My mom loves to read at the breakfast table or when she's knitting. Newspapers are great for these times, but what about that novel you can't put down? That's where my book pillow comes in! This pillow allows you to read comfortably and hands free in almost any position and is great for people who want to do something with their hands while reading.

This can be made by hand or machine, and can easily be altered for a hardback or paperback reader.

Step 1: Materials

You will need:

About a yard of fabric. Really lightweight fabrics don't really work for this. I recommend medium to heavy cotton or a light canvas. You can use something like suede, but it makes the gathering step harder, and makes it necessary to use a machine.

Needle and thread (make sure your thread is strong)

Measuring tape

Chalk, or something to mark the fabric with

About two bags of pillow stuffing (not pillow forms, don't confuse the two)

Pins

Optional bookmark or large clip, like the ones used for office supplies

Step 2: Preparing Your Squares

On your fabric, measure out two squares. One square needs to be 26x26 and the other needs to be 22x22. Mark your squares in chalk and cut. If you don't want to mark them, you can cut the squares out of newspaper and pin them on the fabric, then cut carefully around them.

On the larger of the two squares, measure 6 inches in from the outside edges, and mark as shown in the pictures below. You'll end up with four rectangles. Then make four cuts, on each corner as shown below. Only cut along the line and 6 inches in. Please see the fourth picture for clarification, as this can be a little confusing.

I know the pictures below say 27in and 7in, I was wrong when I wrote those and made the correction later. Apologies.

Step 3: Making the Tubes

Fold each strip in half toward the middle and pin. Cut the excess fabric off the ends so that you have an even square again.

Step 4: Stuffing the Tubes

Stuff the pillow stuffing tightly into the tubes, you want them to be very solid, but leave about half an inch unstuffed on the end of each tube. Stuff the ends of each tube into the end of another tube, so that they form one big square. Pin them and sew carefully together as seen below.

Step 5: Preparing the Pyramid

Now that you're done with your tubes, set them aside and grab the smaller square you cut.

Sew a big X on your square so that when you stuff the pillow, it will become a pyramid and not just a big blob.

On each side of the smaller square, do a loose running stitch. Gather each side so that it is the length of one of the sides of the larger square. Your gathered square should fit into the larger one as shown before. Pin the gathered smaller square into the larger square with the tubes. Sew these together with small stitches close to the tubes. Leave an opening about the width of your hand on one of the sides so you can put the pillow stuffing in.

Step 6: Stuffing the Pyramid

Stuff the pyramid through the opening you left. Be sure to pack it full so it is very solid, and concentrate on making it have a point and not be too rounded.

Then sew the opening shut. This might be difficult because you stuffed the pillow so full, so take your time!

Step 7: Finishing Touches

Now is a great time to add your finishing touches.

You can add a bookmark at the top, or sew on a heavy duty clip to hold thick paperbacks in place.

Get creative, have fun, and happy mother's day!