A tutorial for a universal body pillow: cut 8 pieces (4 for the outer fabric and 4 for the liner), sew the halves together, leave space for a zipper and an opening for the filling, add ties for adjusting the shape, and stuff the pillow loosely.
Beginner2 hr 30 minFree
Translated
Things you will learn
A body pillow like this helps you comfortably support a growing belly during pregnancy, an already-born baby, and — after all a mom's daily care — a tired back too.
The pillow ends up about 1.8 m long; when cutting, you can follow these patterns or draw your own freeform curve.
You'll need to cut 8 pieces: 4 "half-banana" pieces for the outer fabric and 4 for the inner liner; after sewing the halves together, steam and finish the seams.
Leave space for a zipper in the outer curve (for the main fabric), and an unsewn section in the liner for loading the filling; it's a good idea to stitch a pair of ties right into the main seam — one pair at the very edge, and another about 20 cm higher up.
In the classic position, the ties are tucked into compact bows; use the upper or lower tie level to change the pillow's shape. You'll need a 1.7 m length of fabric (at 1.5 m width), and stuff the pillow loosely so it folds in half easily.
What you'll get
You'll get a universal body pillow about 1.8 m long — with a zipper, a removable liner, and ties for adjusting its shape, for comfort during pregnancy, nursing, and relaxing.
Materials and tools
Materials
Fabric for the outer piece, 1.7 m length at 1.5 m fabric width
Fabric for the inner liner
A zipper, for the outer piece
Tape or ribbon for the ties, 2 pairs
Filling, stuff loosely, so the pillow folds in half easily
Tools
Sewing machine
A serger, or an overlock stitch on your machine
Iron, for steaming the seams
Scissors
See how versatile the pillow is
You can use a body pillow like this beyond just pregnancy.
See how the pillow gets used
After the recent topic about a "pregnancy" pillow, I wanted to share the idea for a more universal design too. It helps you comfortably support not just a growing belly, but an already-born baby too.
A woman with the body pillowAn infant on the pillowA child on the pillow
Use the pillow for relaxing
The pillow comes in handy after all a mom's daily care, too.
Support a tired back
And after all a mom's daily care — a tired back at the end of the day too.
A woman sitting with the pillow
Decide on the pattern
The pillow's length and curve shape.
Review the pillow pattern
The pillow ends up about 1.8 m long. When cutting it, you can follow these patterns, or draw your own freeform curve — see the photos.
The pattern with dimensionsThe piece layout diagram
Cut the pieces
You'll need 8 pieces for the outer fabric and the liner.
Cut 8 pieces and sew the halves together
You'll need to cut 8 pieces: 4 "half-banana" pieces for the outer fabric and 4 for the inner liner. After sewing the halves together, steam and finish the seams.
The pattern outline on fabricAn oval liner pieceThe fabric pieces, close-up
Leave space for the zipper and an opening for the filling
Plan ahead for loading the filling and washing the pillow.
Leave space for the zipper and an unsewn section
Leave space for a zipper in the outer curve (for the main fabric), and an unsewn section in the liner — for loading the filling.
A piece with the zipper sewn inThe inner seam of the liner
Add the ties
It's best to stitch the ties right into the main seam.
Stitch a pair of ties into the main seam
I really recommend planning for a pair of ties from the start: for reliability, it's best to stitch them right into the main seam. Place one pair of ties right at the edge, and another about 20 cm higher up.
A piece with ties
Tie the ties into bows
In the classic position, the ties are tucked into compact bows.
Tie compact bows in the classic position
In the classic position, we tuck the ties into compact bows.
The sewn pillow, unfilled
Change the pillow's shape if needed
Use a different tie level for a different shape.
Use the upper or lower tie level
If you need to change the pillow's shape, use the upper or lower tie level.
The pillow with ties at the endsThe pillow with the zipper open
Finish and variations
Finish
Your universal body pillow is ready
For fabric, you'll need a 1.7 m length at 1.5 m width. And one important note about the filling: stuff the pillow loosely so it folds in half easily. Wishing everyone cozy evenings at home!
Variations
Draw your own curve
When cutting, you can follow the given patterns, or draw your own freeform curve.
Use two tie levels
Place one pair of ties right at the edge, and another about 20 cm higher up, so you can change the pillow's shape.
After stuffing, the pillow is hard to fold in half, or doesn't hold its shape as well as expected.
Likely cause
The filling was packed in too tightly.
How to fix it
Stuff the pillow loosely — this matters for letting it fold in half easily and take the shape you want.
The ties don't hold the shape
Problem
After tying the bows, the pillow straightens back out or doesn't hold the shape you chose.
Likely cause
The ties were sewn on separately instead of being stitched into the main seam, making them less secure.
How to fix it
Stitch the ties right into the main seam, as recommended in the tutorial — this makes them hold much more securely.
The filling opening is awkward to access
Problem
After sewing, the unsewn section of the liner is hard to find or use for adding filling.
Likely cause
The unsewn section was left too small, or in an awkward spot on the curve.
How to fix it
Leave a wide enough unsewn section in the liner, in a convenient spot on the curve, as described in the tutorial, so it's easy to load and adjust the filling.
?FAQ
What can you use a body pillow like this for?
To comfortably support a growing belly during pregnancy, an already-born baby, and a tired back at the end of the day.
How many pieces do you need to cut?
8 pieces: 4 for the outer fabric and 4 for the inner liner.
How much fabric do you need for the pillow?
A 1.7 m length at 1.5 m fabric width.
Where should you place the ties?
One pair right at the edge, another about 20 cm higher up.
How should you stuff the pillow?
Loosely, so it folds in half easily.
Your project
Log in to track your project, attach photos, and publish your result into the shared feed.
Funny you mention it, I wanted to write about buckwheat husks myself )) If you're sewing the pillow specifically as a massage roll for your lower back, there's nothing better you could come up with 👍 The price of the husks is actually pretty low (300 UAH/ton or so), but no one will sell it to you by the kilogram — that's the problem. We came into that kind of treasure completely by accident )) We were driving through buckwheat fields after vacation, stopped for a snack, met the farmer who owned the land, got talkiShow full quoteCollapse
Funny you mention it, I wanted to write about buckwheat husks myself )) If you're sewing the pillow specifically as a massage roll for your lower back, there's nothing better you could come up with 👍 The price of the husks is actually pretty low (300 UAH/ton or so), but no one will sell it to you by the kilogram — that's the problem. We came into that kind of treasure completely by accident )) We were driving through buckwheat fields after vacation, stopped for a snack, met the farmer who owned the land, got talking. And we left with a little bag of precious buckwheat husks 🤭 Farmers are down-to-earth people, you can totally just ask for some as a gift or a trade 👍
As for cleaning the pillow: the top fabric has a zipper, so if needed you unpick a small section of the liner, pour out the buckwheat, and send the fabric pieces to the wash. Then you just do the reverse — nothing complicated
That's exactly the funny part — buckwheat itself is sold in bulk. But you really did get lucky with that farmer, since even down-to-earth people have learned (and try really hard) to make money out of nothing, so any waste (that seems useless to us) actively gets put to use. But I do know that pillows with a filling like that are very, very good for little kids, so I think it's not worth cutting corners there.
For budget options, you can use scraps of soft knit fabric, but then there's the issue of the pillow being harder to clean afterward. The same goes for buckwheat husks (buckwheat hulls), but the price of that material isn't very appealing either.
Funny you mention it, I wanted to write about buckwheat husks myself )) If you're sewing the pillow specifically as a massage roll for your lower back, there's nothing better you could come up with 👍 The price of the husks is actually pretty low (300 UAH/ton or so), but no one will sell it to you by the kilogram — that's the problem. We came into that kind of treasure completely by accident )) We were driving through buckwheat fields after vacation, stopped for a snack, met the farmer who owned the land, got talking. And we left with a little bag of precious buckwheat husks 🤭 Farmers are down-to-earth people, you can totally just ask for some as a gift or a trade 👍 As for cleaning the pillow: the top fabric has a zipper, so if needed you unpick a small section of the liner, pour out the buckwheat, and send the fabric pieces to the wash. Then you just do the reverse — nothing complicated
Does anyone have good advice or experience to share about pillow fillings?
I got hooked on a relatively new filling that I really, really liked — bamboo fiber 👍 I found out about it from a friend who uses it for stuffing fabric and knitted toys. I'll say right away that the price isn't the most appealing )) A 250 g bag will cost you 85 UAH at best, sometimes more. But it's a completely natural material and holds its shape great. At the end of the day, we're not sewing pillows for just a week, so it's worth splurging a bit 😉
Beginner2 hr 30 minFree
Funny you mention it, I wanted to write about buckwheat husks myself )) If you're sewing the pillow specifically as a massage roll for your lower back, there's nothing better you could come up with 👍 The price of the husks is actually pretty low (300 UAH/ton or so), but no one will sell it to you by the kilogram — that's the problem. We came into that kind of treasure completely by accident )) We were driving through buckwheat fields after vacation, stopped for a snack, met the farmer who owned the land, got talkiShow full quoteCollapse