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What you need:- a piece of plywood, 1/4 or 3/8 inch thick, cut in a circle the size you want your finished pillow to be.
- a wool blanket, washed hot and dried in the tumble drier. Make sure the blanket is in fact 100% wool - acrylic or cotton blankets just don't work. Check the local thrift shops, I have been able to buy some locally for under $8 each, and one even for $2.00!!
- a piece of strong cotton material about 8 inches larger than the plywood.
- a piece of "nice" cotton material to use for a cover.
- some thumbtacks
- staplegun and staples; if you use 3/8 inch plywood, use 3/8 inch staples.
- scissors
- a piece of posterboard, slightly smaller than the plywood.
- glue.What you do:
- Find a friend who also wants to make a pillow, and have her collect the same materials, although you can share the scissors, thumbtacks and staplegun.
- Cut circles from the blanket, the first one about two inches larger in diameter than the plywood. If you like a strongly domed pillow, cut each next circle about an inch smaller in diameter, if you like a more gently sloping pillow, go for two inches diameter smaller, and for "almost flat" even three or more inches. The smallest circle would be about 4" diameter. Say that your plywood is 20" diameter, your wool circles would be 22, 20, 17, 14, 11, 8, 5 and 3 inches for the flat; 22, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, and 4 inches for the "gentle slope"; 22, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, etc. for the "steep dome". The thickness of your blanket also plays a role, a thicker blanket will make a steeper slope than a thinner one with the same circle sizes. After you've cut your varying sizes, cut some more circles the same size as the plywood board.
- On a flat surface, spread your strong cotton, the circles of blanketing, largest one first - try and center them as best as possible - and finally the plywood.
- While one person pushes down the plywood, the other one should pull the fabric around and fasten with the thumbtacks: on the straight grain first, then on the diagonal. Really pull the fabric tight. The largest wool circle should form a nice padding around the edge of the plywood and help prevent the sharp edge from wearing through the covering fabrics.
- Turn the whole thing over, and with your hands, smooth the fabric from the center to the edges.
- Turn back, and removing one thumbtack at a time, pull the fabric tighter and replace the thumbtack.
- Repeat the last two steps several times, till you are satisfied that you cannot pull the fabric any tighter.
- On the last round of pulling replace the thumbtacks with staples.
- Pull the fabric between the staples (there should be 8, 4 on the straight grain, 4 on the diagonal), and also fasten with staples. If your stapler, like mine, "kicks back", use a small hammer to drive each staple home.
- Once your are satisfied that the fabric is as tight as it will go, and is sufficiently fastened with staples, cut of the excess fabric on the back.
- Cut a piece of your "nice" fabric, smooth it over the pillow and also staple to the backside. (To prevent the staples from to trying to pierce each other, put the staples to hold the strong material about 2 1/2 - 3 inches from the edge, the staples to hold the nice fabric about 4 inches from the edge.
- From posterboard, cut a circle about an inch smaller than the plywood; from the nice fabric a circle a bit bigger.
- Lay the fabric flat, right side down, place the posterboard circle on top, cut wedges out of the edge, and fold and glue the resulting flaps to the board.
- When the glue is dry, place this circle on the back of your pillow, wrong sides together, and staple together.- You're finished!
