The Ultimate Cozy Travel Pillow

Pretty much all of us have had a terrible travel experience. For me, the worst travels have been when I am stuck in the plane for hours, unable to sleep. This travel pillow helps to avoid that situation by providing comfort and relaxation.

This pillow includes:

A hood to allow for greater privacy, warmth, and darkness;

A small pocket to stow earplugs or other small items;

A comfortable and supportive neck pillow to assist in being able to doze off.

I hope that you make this pillow and enjoy using it! I certainly have!

For this project, you will need:

1. An old blanket, either single or double-layered
2. A hoodie to trace
3. A ruler
4. Stuffing
5. A permanent marker or fabric chalk
6. Wheat berries or other dry grain
7. Large sew-on snaps
8. Sewing pins
9. Sewing needles and thread

If you have a single-layered blanket, fold it so that you have two layers. If you have a double-layered blanket, just lay the blanket flat. Pin the two layers together to keep them from moving.

1. Draw a reference point on your blanket.
2. Make a mark seven inches from the reference point.
3. Continue making these marks 360 degrees around the original point.
4. Connect these points with your marker, creating a circle with a seven-inch radius.
5. At the reference point, draw a 1.5 inch line (0.75 inches on either side of the reference point).
6. Use your ruler to draw lines perpendicular to the 1.5 inch line, extending from either side of the 1.5-inch line as well as both sides of the circle.
7. Connect these lines using rounded strokes.
8. Cut out this shape (being sure to cut through both layers).
9. Pin the edges of the two layers together, leaving one edge (or "foot" of the neck pillow) unpinned. Sew along these pinned edges and turn the pillow right-side out.

11. With the sewn pillow right-side out, open the foot of the pillow that isn't sewn.

12. Stuff the pillow with a mixture of dry grain and stuffing. For a lighter pillow, use more stuffing. For a heavier pillow, use more grain. I used a gallon-sized bag of wheat berries, and this yielded a heavier-than-average pillow. I personally like this, as it feels very grounding, but it would not be ideal to take on plane rides.

13. Once the pillow feels like it is to your preference, pin the open edge closed, tucking in the material.

14. Sew this edge shut.

Great! Your neck pillow is done! Now, let's move on to the hood...

15. Place your hoodie on two layers of blanket, pinned together. Trace around the hoodie, starting three inches from the bottom of the hood and adding one inch around is outline. On the hood's opening, add three inches.

16. Cut out this shape, making sure to cut through both layers.

17. Pin the curved edge together. Pin each straight edge back 0.25 inches, making sure not to pin the layers together (the straight edges will be hemmed while the curved back of the hood will be sewn together).

18. Sew the curved edge together and hem the other edges. Turn the hood right-side out.

19. Align the snaps to your preference on the inside of one side of the hood's opening.

20. Use your marker to make marks as to where these snaps should be placed.

21. Sew the snaps onto their assigned place.

22. Close the hood and see where the snaps should be placed on the inside of the other side of the hood's opening. Use your marker to show where these snaps should be sewn.

23. Sew the snaps on the other side.

24. Place the hood where you would like it to be on the neck pillow. I aligned mine with the inner seam of the neck pillow. Pin the hood to the neck pillow.

25. Use a blanket stitch or a whip stitch (I used a blanket stitch) to attach the hood.

26. Flip your pillow over to see the connected hood!

27. On the two layers of blanket, draw a 3.5 inch by 5 inch square.

28. Cut one inch off of the longest side of the top blanket layer.

29. Pin and sew along the edges and turn the pocket right-side out.

30. Pin the pocket (with the longest side closest to you) against the side of the neck pillow.

31. Use a whip stitch or a blanket stitch to secure the pocket to the neck pillow.

Enjoy your new pillow! Go on that vacation, take that road trip, or endure that long plane ride. I can guarantee that the trip will be better with this pillow and some good sleep.