Try A Fun Craft: Here's How To DIY Those Trendy Knot Pillows

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Plushy, touchable knot pillows beg you to reach out and squeeze them. These popular accent pieces aren't too hard to find in stores, even for discount prices. However, making your own for pennies — or even for free if you use repurposed materials — is so much more satisfying. You can even pull off this project without picking up a needle. And, with the endless types of knots you can tie with a handmade fabric tube, your own creation can take on a plethora of shapes that you can either change on a whim or adjust with a few stitches to make it permanent.

Make your own with 1 1⁄2 yards of thin fabric that is at least 45 inches wide, scissors, a measuring tape, chalk or a fabric marker, a bag of polyester stuffing, and either a sewing machine or a hot glue gun with plenty of fabric-friendly glue. As a tip: Surebonder Fabric Hot Glue Sticks form a flexible bond for a no-sew DIY. To stuff the fabric tube, an empty cardboard wrapping paper tube (or a few paper towel tubes taped end to end) and a broom handle will come in handy.

A stuffed tube of lightweight fabric has plenty of slack for experimenting with different knots. However, if tying complicated knots sounds like guaranteed frustration, you can make a super-simple overhand knot pillow with a thicker stuffed fabric tube that is just as snuggly and cute. As you're sourcing fabric for your pillow, tee-shirt material, quilting fabric, thin fleece, or a lightweight velvet in solid colors are good fabric choices. However, repurposed clothing can also make striking knot pillows.

Fold your fabric in half lengthwise. Measure and cut four 8-inch-wide sections. Unfold the four strips, and stitch or glue the four into two longer strips at their narrow ends. Fold both strips lengthwise, and pin each one's edges into a long, narrow tube. Stitch or glue the tubes' edges together. To turn the tubes inside out more easily, grab a few safety pins, roll up one open end of a tube into a 2-inch roll, and pin it to hold the shape. Work the roll through the tube, turning the fabric around it inside out until the seam is now inside the tube.

Remove the pins, and slide the cardboard tube inside one end of the tube, scrunching as much of the cloth over the paper tube as you go; you probably won't be able to fit all of the fabric on the tube at one time, so fill one half of the fabric tube at a time. Repeat these steps with the second tube. Fold both raw edge ends of each tube inward. Hand stitch or glue the ends of the two separate tubes together. Stitch or glue the remaining two ends closed.

The fun part is here: tying your knots! Try a few arrangements out to see what you like best. Some of the most popular decorative knots for these pillows are Celtic knots, monkey's fists, or ocean plait mats. You can make a few discreet stitches to hold the shape in place, or go without so you can occasionally change the style and add a ton of visual interest to your decor.