Pom-Pom Pillow
This takes pom-poms to a new level…
After completing my adorable Pooh pom-poms (you should check those out), I decided to see what other creations I could make with my newly purchased pom-pom maker.
I scoured Pinterest and found plenty of adorable pom-pom products to buy; several of which I would like to try and make. The days of those fuzzy pom-poms you used as a kid for school projects are no more!
Pom-poms have grown up! They have become classy, boujie, and whimsical. I’ll show you what I mean…
And then, I stumbled across the pom-pom pillow. This pom-pom pillow to be exact:
I had discovered my inspiration! I had a few changes to make in the color palette, but this was the project I wanted to tackle next!
I grabbed my handy pom-pom maker and got to work.
While I enjoyed making this project, I will caution those who wish to replicate it. This project is not for the faint of heart!
It requires a great deal of time, fiddling, trimming, fuzz, and some major hand pain! But if you’re willing to put in the effort, then this pillow makes a killer talking piece!
Let me show you how I made it!
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List of Supplies:
Makes: 1 pillow ***Some yarns provide more yardage in their skeins (rolls) so you may be able to get extra pom-poms out of a single skein.
Estimated Time: between 8-10 hours depending on how fast you work.
Sewing skills needed/used: straight stitch, hand sewing, making an envelope pillowcase
Skill Level: Beginner to intermediate. Parts of this project are kid-friendly.
Items you need:
Yarn (a list of all the yarns I used for this project can be found below)
An old pillow or new pillow form (I used a 12” x 17” pillow)
Fabric to create a cover for the pillow (I used under. 1/2 yard)
Fusible fleece or thick felt for the front of your pillow cover to help with the weight of the pom-poms
Needle and thread
Making the pillow…
Step 1:
Make the pom-poms.
To do this, I used three skeins of yarn plus some additional for the center Pooh.
I used Big Twist yarn in the color white (380 yds), Bernat Blanket yarn in the color vintage white (220 yds), K+C Smooth lightweight yarn in the color beige (213 yds), and Red Heart yarn in the color saffron (364 yds).
*If you need a step-by-step guide on how to make pom-poms, then check out my tutorial here.
Step 2:
Make an envelope pillowcase cover.
To do this, I cut out a 13” x 23” piece of fabric which will be the back panels of the pillowcase. Then, I cut it down the middle.
This allowed me to have enough material to play around with hems and overlapping for the closure.
*If you have a pillowcase you already own, you can skip this step.
Then, I cut out a piece of fabric for the front panel of the pillowcase measuring 13” x 18”.
This allows me to have a 1/2” seam allowance.
I also cut out a piece of fusible fleece to with the same dimensions as the front panel of the pillowcase.
Hem the two back panels.
I ended up using 1/2” rolled hems.
***I decided I wanted the arrow fabric for the back and the white for the front after I took the original pictures.
Line up your pieces.
I overlapped my hemmed back pieces by roughly 2 1/2”.
The pictured side is folded back by 2” while the other side was folded back roughly 2 1/2”.
Straight stich along the perimeter using a 1/2” seam allowance.
I backstitched the places where the two back panels overlapped to help with the strain on the seam.
Clip your corners and turn your pillowcase inside out.
Step 3:
Stitch the pom-poms to the pillowcase.
To do this, I essentially created tiny boxes or X’s (whichever you prefer) to anchor my pom-poms to the pillow.
I’m going to use this chart to explain my needle movement.
I started with my knot on the inside of the pillowcase, came up through the fabric at point 1.
I left a 1” - 1 1/2” gap (depending on how big the pom-pom was) and dropped my needle down through point 4. **I did not pull the thread taught. I left it loose enough to insert the pom-pom.
Then, I brought my needle back up through the fabric at point 2. At this point, I inserted my pom-pom and pulled the thread taught before dropping my needle back down through point 3.
After dropping my needle back through the final point, I pulled the thread taught and secured the pom-pom in place with a double knot.
I did this with EACH pom-pom. At first, I tried to secure 2-3 pom-poms at a time on a single thread, but I found that they loosened with each new pom-pom.
Each pom-pom was placed to check for visual interest and proximity to the next.
This process took the most amount of time aside from making the pom-poms.
This is another pom-pom pillow that I made for my daughter. She chose yarn of the same weight and I only varied three sizes of pom-poms vs four in the Pooh pillow.
Once you secure all the pom-poms down,
That’s it!
Hot Tips
In order to make my pom-poms full and fluffy, I overwrapped the pom-pom maker.
Bandaids may be required to protect your fingers as you pull the yarn tight. I placed mine around my pinky creases to avoid blisters.
I completed this project over the course of a week. I worked on making several pom-poms each night.
Have a bucket or small trash can handy for trimming your pom-poms.
I trimmed the pom-poms twice. Once after they were made, and again after they were attached to the pillow.
Fusible fleece or a thick piece of felt helps stabilize the pillowcase so it doesn’t warp.
Three sizes of pom-poms look aesthetically pleasing.
The thicker the yarn, the thicker the pom-pom.
Try the pillowcase on the pillow as you work. This allowed me to see gaps in my sewing that I had to fill with small pom-poms.
I used different textures and different weights of yarn to achieve a unique aesthetic.
Final Thoughts…
As I mentioned earlier, this project is not for the faint of heart! There is a reason people change a good deal of money for pom-pom crafts. It takes a lot of time and work to make them.
These pillows are a statement piece for sure! I have since had to make another one for my daughter.
These pillows are purely decorative. While I do think you could use them lightly, I would suggest they remain for decoration only.
I fell in love with the fully covered pom-pom pillow and knew I had to make one.
In the future, I would like to try and make one without fully covering a pillow.
For example, I think this project would look magical on an Up themed pillow. Replace the balloons with pom-poms and you get the idea!
I think this project could also work well with a shape in the center such as a heart or start even an initial!
I also had to end up using some material to make pom-pom like poufs to fill in my pillow because I ran out and needed to fill in some space. I adored the additional texture it added to the pillow. I would do this again with future pillows (if I make them).
I hope you feel inspired to make your own pillow or just purchase one and support a small business!
I really hope you enjoyed this make! If you did please consider subscribing to my newsletter, so you never miss a new project!
If you do make one, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram #darkkfluridesigns.
Happy crafting!
