How to sew a reading pillow with a book pocket and handle

A reading pillow is a pillow cover with a deep pocket on the front for a book and a handle on top to carry it. To sew one, cut a front, a pocket and two back pieces, hem the pocket and the two back edges, baste the pocket and the handle to the front, then lay the two backs on top with their hems overlapping and sew all round. Turn it through the envelope opening and slide in a pillow form. The Sewzy Reading Pillow fits 12 x 16, 16 x 16 or 18 x 18 inch forms and takes 45 minutes to an hour.

TL;DR

• Sizes: Kid fits a 12 x 16 in lumbar form, Standard a 16 x 16 in form, Large an 18 x 18 in form.
• Fabric (45 in wide): ¾ yd Kid, 1 yd Standard, 1¼ yd Large, plus ¼ to ⅓ yd for a contrast pocket if you like.
• Closure: an envelope back. No zipper, no buttons.
• Extras: a carry handle and an optional pen and phone slot in the pocket.
• Time: 45 minutes to an hour. It is one of the easiest gifts you can sew.

Reading pillow sizes

Pick by the pillow form you have or want to buy. The cover is cut to the form size, so the pillow fills it plump. The ½ inch seam allowance is included.

What fabric is best?

A reading pillow gets carried around and leaned on, so use something sturdy: canvas, duck, home-dec cotton, corduroy, denim or a sturdy quilting cotton. A contrast fabric for the pocket makes it look finished. For a cozy winter version, try corduroy or a Christmas canvas. You also need ⅛ yard of medium fusible interfacing for the handle.

How to sew a reading pillow, step by step

These are the six steps of the pattern in short. If you have not printed a PDF pattern before, read how to print PDF sewing patterns first.

1. Cut. The front, pocket and back are half pieces, so put the marked edge on the fold. Cut 1 front, 1 pocket and 2 backs, and cut the handle strip by measurement. Interface the handle strip and mark the pocket line and handle marks on the front.
2. Hem. Fold the top edge of the pocket ½ inch, then 1¼ inches, press and topstitch. Hem the top edge of both back pieces the same way. These two hemmed edges overlap to make the envelope opening.
3. Add the pocket. Lay it on the front, both right side up, with the hem on the pocket line and the sides and bottom level. Baste ¼ inch from the edge. For a pen and phone slot, stitch a straight line 2½ inches in from one side.
4. Make the handle. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, right sides together, stitch, turn, press and topstitch both edges. Pin the ends to the top of the front at the handle marks, with the loop lying down over the pillow, and baste.
5. Assemble. With the front right side up, lay one back piece right side down at the top and the other at the bottom, hems overlapping in the middle. Sew all four sides with a ½ inch seam, backstitching over the handle ends. Clip the corners and zigzag the raw edges.
6. Finish. Turn the cover through the envelope opening, push out the corners, press and slide in the pillow form.

The envelope back is the same one used in how to sew an envelope pillow cover, and the free pillow cover calculator works out the pieces for other cushion sizes.

Ideas to make it special

• Lap desk: use a quilted or pre-quilted fabric for the front.
• Two pockets: add a second, shorter pocket on top of the first for glasses and a phone.
• A name: embroider or appliqué an initial on the pocket before you sew it on. See how to embroider letters and names.
• Quick handle: use 1¼ inch webbing instead of sewing a strap.

A gift for readers of every age

Put a book in the pocket and it is a whole gift: a Kid size with a picture book, or a Large one with a novel and a bookmark. The Elastic Bookmark takes about 10 minutes and fits right in the pocket. More ideas are in handmade Christmas gifts to sew and easy sewing projects for beginners. The Reading Pillow is a Premium pattern in the Sewzy app, with all three sizes and a photo for each step.

Care

Take out the pillow form, machine wash the cover cold, tumble low or air dry, and press.