Sewing instructions pregnancy cushion

I came up with the idea for this pillow when I was 7 months pregnant and a conventional side sleeper pillow was comfortable but didn't provide enough support for the tummy on the side, which led to back pain and uncomfortable pulling on the maternal ligaments at night.

Thanks to its wedge shape, this pillow offers optimum support for the tummy and at the same time adapts very well. This distributes the weight of the abdomen better and relieves pressure on the ligaments and muscles. An ideal gift for all expectant mothers!

But this cushion can also be used after pregnancy. As a small knee cushion, it prevents the hips from buckling in the side position, but it also makes a great neck cushion. And sewn with two different cute fabrics, it is also a real eye-catcher!

Materials required:

•     a 30 x 40 cm piece of non-elastic fabric (e.g. cotton) for the cushion areas
•     a 15 x 60 cm piece of non-elastic fabric (e.g. cotton) for the wedge
•     washable wadding (e.g. PowerFüll)
•     sewing machine
•     suitable sewing thread
•     scissors or rotary cutter
•     fabric chalk or fabric marker
•     possibly an iron for pre-ironing the fabrics

Cutting to size

First print out the free pattern, which is stored here. As different browsers unfortunately distort and downscale the images again and again, this is the simplest option. However, when printing, make sure that no scaling is set and that “No margins” is selected under “Margins”.

If everything fits, cut out the pattern pieces and transfer them to the respective fabrics. For the cushion area on side 1, the fabric is on the wrong side of the fold, for the wedge on side 2, it is on the bottom side. If, like me, you have chosen a pattern fabric for the cushion areas, you will also need to turn the pattern again for the second cushion side so that the pattern is facing in the same direction on both sides at the end.

Then cut out the three pieces with an additional seam allowance of your choice.

The edges of the pattern mark the seam line, which I always transfer to the pattern pieces with a trick marker to make sewing easier.

Now place the fabric wedge with the point on the marking for the wedge on the cushion surface, right sides facing. First pin both points to the markings, then pin the center of the wedge to the center of the cushion surface (the centers are easy to find as they show the crease from the fabric fold. Otherwise, you can also fold the piece of fabric briefly and mark the center with a pin).

Then distribute the remaining fabric of the wedge between the pins.

When everything is well distributed, sew the wedge to the cushion side along the red line. Use a straight stitch with a length of 2.5 mm for this (and for all other seams).

Tip: To ensure that the tips of the wedge are really beautiful, it is best to start a few millimeters further forward and carefully sew 2-3 backstitches until you are exactly at the start of the tip.

If you would like to attach a label, you can insert it between the two pieces of fabric so that the writing on the label faces the cushion side.

Next, unfold the pieces and attach the second side of the cushion to the cushion wedge, right sides facing. To do this, proceed in exactly the same way again.

Then sew the cushion wedge to the cushion side along the red line again.

Now we need to close the bottom section of the cushion. To do this, sew from gusset point to gusset point on the other side and leave a turning opening in the middle area.

Once everything is well sewn, turn the cushion once and check all the seams. Then trim the seam allowances, except in the area of the turning opening. I use pinking shears for this to prevent the fabric from fraying. If you don't have pinking shears, you should cut small triangles out of the seam allowance at the curves (especially at the “tails”) so that the fabric lies well after turning.

Finally, you only need to turn the cushion through the seam allowance and stuff it properly with wadding. The seam allowances at the turning opening are then folded inwards and closed with a mattress stitch. Alternatively, you can also close the turning opening with the sewing machine by topstitching the opening close to the edge.

Your pregnancy cushion is finished! :)

I hope you enjoyed the instructions and if you have any questions or problems, please write in the comments. I would of course also be delighted to receive positive feedback :)