Mar
Getting Your Yarn and Hook Sorted
So I made one of these heart pillows in February 2023 when my sister asked me to make something for her new apartment and honestly I just grabbed whatever bulky yarn I had lying around. I think it was Red Heart Super Saver in that really bright red color—the one that’s kind of scratchy at first but softens up after you wash it a few times. You’re gonna want about 400-500 yards depending on how big you make it, maybe more if you’re stuffing it really full.
For the hook I used a 6mm because that’s what felt right with that yarn weight. Some people get all precise about gauge but I just did a few chains and single crochets to see if the fabric was too loose or too tight. If you can see through the stitches when you hold it up to the light, go down a hook size because your stuffing will poke through later and look weird.
The Basic Heart Shape Strategy
Ok so here’s the thing about heart shapes—they’re basically two humps at the top and then it tapers down to a point. I didn’t use a written pattern because honestly those confuse me more than they help. I just crocheted two circles for the top parts and then figured out how to connect them and decrease down to the point.
Start with a magic ring if you know how to do that, or just chain 4 and join it into a circle. Then you’re doing increases in rounds to make a flat circle. I did something like:
- Round 1: 8 single crochet in the ring
- Round 2: 2 sc in each stitch around (16 total)
- Round 3: *1 sc, 2 sc in next stitch* repeat around (24 total)
- Round 4: *2 sc, 2 sc in next stitch* repeat around (32 total)
Keep going like that until your circle is about 4-5 inches across. Make two of these. They don’t have to be perfectly identical, nobody’s gonna measure them.
Joining the Two Humps
This part was annoying because I had to figure it out by just looking at the two circles and guessing where to connect them. Basically you want them to overlap slightly in the middle. I laid them flat on my coffee table and positioned them so they touched but also had a small gap between them—maybe like half an inch or so.
Then I started crocheting across the bottom of both circles to join them. You’re working along the edge of one circle, then when you get to where they meet, you crochet through both pieces at once for a few stitches, then continue along the other circle. Does that make sense? It’s hard to explain without showing you.
What annoyed me the most was that the join looked lumpy at first and I had to redo it twice because the heart looked lopsided. My cat kept sitting on the yarn while I was trying to work and I had to keep shooing her away which didn’t help my concentration.
Creating the Point at the Bottom
Once you have the top part connected, you’re basically crocheting in rounds or rows (I switched between both honestly) and decreasing to make it taper down. Every few rows or rounds, you skip a stitch or do a decrease stitch where you pull through two stitches at once.
I just eyeballed it. If it looked like it was getting pointy in the right way, I kept going. If it looked too wide still, I decreased more aggressively. You’re aiming for that classic heart point at the bottom.
The decreases I did were just the basic single crochet decrease—insert hook in first stitch and pull up a loop, insert hook in next stitch and pull up a loop, then yarn over and pull through all three loops on your hook. Some people call it sc2tog or invisible decrease or whatever but it’s all the same thing basically.
Front and Back Pieces
You gotta make two heart shapes total—one for the front and one for the back. I made the back piece exactly the same as the front because I’m lazy and didn’t want to think too hard about it. Some people make the back flat or do it in a different color but I just did two identical hearts.
Make sure you leave long tails when you finish each piece because you’ll need those for sewing them together later. I didn’t do this the first time and had to weave in new yarn which was a pain.
Sizing Considerations
My pillow ended up being about 14 inches tall and maybe 12 inches across at the widest part. That felt like a good size for a decorative pillow that you could actually use on a couch or bed. If you want it smaller for like a little Valentine decoration, just stop increasing your circles sooner—maybe at 3 inches across instead of 5.
For a bigger pillow you’d need way more yarn. I saw someone online who made one that was like 2 feet tall and she said she used almost 1000 yards of yarn which seems insane to me but whatever floats your boat.
Yarn Choices and Colors
I used Red Heart Super Saver like I mentioned but I’ve also seen people use Bernat Blanket yarn for a really plush thick pillow. That stuff is so soft and works up fast because it’s so bulky. I think Lion Brand Wool-Ease would work good too if you want something a little nicer than acrylic.
Color-wise obviously red and pink are the Valentine classics but I actually think a cream or light gray would look really nice and modern. Or you could do half red and half pink by switching colors halfway through—that might look cool but also might look weird, I haven’t tried it.
Don’t use thin yarn for this unless you want to be crocheting forever. I made that mistake once with a different project and it took weeks. Stick with bulky or at least worsted weight.
Joining the Front and Back
So once you have both heart pieces made, you’re gonna join them together. I just used a whip stitch with yarn and a tapestry needle. Line them up with wrong sides facing each other (so the “good” side is on the outside) and start sewing around the edge.
Some people crochet them together with single crochet stitches which looks nice but I find it makes the edge too thick and bulky. The whip stitch keeps it flatter. Just go in and out through the edge stitches of both pieces, pulling tight enough that there’s no gaps but not so tight that it puckers.
Start at the top of the heart in the dip between the two humps—that’s the least noticeable place to start and stop. Work your way around and leave about a 4-5 inch opening at the side for stuffing.
Stuffing Strategy
I used Poly-fil stuffing from Walmart, just the regular cheap stuff. You need more than you think you do. I probably used like half a bag for my medium-sized pillow. Really stuff it full especially in the point at the bottom and the curves at the top or it’ll look saggy and sad.
Push the stuffing into the corners and really pack it in there. I used the back end of my crochet hook to poke stuffing into the point because my fingers couldn’t reach. It’s gonna feel overstuffed and that’s good—it’ll settle and compress a bit over time.
One thing that frustrated me was getting the stuffing distributed evenly. It kept bunching up in some areas and leaving flat spots in others. I had to keep smooshing it around and adding more until it looked right. This took way longer than the actual crocheting honestly.
Closing It Up
Once it’s stuffed how you want it, just continue your whip stitch to close up that opening. Weave the yarn tail through some stitches to secure it and hide the end inside the pillow. Done.
If you want to get fancy you could add a button or bow or something but I just left mine plain.
Variations I’ve Seen
Some people add a border around the whole thing after it’s stuffed—like single crochet around the entire edge to give it a cleaner look. I tried this once and thought it looked too… I don’t know, too crafty? But it might look good in a contrasting color.
You could also make a granny square heart which would be a completely different construction method. Instead of crocheting circles and joining them, you’d make a bunch of granny squares and arrange them in a heart shape, then join them all together. I haven’t done this but I’ve seen pictures and it looks pretty cool, kind of retro.
Another variation is to make it more three-dimensional by adding a gusset—that’s a strip of crochet that goes around the edge between the front and back pieces to give it more depth. This makes it more like a real pillow shape instead of flat. To do this you’d crochet a long strip that’s maybe 3-4 inches wide and however long your heart perimeter is (you’d have to measure), then sew it between the front and back. More work but looks more professional.
Embellishments and Details
I was watching some baking show on Netflix when I was making mine and kept getting distracted so I didn’t add any embellishments but you could totally do embroidery on the front before you stuff it. Like a initial or “LOVE” or whatever. Just use embroidery floss and a tapestry needle.
Or you could crochet a smaller heart and sew it onto the front of the big heart. That might be cute for a layered look. Use a different color or texture of yarn for contrast.
Some people add lace trim or ribbon around the edge but that feels too grandma-ish to me. But if that’s your style go for it.
Fixing Common Problems
If your heart looks more like a blob than a heart, the problem is probably in how you shaped the top humps or decreased to the point. The humps need to be distinct and rounded, and the point needs to be actually pointy not rounded. You might need to decrease more aggressively or over a shorter distance to get that sharp angle at the bottom.
If it’s lopsided, that’s usually because one hump is bigger than the other or you decreased unevenly. You can try blocking it—wet it with water, pin it into the right shape on a towel or blocking board, and let it dry. This won’t fix huge differences but it can help with minor wonkiness.
If the stuffing shows through the stitches, your tension was too loose or you need to add a fabric lining inside. To line it, cut heart shapes out of cotton fabric slightly smaller than your crochet pieces, sew the fabric hearts together leaving an opening, turn right side out, stuff, close the opening, then put the whole thing inside your crochet cover before you sew it closed. This is extra work but makes it look way more professional.
Washing and Care
If you used acrylic yarn like Red Heart, you can throw it in the washing machine on gentle and tumble dry low. It’ll come out fine. I’ve washed mine a couple times because my cat likes to sleep on it and gets fur all over it.
If you used wool or a wool blend, hand wash it in cold water and lay flat to dry. Don’t wring it out or it’ll get misshapen.
The stuffing might get a little lumpy after washing. Just fluff it up with your hands and redistribute it if needed.
Time Investment
It took me probably 6-8 hours total to make mine? I wasn’t timing it but I worked on it over a couple evenings while watching TV. If you’re faster at crocheting or make a smaller one it could be less. If you’re a beginner it might take longer because you’re figuring things out as you go.
The actual crocheting of the two heart pieces was maybe 4-5 hours. The stuffing and sewing together was another couple hours, mostly because I’m picky about getting the stuffing right.
Cost Breakdown
One skein of Red Heart Super Saver is like $4-5 and you’ll need probably 2 skeins to be safe. The stuffing was maybe $5 for a bag. So total cost is around $10-15 which is pretty cheap for a handmade decorative pillow. Way cheaper than buying one at a store.
If you use fancier yarn it’ll cost more obviously. That Bernat Blanket yarn is like $8-10 a skein and you’d need at least 2-3 skeins probably.
Skill Level Needed
You need to know basic single crochet, how to increase and decrease, and how to work in rounds or rows. If you can make a circle you can make this. The shaping is more about eyeballing it and adjusting as you go rather than following complicated pattern instructions.
Beginners could definitely do this but it might be frustrating because there’s no exact pattern to follow. If you’re the type who needs step-by-step written instructions this might not be the best project. But if you’re comfortable just figuring things out and improvising you’ll be fine.
Alternative Construction Methods
Instead of crocheting two flat hearts and stuffing them, you could crochet in the round continuously to make a three-dimensional heart shape from the start. This is more complicated though because you’d have to increase and decrease at specific points to create the curves and angles.
There’s also a way to make a heart shape by crocheting a rectangle and then gathering and shaping it, but I haven’t tried this and it seems like it would look weird.
