Boppy - Not Just for Nursing

I have found that in the last few months I’ve stopped crocheting. I wasn’t sure what was going on as I used to enjoy crocheting on the couch at night while watching TV. It keeps my hands busy and I can better justify the TV time to myself. So I was thinking about why I don’t reach for my crochet bag any longer and figured out that it’s just too painful. I get a stiff neck and my wrists hurt from the weight of the project. Part of this is due to the fact that I made my current project larger than the rest but it’s also because I wind up either bending my neck over to get closer to the work or lifting my hands up to bring them closer to my face. (Yes, someone already suggested new glasses!)

So I was thinking about possible solutions and then it hit me - what about a nursing pillow? That would provide a platform for me to rest the heavy project and it would wrap around the sides so I can rest my elbows as well. I asked the question to my facebook crafters groups and they all agreed it was a good idea so I ordered one on Amazon. I tried to find one that wasn’t so baby-themed (not that I can’t just sew another cover for it) and found that I liked the original Boppy brand best. So I bought a nice floral print. Well, it arrived and had the right level of height and fullness but it didn’t really wrap around the sides well as the opening isn’t made for fluffy girls like me. I kept it though and ordered another one to see if it would be better. That one didn’t open as much either. Then someone suggesting getting one with a belt. I looked around but didn’t see anything I liked. Then I thought, I could attach a belt myself!

So that’s what I did. I kept the original Boppy I ordered since it was the best starting point. I (nervously) seam-ripped into the cover and the actual pillow at the ends of the arms to create an opening. Then I took the pillow cover off and sewed that opening down to create a kind of buttonhole look. I was lucky that there was a natural seam at the point so there was extra material to sew back to hide any raw edges. Then I took some cotton webbing that was left from a previous project, cut it in two lengths and inserted those into the pillow seams and sewed them shut. Then I attached a backpack buckle to the ends. This way it is also adjustable.

And guess what? It worked like a charm! Now I can get back to enjoying crochet again!