How to Upcycle a Hoodie Into a Cozy Travel Pillow

Does it ever seem like your kids grow out of clothes in a matter of months? Although I have a network of hand-me-down recipients among my siblings and friends, every once in a while my kids find it hard to let go of certain clothing items. Since we do a lot of road trips, I decided to put one of my son's favorite (too-small-for-him) hoodies to good use and whip up a travel pillow to keep him comfy on long drives.

Print and cut out two copies of the travel pillow template (get the free printable above) and tape together. Attach the 1's back to back to form a U-shaped pillow template (see step 5 below).

Cutting right below the seam line, remove the hood from a hooded pullover sweatshirt.

Cut the front area where the hood is connected.

Cut off the seam from the bottom of the hood.

Lay the pillow template on the front of the sweatshirt on top of the logo or design. I wanted the pockets to be part of the pillow, so I made sure a good portion of the bottom part of the template was over the pocket. Pin the template down. Cut through the front and back layers of the sweatshirt around the pattern, creating two pieces.

Lay the top piece of cushion fabric (with the pocket) pretty side up. Fold the hood in half and lay flat. Place the hood on the top cushion piece, lining up the back center of the hood to the center of the inner curve of the top of the cushion.

Open up the hood and pin the bottom of it to the inner curve of the cushion piece. Sew along the pinned edge, securing the hood to the top cushion piece.

Tuck the top of the hood under itself.

Lay the bottom cushion piece (right side down) on top and pin in place. Sew 1/2 inch seam allowance around the cushion, making sure not to sew the hood. As I sewed around the cushion, I lifted the seam periodically to make sure the hood was out of the way. Leave a two inch opening at the top of the cushion.

Turn the pillow right-side-out and stuff with polyester fiber fill.

Use a whipstitch to close the opening at the top shut.

The hoodie neck pillow has little pockets on both sides of the hood that are large enough to hold a cell phone or earbuds — perfect for traveling!