Sewing a Pillow from Leftover Fleece

Kids' fleece hats and cardigans inevitably pile up in a house with a growing child. Instead of throwing pieces like these out, you can turn them into room decor and sew a decorative pillow. If you like, you can make a rug the same way, but in that case you'll need a sturdy fabric for the base, denim for example.

Materials you'll need:

1. Fabric for the pillow — 2 pieces (a circle 40 cm in diameter).
2. Fleece scraps, not necessarily the same color — any unwanted pieces at least 10 cm will work.
3. Filling for the pillow.
4. Hot glue.

Cutting

Cut the top and bottom pieces from the main fabric. Cut the fleece into strips about a finger-width wide and roughly 10 cm long. Set the small pieces aside for the center.

We don't need to prepare the petal scraps in any special way beforehand. As you work, roll the fleece strips as shown in the photo.

Lay the "loops" fold-side down and stitch them along the outer circle. Then use strips of a second color — you can sew them on in a random mix too, and it still looks great.

Center

To fill the center, you'll need fleece scraps about 5 cm wide. Snip them with scissors so they fringe out.

Roll all the pieces into a "roll," securing them with hot glue. Fluff out the fringe — just shake the flower in your hands a bit to do this.

Sew the finished flower on by hand, filling the empty space in the center.

All that's left is to stitch the top and bottom of the pillow together, turn it right side out, and stuff it with filling. It's best to close the opening by hand with an invisible stitch.

For the rug, skip this last step, but to keep it from slipping, it's best to add a few drops of hot glue to the bottom side.