This small, hourglass-shaped pillow, filled with buckwheat hulls, offers just the right amount of support for your neck while reading in bed. As stylist Cindy Treen advises, when buying buckwheat, perform a simple test to determine if the hulls are clean: Slide your hand into the container; if it's clean when you remove it, the hulls are suitable for use.

Tools and Materials
3/4 yard tightly woven fabric, such as strie taffeta
Buckwheat Neck Roll Template
Velcro
Buckwheat hulls
3/4-inch bias tape
Scissors
Pins

Neck Roll How-To
1. Download and print neck roll template. Using the template, cut out four "pillow" pattern pieces. Machine-sew the first two pieces together along the length of one side, from the top point to the bottom, leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Repeat for the second set of pieces.

2. Pin the right sides of the pieces together, matching the center seam, and sew around the perimeter of the pillow, leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Leave an opening at one end of the pillow between the center point and a side seam.

3. Turn the pillow right side out, fill it with hulls, and whipstitch it shut.

4. To make a sleeve for the pillow, use the "sleeve" template patterns to cut out two pieces of pattern A and three pieces of pattern B. With the straight sides at either end, pin the pieces, right sides together, in the order ABBBA. Sew the pieces together.

5. Cut two pieces of 3/4-inch bias tape to the length of the sides. Sew the bias and the sleeve side right sides together with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Turn the bias to the back side of the sleeve, turn the bias under 1/4 inch, and topstitch it down.

6. To finish the ends, cut one piece each of the hook and eye sides of Velcro the length of the ends. The circumference of the sleeve may vary, depending on how much you've stuffed your pillow. Adjust its length as necessary, leaving enough fabric to allow for the overlapping Velcro plus 1/4-inch seam allowance.

7. Fold down one end 1/4 inch toward the wrong side of the sleeve, and press. Lay one side of the Velcro on top of this 1/4-inch fold, and topstitch the Velcro down around all four sides. For the other end, fold down 1/4 inch toward the right side of the sleeve, and press. Lay the remaining piece of Velcro over the folded edge, and topstitch it down around all four sides.

Resources
Strie lining can be purchased from Calico Corners. A magnetic seam guide is available from Sew Fast Sew Easy.

Special Thanks
Special thanks to Cindy Treen for demonstrating this craft.