Upcycled Seat Belt Pillow

My 14 year-old is constantly falling asleep in the worst positions in the car. We travel a couple of times a month and this makes for some very uncomfortable sleep for him. Also, sometimes he even moves the belt completely out of the way, which is very unsafe.  In an effort to solve all of that, I thought a seat belt pillow would be ideal. It's just a long, skinny pillow with thin ties that tie on to the seat belt. The long ones I've seen have been running $25, but my version was free!

My son has a long-forgotten kid-size Snuggie that he's had for years. He has outgrown it, so I knew it would be the best material for this project—super soft fleece.

I used this tutorial for measurements and inspiration, but I did do the ties and stitching differently. 

I cut two 26-inch long by 6 inch-wide strips.

The tutorial has you use ribbons for the ties but I didn't have any that would work for this, so I decided to simply use the same material. I cut out an arm sleeve, making sure I kept the reinforced stitching band in tact at the bottom. This will be a stronger point in an area that will get pulled and tied.

I cut out six strips that were about and inch across and 9 inches long. I just laid my ruler down and cut at inch intervals. Notice how I kept the reinforced-stitched hem on the strips.

And here are all the pieces I needed, ready to go: 

I did not sew these like the tutorial stated, mainly because I don't have a sewing machine (yet, I hope). Instead, I did the more labor-intensive, but pretty blanket-stitch, by hand. With 2 babies, this took all morning, but I think I have become competent at it, which will help my embroidery projects. Three strands of yellow embroidery floss, pinned fabric, and my trusty pincushion later, and I was ready to go.

I left a pretty wide opening and, since I didn't have any batting, I used some from a decorative pillow that has lived in our closet for a long time.  Fleece scraps would work, as well.

Next, I blanket-stitched the pillow closed and stitched the ties on. I used a double overcast stitch so that these would be strong, and I made sure to use the hemmed edge I preserved at the point of stress.

All stuffed!

Example of the tie:

And the finished seat belt pillow:

I had to try it out, so here's me doing a test-run. Sorry about the washed-out picture; the sun is serious today! Nice and comfy.

This will be wrapped up and under the tree for Christmas. Not fancy or perfect, but I think this will be quite appreciated! If you are a better seamstress than I, you could totally give these as gifts to others. Merry Upcycling! :)