babeegirl

I want to make 2 rectangular pillows roughly 12x20 inches for the bed. I'd like them to be very firm, but not poofy. They'll be used most likely for reading, but decorative and quilted to go in front of each king size pillow. What kind of center should I put in the pillows? Is there a special way to make them extra firm without cramming extra stuffing into them?

Stitching4Fun

Babee, I don't know if this will help you or not, but here goes. I make pillows for alot of people and they all have different requests. I do alot of upholstery work. If you get a piiece of foam, say 1-1/2 to 2" thick and put the batting around it that should make it firm. And since you don't want it to be poofy that will help keep that down.

cut the foam smaller then the cushion itself so you can put the batting all around it. A good way to cut foam is to use an electric knife.

The foam gives it the firmess and you still have the batting to make it soft. I hope this helps.

Barb

nor'easter

I would just get two pillow inserts (aka, pillow forms) and use those. It would be much easier and neater than trying to do something with loose stuffing, batting or foam. A standard lumbar form is 16x20 and is firm. Another standard size is 12x24, but remember that, in a pillow, 12 inches will appear much narrower due to the rounding of the surface. Might wind up looking a bit like a pencil! You can also get custom made sizes from some places online. Forms can be filled with down, polyfill, foam, or a combination of those, for varying degrees of firmness. Lots of places online to find them (I've gotten some great ones from The Company Store when they go on sale).

dojo36

i just go ahead and splurge and buy throw pillows at wal mart, then make a quilted cover to put it in and i fix it on the back side so u can unbutton it, take it off to be washed. here's front & back pic

Chele

I use firm, king-size pillows on my bed for watching tv and reading. It's easy to find pillowcases and/or shams for them. You can bolster them with your regular pillow if you need additional support.