How to make a neck pillow

1. Materials & tools

Materials (standard size)

• Main fabric (fleece, terry or smooth jersey — something pleasant to touch) — about 50 cm × 80 cm
• Polyester stuffing — about 200 g, or expanded polystyrene microbeads
• Optional: lightweight cotton for an inner bag (if using beads)
• Thread

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Home” → “Neck pillow” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the outer radius, the inner radius and the gap that goes around the neck. Presets cover children, standard and large.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Trace the pattern
   Trace the pillow body. It has an outer curve, an inner curve and the gap that goes around your neck.
2. Cut the pieces
   Cut 2. With fleece, cut with just the tips of the scissors through the base fabric so the pile does not fly everywhere.
3. Finish the edges
   Not needed — it is turned right side out.
4. If you are using beads
   Cut 2 inner bag pieces from lightweight cotton using the same pattern. Never put beads straight into the pillow; bag them first.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew the two pieces together

1. Place the two pieces right sides together and sew all the way round, leaving a 10 cm opening somewhere inconspicuous on the outer curve.
2. Clip the seam allowance of the outer curve every 1 cm.
3. The inner curve — the side that rests against your neck — has the opposite problem: too much seam allowance. Cut small notches out of it every 1 cm. Which way the curve bends decides whether you clip or notch.
4. Backstitch at both ends of the neck gap, where the strain falls.

4-2. Turn it right side out

1. Turn it through the opening. It is a U, so pull one end through and then the other.
2. Push the inner curve out from the inside with an awl and shape it.
3. Do not press it. Heat flattens the pile of fleece and terry. Shaping it by hand is enough.

4-3. Fill it

1. With stuffing, tear off small pieces and feed them in from both ends. A chopstick pushes them right to the tips.
2. With beads, make the inner bag first, fill it, sew it firmly shut and then put it inside the pillow. Poured in loose, they escape through the tiniest gap in a seam, endlessly.
3. Fill it until it gives a little when you press it against your neck. Packed hard, it lifts your head instead of supporting it and you end up more tired.
4. Keep the two ends — the parts under your chin — a little less full so you can still turn your head.

4-4. Close the opening

1. Fold the opening seam allowances inside and close with ladder stitch.
2. Use a double thread and small stitches, and go round twice. The filling tugs at this seam every time it shifts.
3. Hide the knot inside.

✏️ If you use beads, always bag them first. Expanded polystyrene beads are as fine as sand and will pour out endlessly through the smallest gap in a seam. Once they start escaping there is no stopping them. The inner bag takes ten minutes; skipping it is something you will regret.

5. Tips & variations

• Make a separate cover: a slightly larger cover from the same pattern, closed with a zipper or hook-and-loop, means you can wash it. Your face touches this, so it is worth it.
• Do not overfill: a hard pillow pushes your head up and tires your neck. Just soft enough to compress is right.
• Mind the gap: too narrow and it will not go round your neck; too wide and it gives no support. About a third of your actual neck measurement is the guide.