Dream Big Pillow
For my New Years crochet project, I decided to design an inspirational pillow. “Dream Big” is my motto for 2020 and so I thought it would make the perfect pillow! I hope you like it!
Please share pictures with me on Instagram or Facebook. I love to see your creations!
My completed squares measure approximately 15″ by 15″
5 pixel squares= 3 inches
- H/5mm crochet hook
- tapestry needle
- 18″ x 18″ pillow insert (you want the insert to be larger than the pillow covers)
- pom pom maker
- hot melt adhesive
- Worsted weight yarn in white
- Yarn for Font Color. I used Lion Brand Mandala yarn in Draco. I loved working with this yarn but because it’s a #3 weight I would recommend using a worsted weight variegated yarn like Bernat Pop.
- copy of the Dream Big Pillow PDF
CLICK HERE to download the Dream Big Pillow PDF
Don’t know how to crochet a corner to corner (c2c) graph? Watch my two part YouTube tutorial where I show you step-by-step how to crochet my Dog Emoji graph!
Full Disclosure: when I made my pillow, I used a #3 weight yarn for the words “Dream Big” and a worsted weight yarn (#4) for the rest of the pillow. To make up for the size difference, I made double crochet bobble stitches (instead of hdc) when I was making a “font” square. I don’t recommend you do this. I think my pillow would have looked better with a worsted weight (#4) yarn and regular c2c squares (3 double crochet).
W= white
F= font color
Bottom right to top left.
Crochet the pixel graph using the corner-to-corner (c2c) technique. Use the method of making three half double crochets (hdc) for each square. I chained 5 to start each new row and I chained 2 at the beginning of each square.
WS= wrong side
RS= right side
→ Row 1 [WS]: W
← Row 2 [RS]: W2
→ Row 3 [WS]: W3
← Row 4 [RS]: W, F2, W
→ Row 5 [WS]: W, F3, W
← Row 6 [RS]: W, F, W2, F, W
→ Row 7 [WS]: W, F, W3, F, W
← Row 8 [RS]: W, F, W4, F, W
→ Row 9 [WS]: W, F, W5, F, W
← Row 10 [RS]: W2, F, W5, F, W
→ Row 11 [WS]: W2, F, W5, F, W2
← Row 12 [RS]: W3, F, W5, F, W2
→ Row 13 [WS]: W3, F, W4, F, W4
← Row 14 [RS]: W5, F, W3, F, W2, F, W
→ Row 15 [WS]: W2, F, W2, F, W2, F, W4, F, W
← Row 16 [RS]: W, F, W7, F, W2, F, W3
→ Row 17 [WS]: W4, F, W2, F, W6, F, W2
← Row 18 [RS]: W2, F, W6, F, W2, F, W2, F2, W
→ Row 19 [WS]: W, F3, W2, F, W2, F, W5, F, W3
← Row 20 [RS]: W2, F, W, F, W4, F, W2, F, W2, F, W2, F, W
→ Row 21 [WS]: W, F, W3, F, W2, F, W2, F, W3, F, W2, F, W2
← Row 22 [RS]: W2, F, W, F, W, F, W2, F, W2, F, W2, F, W4, F, W
→ Row 23 [WS]: W, F, W5, F, W2, F, W2, F3, W2, F, W, F, W2
← Row 24 [RS]: W2, F, W, F, W, F, W, F2, W2, F, W3, F, W5, F, W
→ Row 25 [WS]: W, F, W6, F2, W2, F, W5, F, W, F2, W3
Corner
← Row 26 [RS]: W3, F, W, F, W, F, W3, F, W2, F3, W5, F, W
→ Row 27 [WS]: W, F, W4, F, W2, F, W2, F, W2, F2, W, F2, W3
← Row 28 [RS]: W3, F, W, F, W, F, W, F, W2, F, W3, F, W3, F, W
→ Row 29 [WS]: W, F, W2, F, W4, F, W4, F3, W4
← Row 30 [RS]: W3, F, W, F, W, F, W2, F, W5, F, W, F, W
→ Row 31 [WS]: W, F2, W5, F, W2, F, W3, F, W3
← Row 32 [RS]: W3, F, W, F, W, F, W, F, W6, F, W
→ Row 33 [WS]: W, F, W5, F, W2, F3, W4
← Row 34 [RS]: W3, F, W, F, W3, F, W4, F, W
→ Row 35 [WS]: W, F, W3, F, W4, F2, W3
← Row 36 [RS]: W3, F, W3, F, W, F, W2, F, W
→ Row 37 [WS]: W, F, W, F, W2, F, W6
← Row 38 [RS]: W3, F, W, F, W, F, W, F2, W
→ Row 39 [WS]: W, F, W, F2, W, F2, W3
← Row 40 [RS]: W3, F, W, F, W, F, W2
→ Row 41 [WS]: W2, F, W, F, W4
← Row 42 [RS]: W3, F, W, F, W2
→ Row 43 [WS]: W2, F3, W2
← Row 44 [RS]: W, F, W, F, W2
→ Row 45 [WS]: W5
← Row 46 [RS]: W4
→ Row 47 [WS]: W3
← Row 48 [RS]: W2
→ Row 49 [WS]: W
Bottom left to top right.
Crochet the pixel graph using the corner-to-corner (c2c) technique. Use the method of making three half double crochets (hdc) for each square. I chained 5 to start each new row and I chained 2 at the beginning of each square.
WS= wrong side
RS= right side
→ Row 1 [WS]: W
← Row 2 [RS]: W2
→ Row 3 [WS]: W, F, W
← Row 4 [RS]: W, F2, W
→ Row 5 [WS]: W, F, W, F, W
← Row 6 [RS]: W, F, W2, F, W
→ Row 7 [WS]: W, F, W3, F, W
← Row 8 [RS]: W, F, W4, F, W
→ Row 9 [WS]: W, F, W5, F, W
← Row 10 [RS]: W, F, W6, F, W
→ Row 11 [WS]: W, F2, W5, F, W2
← Row 12 [RS]: W2, F, W5, F, W, F, W
→ Row 13 [WS]: W, F, W2, F, W4, F, W3
← Row 14 [RS]: W, F, W2, F, W3, F, W3, F, W
→ Row 15 [WS]: W, F, W4, F, W2, F, W2, F, W2
← Row 16 [RS]: W3, F, W2, F3, W5, F, W
→ Row 17 [WS]: W, F, W6, F2, W2, F, W4
← Row 18 [RS]: W, F2, W2, F, W3, F, W5, F, W2
→ Row 19 [WS]: W3, F, W5, F, W2, F, W2, F3, W
← Row 20 [RS]: W, F, W2, F, W2, F, W2, F, W4, F, W, F, W2
→ Row 21 [WS]: W2, F2, W, F, W3, F, W2, F, W2, F, W3, F, W
← Row 22 [RS]: W, F, W4, F, W2, F, W2, F, W2, F, W, F, W, F, W2
→ Row 23 [WS]: W2, F, W, F, W2, F3, W2, F, W2, F, W5, F, W
← Row 24 [RS]: W, F, W6, F, W2, F, W2, F2, W, F, W, F, W, F, W2
→ Row 25 [WS]: W3, F2, W, F, W5, F, W2, F, W6, F, W2
Corner
← Row 26 [RS]: W, F, W7, F, W2, F, W5, F, W, F, W3
→ Row 27 [WS]: W2, F, W, F, W5, F, W2, F, W2, F, W4, F, W
← Row 28 [RS]: W, F, W3, F, W3, F, W2, F, W, F, W3, F, W, F, W
→ Row 29 [WS]: W3, F, W2, F2, W3, F, W4, F, W2, F, W
← Row 30 [RS]: W, F3, W5, F, W2, F, W, F, W, F, W3
→ Row 31 [WS]: W4, F2, W4, F, W5, F2, W
← Row 32 [RS]: W8, F, W, F, W, F, W, F, W3
→ Row 33 [WS]: W3, F2, W, F2, W, F, W7
← Row 34 [RS]: W6, F, W, F, W, F, W, F, W3
→ Row 35 [WS]: W5, F2, W2, F, W5
← Row 36 [RS]: W4, F, W, F, W, F, W, F, W3
→ Row 37 [WS]: W3, F2, W, F, W2, F3, W
← Row 38 [RS]: W, F2, W, F, W, F, W, F, W3
→ Row 39 [WS]: W4, F, W, F, W4
← Row 40 [RS]: W2, F, W, F, W, F, W3
→ Row 41 [WS]: W3, F2, W, F, W2
← Row 42 [RS]: W2, F, W, F, W3
→ Row 43 [WS]: W3, F2, W2
← Row 44 [RS]: W2, F, W3
→ Row 45 [WS]: W5
← Row 46 [RS]: W4
→ Row 47 [WS]: W3
← Row 48 [RS]: W2
→ Row 49 [WS]: W
The back cover is a simple white square. Just crochet a c2c piece that is 25 x 25. If you want to use the chart or instructions above, you’ll do the same thing you did to make the front, except you won’t make any color changes. The back cover is solid white.
Follow these instructions for both the front and the back covers:
After completing the last square, continue crocheting around the border of your graph with your white yarn. In each corner you will work a (hdc-ch 2-hdc) and in the side of each square you will make two hdc.
Now that the front and back of your pillow are done, you need to sew them together.
Lay your pieces with the wrong sides facing each other (the right sides are facing out). Line up the half double crochet stitches from the borders that you made around each square.
Draw your tapestry needle and white yarn through the first stitches (make sure they are lined up!). Make sure you pull enough yarn through to stitch the border of the two squares together.
Draw your tapestry needle and white yarn through the next two stitches. Repeat this for each set of stitches all the way around (stop when you have sewn together three of the sides).
Now it’s time to insert your pillow insert. You will be sewing it closed so take the time to adjust the pillow insert now. Once you have it adjusted, continue sewing the pillow shut.
Make 4.
Photos are from my Santa Hat pattern.
Firmly and evenly wind your yarn around each set of arches. After the first set of arches, close them and then wind your yarn around the second set.
Cut the yarn between each set of arches.
Use a scrap piece of yarn to tie the pom pom in place. I recommend you double/triple knot it.
Carefully open the arches.
Use a hot melt adhesive to place a dab of glue in the center of the pom pom. This will help prevent it from unraveling.
Fluff your pom pom and trim any long ends.
Use a tapestry needle to attach your pom poms to the corners of your pillow.
Please share pictures with me on Instagram or Facebook. I love to see your creations!