Things You'll Need
Upholstery foam
Magic marker
Bread knife
Measuring tape
Cotton material
Scissors
Pins
Iron
Sewing machine
Thread
Needle
Sleeping is supposed to be relaxing and restful. A good 8 hours sleep is important to a healthy lifestyle and will stop you from making serious mistakes, like getting up on the wrong side of the bed. Unfortunately, some medical conditions, such as sleep apnea, acid reflux and snoring, can prevent you from getting up good night's sleep. Although snorers often don't hear their own snores, that sharp elbow in the ribs from your partner will disturb even the soundest sleeper. Wedge pillows can help prevent acid reflux and interrupted sleep cycles. It is easiest to make a pair of wedge pillows at one time.
Step 1
Determine what angle you wish your wedge pillow to be and measure the desired hypotenuse length. The hypotenuse length of a wedge pillow is usually either the distance from your waist to 3 inches above your head, or from beneath your shoulder blades to 3 inches above your head. Since the wedge pillow is a right-angled triangle you can use the right angle formula, the side of the bottom angle is equal to the length of the opposite side divided by the length of the hypotenuse, to decide what size of foam rectangle to start with. For example, a 32-inch waist-length pillow with a 9-degree angle will have a 5-inch opposite side and 31 1/2-inch adjacent side.
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Step 2
Measure and cut a cuboid of the upholstery foam 24 inches wide by your calculated length and height using the bread knife. For example, cut a 24-by-7-by-31 1/2-inch cuboid.
Step 3
Draw a line from one corner of the cuboid diagonally to the opposite corner of the cuboid. Draw the same line on the opposite side of the cuboid. Cut along the line to form a slanted wedge of the upholstery foam.
Step 4
Spread your cotton material on a flat work surface. Center the wedge on the material from side to side with the upright side of the wedge 4 inches from the back edge of the material. Fold the material around the narrow edge of the wedge, up over the hypotenuse and drape it down the back. Ensure there is plenty of material on both sides of the wedge to cover the sides of the wedge, much like wrapping a present.
Step 5
Overlap the material from underneath the wedge with the material you folded over the top of the wedge by several inches. Cut straight across the material letting the material overlap 2 inches to allow for a 1-inch seam.
Step 6
Remove the wedge of upholstery foam, check that the material is folded right sides together, and sew 1-inch seam across the material creating a tube. Turn the material right side out and slip the foam wedge back into the tube centering the seam on the vertical leg at the back of the wedge. Center the foam wedge in the tube.
Step 7
Pull the bottom material up against the side of the wedge and trim it even with the hypotenuse. Repeat for the other side of the cover. Fold the material from the top of the cover down over the wedge and trim the material even with the bottom of the wedge. Repeat for the other side of the cover.
Step 8
Grab the material on the back right-hand side of the tube and pull it forward, folding it against the foam wedge neatly, but not overly tight. Don't deform the wedge shape by pulling too hard. Fold the top material down over the right side and pin it to the material from the back.
Step 9
Fold over 1/2-inch of the bottom material and iron the fold flat. Pull the bottom material up on the right-hand side of the wedge and pin it to the top half of the material. Repeat for the other side.
Step 10
Hand stitch the bottom flap to the top flap of material on each side of the wedge using a whip stitch to complete the casing. Also, hand stitch the top and bottom flaps to the back flaps, remembering to remove the pin holding it in place.
Tip
Use an online calculator to simplify wedge dimension calculations. A cuboid is a 3-D rectangle similar to cube but where not all sides are equal.
Warning
Count the pins you use and make sure you have them all when finished; you don't want a pin lurking in your pillow. Use caution when operating the sewing machine. Never sew across pins; pause and remove them before continuing. Keep your fingers away from the presser foot when sewing.
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