I’m happy to report that, yesterday, I completed my first project that had no pattern or instructions.

My sister has an old bolster pillow that she uses to support her neck while she sleeps. If you’ve ever had neck or upper back problems, and have tried to find a good supportive pillow, you can appreciate how hard it is to find one that is really comfortable. So, she has this pillow that she loves, but the cover on it had become threadbare, and she asked me if I could make a replacement for her.

I started by taking the old cover apart, so that I could use it as a template.

I used some leftover fabric from Franken-skirt, to make a “test” cover.

I decided that I would make a “test” cover out of scrap fabric, before attempting to work with the fabric that my sister bought. Since I wasn’t sure in what order to assemble the pieces, nor the best way to attach the ends, I figured there might be some seam ripping involved. Happily, there wasn’t much.

The most difficult part was attaching the round end pieces. I’m sure there is a better way to do this, I just need to find out what it is.

I did this one with my eyes closed. Kidding. It just looks that way.

Here’s the finished cover!

From the outside, even the ends look good.

OMG! I made a lapped zipper!

I wasn’t sure how to install the zipper, so I took a skirt pattern that included a lapped zipper, and used the instructions to figure out how to get started. It required some improvisation, but everything worked perfectly.

Close up!

Here’s what the zipper looks like when it’s closed. Very inconspicuous. Almost makes up for what I did to Franken-skirt.

I’ve sent the cover off to my sister, and am just waiting to hear if it fits properly. Then, if all is well, I can start the “real” cover.