the 6.5 inch sides. Note: I double stitched these seams as well. They should overlap 2 inches in the center of the back.

front sewn to two back pieces along 6.5 inch sides

Now with right sides together you will begin sewing the top and bottom edges of the pillow back to the front. I lined up the 2 inch overlap and pinned it at the top and bottom, to itself. Then I pinned and sewed the bottom edge taking a 1/4 inch seam (double stitched).

measuring and pinning overlap of pillow case back

Before sewing the top edge you will need to make and place your handle. For the handle, I used a left over piece of the bias quilt binding from a quilt I made for my most recent grandson. I stitched along the open edge of the binding and then chose the section of color that I liked the best and cut a 10 inch piece to use for the handle.

Turn the pillow cover right side out temporarily to place the handle. The ends of the handle will be sewn into the top seam, so for this step the handle loop will be away from the edge of the cover. I measured in from the sides 1.5 inches for the placement of the handle. Pin the handle ends in the seam allowance of the front piece only, being careful not to catch the pillow back in your stitching, and sew forward and in reverse to attach.

Turn your cover inside out again. Making sure that the handle will not get caught in your final seam, pin and stitch the top edge of the cover. Clip the corners.