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This crochet Santa pillow amuses me so much. It had a kind of strange inspiration but came together exactly how I imagined, and I had just the right amount of yarn to make it happen. I love crafty serendipity!
Santa Hat Pillow Inspiration
I was walking around the dollar store the other day looking for glass containers to use for a hand salve project I’m contemplating. I didn’t quite find what I was looking for, but as I was walking around I spotted this.
It’s a microfiber duster/mop cover that sells for $1.50. And because it’s white and fuzzy it immediately got me thinking about Santa Claus.
There is fluffy white yarn you can buy to make the bottom part of a Santa hat (I like Bernat Pipsqueak if you want to go that way). But it struck me that using this mop cover instead would be faster and less expensive, and it would make me laugh, which is always a good thing.
I happened to have about 200 yards of Red Heart Super Saver yarn in red, which I decided would go farthest (not to mention fastest) in crochet, so the crochet Santa pillow pattern was born. Any red medium/worsted weight yarn will do.
In addition to the yarn and mop cover (or white fluffy yarn of your choice) you’ll need a size I/5.5 mm crochet hook, scissors, a yarn needle, a sewing needle and white thread.
You’ll also need a 12 inch pillow form or to make your own. More on that below. A couple of big safety pins or fabric clips would also be helpful.
Gauge
Gauge is not super critical but you want your pillow cover to be about the same size as the mop cover (the fabric backing that I sewed my crochet piece to is about 11.5 inches/29.2 cm wide).
I got 12 stitches per 4 inches/10 cm.
Size
My finished crochet Santa pillow is about 11.5 inches wide and the crochet part was 22 inches/55.8 cm long. This along with the mop cover makes a pillow case that fits a roughly 12 inch/30.5 cm pillow.
Making the Crochet Santa Pillow
This crochet Santa pillow pattern really couldn’t be easier. It’s just a big rectangle of single crochet stitches that’s folded, stitched to itself and stitched to the mop cover. Slip a pillow inside before it’s done and you’re all set.
To make your pillow cover, chain 36.
Starting in the second chain from the hook, work a single crochet stitch in each chain, giving you 35 stitches.
Work single crochet in every stitch of every row until your piece measures around 22 inches/55.8 cm or your desired size. I was just about to run out of yarn so it was perfect with the about 200 yards of yarn I had available. Fasten off your last stitch.
Making the Pillow Form (Optional)
I liked the idea of only using things I already had in the house for this project (other than the mop cover of course) so I hastily made a pillow form out of an old pillowcase.
It’s stuffed with the fabric from my daughter’s old dust ruffle from her bed, as well as some old socks without mates and the rest of the pillowcase.
I love a good upcycle.
Use a 12 inch pillow form instead if you don’t want to make your own.
Finishing the Pillow
Fold your rectangle in half. I whip stitched one side together with the right/front sides of the pillow cover facing each other. Use the yarn for this if you have enough left over.
Then I flipped the cover right side out and used regular white sewing thread to sew the mop cover (folded in half) to the edges of the pillow cover, and then to itself along the short sides. Pinning the white part in place will make this a lot easier.
Sew to the fabric on the back of the cover and try to keep your stitches in a straight line along the crochet piece.
Finally I slid the pillow form into the cover and whip stitched the other side closed.
This crochet Santa pillow was a really fun, easy and fast project that will make me smile every time I see it. And it made a little space in my yarn stash, which is always a win.
