Place the bandanas on top of each other wrong side facing inwards, fold the bandanas in half and cut out a half heart shape.
Fold the hearts open keeping the two bandanas on top of each other. Use pinking shears to cut a fringe around the heart shaped bandanas. The fringe pieces should be at least 6.5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. Anything shorter than 6.5 cm long will be difficult to weave and if the fringe is too long, you pillow will be a bit small. Fold the fringe over and make a small slit on the fold. You’ll use the slit to “weave” the edges of the pillow, so the smaller the better.
Turn the the fringe strips up and squish them into a little sausage and then pull them down, through the slit.
(Post update: I had so many beautiful comments on the bandana heart – thank you, but it seems the pics on how to weave the fringe aren’t descriptive enough so here’s a video that might help.)
Continue weaving the fringe and periodically flip your heart over to make sure you haven’t missed any lonely little fringe pieces – you’ll end up with a wonky no sew pillow heart if you do. Leave the last five fringe pieces, stuff the heart and then finish off the pillow by weaving the last few pieces. No-sew pillows are my favorite.
Time to find your favourite snuggle cat and cuddle up with your bandana heart pillow. Love our Merlin to bits and he’s so spoilt.
If you like the idea of the bandana heart don’t forget to pin it for later so you can make your own.
I’d love to know what you think of the pillow. If you’d like to make one and don’t want to go to all that trouble of finding the materials, I’ve got you covered 😉 Disclosure: If you click on the links below, we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us feed our fur babies 😉
This is my type of craft related to fabric -no sew. I have a special relationship with my sewing machine... let's say love-hate. But I can do this for sure! The cat seems to love it too
Oh I know what you mean Pili. When it works it's lovely, but man when that machine's settings go all wobbly I want to cry.
This is such a great idea!!! I have so many bandanas, and I have no idea what to do with them, so thanks for sharing this clever and cute idea at the Valentine's Link Party!!!
Thank you anon and I promise they haven't been sewn. I think using the pinking shears might create that impression but it also stops the edges from unravelling. Not sure if that's the right word though
This is so cute and how cool that it is no sew, I'm always so lazy to get that sewing machine out! Love your cat!
Me too Katrin ;-) it seems like such a hassle somethings, especially when it's stuck in a cupboard because you don't have the space for it your craft room
Thank you so much Laurie. We have so many bandanas lying around and it's fun to do something different with them.
I can't get the video to load and would love to try it, but am coming up shy on how the slit works for weaving. Does the slit go in both pieces and then you roll both pics to weave through it?
Hi, yes the slit is in both pieces and you scrunch/roll both pieces together, push them through the slit and pull tight. It's kinda like threading a needle, the slit is the eye of the needle and the longer bits of the bandana are the thread. Hope that makes sense? Let me know if you need more and I'll try my best to explain it better.
Michelle this is such a cute idea. I used this technique to make a pillow from an old fleece scarf. I love that there is no sewing involved. Easy and pretty.
Thank you Mary. It really is so easy once you get the hang of it. Thanks for the visit and hope you had a lovely Easter.
Hi Sandi, valid point. We use the metric system in South Africa so it's second nature to measure everything in mm or cm. I believe the only countries in the world who haven't converted to the metric system are the States and Liberia. To make things easier I must remember to add a link to convert inches to cm in my posts.
When I hit video it doesn't upload to my phone. So I tried it on Google and it came up but its not showing how to make a loop on the dip of the heart. I get how to make the cut and Loop it in but I'm having trouble with the dip.
Hi V, glad the video worked but really sorry you're still having a problem. I sent you a personal email to try and explain. Let me know if it helps.
I'm still having trouble with the dip on the heart when it comes to tieing it. I'm not getting it, I tryed to load your video but it not working.
Hi, can you send me the error message. It's the first time I've uploaded a video so I may have done something silly.
OMG! I love it! I have so many bandannas and with your wonderful tutorial, now I will have many lovely bandanna pillows. Thank you!!
Hi Brenda, thank you so much for your lovely comment. Really appreciate it and would love to see your finished pillow.
Hi Edith, I wish I could help with the pattern but I found the gorgeous afghan at a little antique shop called "Borrowed and Blue @ Cullinan Junction" . If I remember correctly, the afghan belonged to the owner's gran, maybe she can help with the pattern.
Oh wow. Great idea. Can you do this with a regular square shape as well? I guess any shape would work? I love it and am going to make some this weekend with my daughters!
Yeah, I'm not quite getting that part either. Is the slit through both sides of fringe? Then threading (rolled up tube?) both ends through the slit?
Hi Ali, sorry about that. I'll try update the post as soon as I get a chance. Maybe I need to take better photos.
Me too. Maybe if you take a picture of the fringe after the slit is cut but before the weaving starts so we can see the orientation of the slit? I think I can see it but not sure how the 2 fringe pieces go through it.
I really need to take better pics :-( I've got some time this weekend and will definitely update the post. Thank you for the comment.
Hi, I was also confused by the directions, so as usual I needed an answer now and I started to Google bandana pillows. I got all kinds of hits but none for the no knot kind. I plugged in "no knot bandana pillow" and I found a tutorial that is clear on how to dothe no sew fringe. This is for a blanket but it can be translated into the pillow idea. http://www.sandicrafts.com/no-sew-blanket-knot-tying/ <-- I can never get the link to post correctly so just copy and paste it to your browser...good luck :)
must have a go at this as I am clumsy and can't sew and struggle following instructions, I may even be able to do this.
Oh, I freaking adore this. Well, I'm REALLY into anything handmade and have a passion for DIY. I'm adding this to my weekend to-do list (planning to do a pink and white for my kiddo's bedroom). :)
Cute! I've got a Craft Gossip post scheduled for this morning that features your tutorial: http://sewing.craftgossip.com/?p=86511 --Anne
I'm not the craftiest person in the world (I would safely say I am craft challenged, but I keep trying). I love this and I'm happy to see a way to use my old bandanas!
I love our HOME shelf that we made from pallets and it all started with the question. What does it really mean when they say home is where the heart is? I don’t know about you but for me it’s all about the little things; a rose my daughter picked for me in the garden, my son’s cheeky smile, a candlelight dinner under the stars, our fur babies, a good book and laughter. Without the little things a house can never be a home.
Our pallet HOME shelf which we made last weekend is the perfect place to display some of those special things.
The shelf was inspired by the beautiful LOVE shelf that’s all over pinterest. I’m sure you seen it? Stunning hey? We drew up the plans and started cutting up some pallets.
You’ll need pallet pieces that are at least 13 cm wide to fit all those little momentos. Cut one long 80 cm (31 1/2 inches) piece to form the backbone of the shelf and then cut and sand:
To put the shelf together start at the bottom with the E. Use a pneumatic staple gun and wood glue to attach one of the 17 cm pieces at 90 degrees to the bottom of the 80 cm piece, then measure up 9.5 cm and attach the 10 cm piece. Make a mark 20 cm from the bottom and staple the last 17 cm in place. For the O create a U shape using the two 17 cm pieces as the sides and the 16 cm piece as the bottom. Measure 20 cm from the top of the 80 cm backbone, dab some wood glue on the ends and use the staple gun to attach the O to the backbone.
Now the H and the M. The M scared us a little. I think it’s those 45 degree angles so we left it for last. The H was pretty straight forward. Attach the 15 cm piece to the middle of the 20 cm piece to form a top heavy T shape then attach the H to the backbone so that the top of the H is flush with the top of the backbone.
Glue and staple the two 11 cm pieces together to form a V shape. Attach the V shape to the backbone where the bottom of the O joins the backbone. Sit back and smile because that wasn’t as bad as we thought. In all honesty that was pretty darn easy 😀 Do a victory dance around the garden, consider having a beer to celebrate. Come back down to earth and attach the last 20 cm piece. Go get a beer and grab the fur babies so they can see how we conquered angles.
All things considered those angles make it worth it!! Yup, no angle will ever get me down again. Okay maybe they will 😉
The little HOME shelf and our suitcase themed dresser makeover are probably my two most favorite things that we’ve made so far.
Now our little HOME shelf is a gentle reminder of all the things we hold close to our hearts. Where do you keep your special memories and little keepsakes?
Oh and before I forget, to save you the trouble of trying to find some of the things we used I’ve added some affiliate links below. Disclosure: If you click on the links, we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry, it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more unique DIY and craft tutorials for you 😉
Whatever you make my friend is perfect!!! I love your shelves and I think it looks perfect on your wall :)
😍 Awwww Christina thank you so much for that. I still need to work on those angles but I'm real happy with how the HOME shelf turned out
Hey Nicolasa, thanks so much for reaching out. The shelf is attached with zig zag hooks also called saw tooth picture hangers. One behind the H one on the E.
Thank you so much Patti. Let me know if anything doesn't make sense and I would love to see a picture when you've made yours
Hi Nate, we used those zigzaggy hanging things. I believe they're called Saw Tooth Picture Hangers. There's one behind the cross bit on the H and another one on the top bar of the E
Your home shelf is so amazing and creative Michelle!! And I love how you have distressed it as well! Brilliant!!
I am flipping out over this one! OMG Love it. You guys are so super talented. I'm so inspired by you. <3
Ahhhh Carolann, thank you. The little HOME shelf is one of those truly special DIY things we did. I'm really so glad I could get my head around those angles
Thank you Donna. We hung the shelf using those zigzag picture frame hooks. I hope that's the right word for them. Let me know if it makes sense please
Hola! I've been following your site for a while now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Atascocita TX! Just wanted to say keep up the fantastic work!
Michelle, this is fantastic! I think I know some people I could make these for and they would just love it!
Okay, so I just cut all these pieces and the shelf is awesome but its much smaller than it seems in the pictures. I may try it again and double all the measurements. I really like how it seems to take up a good piece of the wall in the pictures. Thanks for the idea. My first pallet project!
Awesomeness Jammie. I'm so glad it worked for you and congrats on your first pallet project. Wishing you many more ;-)
What an awesome shelf Michelle! I am loving it! You are so creative, and always coming up with something unique and awesome! I love the rustic look of the shelf.
The pictures seem to be a much larger shelf then the dimensions listed unless the area mounted is not a full wall. If so what are the larger dims.
Hi Mike, the area we've hung the shelf is a odd little alcove (I think that's the right word, it's a small kind of cut out in an existing wall). The measurements are correct as far as I remember but if you find something odd please let me know. When I built the shelf I worked on 20 cm (just under 8 inches) per letter but I'm sure you can make it bigger or smaller depending on your space. Hope it helps, if not let me know and I'll measure again or try explain a bit better.
ok, stop the presses. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Love that you spelled the word home with your shelf. #geniusidea! So glad you shared this, beautiful job.
What a cool shelf!! You have some neat projects! Would love for you to share some at our link party! http://www.thestonybrookhouse.com/2016/04/dishing-it-digging-it-link-party-91.html
What an amazing blog you have Michelle. Why have I not been here before? Truly unique work with lots of repurposing going on here. I'm subscribing! Michelle, I along with Keri and some other friends are hosting a link party and we would be honored if you would link up your creations with us over at Sweet Inspiration.
love it so much! I want it!! Thank you so much for sharing! I'd love it if you would check out my blog: sweetyummygoodies.blogspot.com ! Thank you! <3
Love it! And so gonna make this. Excellent project for those little keepsakes that get lost on a larger shelf. :)
YOU ARE SO CLEVER!! I hadn't seen the shelves on Pinterest so I had to check them out. Yours has them all beat, hands down!! I want one now! I just drug home a solid maple, Early American style end table from the 1960's. It will be a small patio table after a cleaning and a paint job. My husband see's my vision for that one, but, when I come dragging a pallet home I'm pretty sure he'll have to think really hard to get this one! I can't let that stop me, I really love your incredibly creative shelf! I'm looking forward to seeing your next project! Thanks for sharing!
Lol, my hubby does the same. Can't wait to see how your end table turns out. Thank you for your lovely comment and coming to say hi <3
Hi Pat, thank you so much for stopping by. We were originally going to use bracket to hang it up, one under the H and one in the O, but it's hanging on two nails. If you zoom in on the first pic you can see what looks like a little black dot under the the roses on the H, that's the one nail and the other one is in the corner where the M and the O meet. I'm pretty sure you could also use those zig zaggy things you find on the back of frames.
Michelle, this home shelf is awesome!!!! Love your creativity!! I also love the special things you've placed on the shelf. How amazingly wonderful!! :)
１：スウェーデン生まれのアパレルメーカー。スペイン生まれのzara、アメリカ生まれのGAPと同様に見られることが多いが、有名デザイナーとコラボレート商品を次々と生み出している点が異なり、おしゃれ度高い商品といわれている。日本上陸もあり？？