How To Make A DIY Cherry Pit Pillow (Super Easy Sewing Project)

When my son was born, my midwife recommended a cherry pit pillow to help with his stomach aches.

I’ve never used one before. so I was amazed at how well it worked! It helped with his tummy and it’s also great for period cramps…. they came back even thought I am still breastfeeding…

I’m going to show you how to make one from scratch. I’ll insert mine into a bunny plushie in a later post—if you’re curious about that, sign up for my newsletter to stay updated!

Table Of Contents

1. Materials & Alternatives
4. Heating & Cooling The Cherry Pit Pillow
6. Customization & Gift Ideas

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1. Materials & Alternatives

Fabric Options: Cotton, linen, flannel, or muslin. These fabrics are breathable and retain heat well. (I used organic cotton.)
Thread Type: Cotton thread.
Alternative Fillings: If you don’t have cherry pits, you can use grape seeds, rice, flaxseeds, or buckwheat hulls.
Where to Buy Cherry Pits: I got mine from our garden cherries (you can use a cherry pitter if you want it done fast or a knife to get them out) and cleaned them. More on that below.
Or you can buy them from online stores, local markets, or eco-friendly suppliers.

2. Preparation & Cleaning

Before using cherry pits, they need to be cleaned and dried properly:

Why Dry Completely? Wet or damp pits can develop bacteria and mold, which is the last thing you want in your babies pillow!

Cleaning: Boil the pits for a few minutes, then scrub off any remaining fruit residue. I did this twice and it was really not easy to get them clean. I used a hard shoe brush to get off the leftover fruit.

Drying: Spread them out on a baking sheet and let them air dry or use a low oven setting (about 50°C/120°F) to speed up the process. If you have a tiled stove like my family you can dry them on the tiles. (Maybe that’s a German thing?)

Storage: Store them in a breathable container (like a paper bag) so they won’t mold.

3. Next Up: Sewing

Now for the fun part—sewing!

Cut your fabric: Cut a piece measuring around 18×22 cm (7×8.7 inches). Of course you can adapt the size unless you want to put it in the bunny we’ll later make. If you don’t put it in the bunny I recommend a thicker material. For the bunny it needs to be flexible.

Fold it in half: You’ll get a rectangle measuring 18×11 cm (7×4.3 inches).

Sew the upper open side: Use a backstitch, overlock, or zigzag stitch.
Press the seam: Iron the fabric so the seam lies in the center. Like you can see on the image below.

Round the corners: Use a cup or another round object to shape the edges. After that use needles on the rounded corners. It’ll help so the fabric won’t move around when you sew it closed.

Sew the rounded corners closed: Leave a hole in one of the sites. (You can turn the cherry pit pillow inside out through that hole). After that you can cut off the unnecessary corners.

Cutting the corners off the cherry pit pillow

Turn the outside in: Time to get the nice looking side to the outside. Use the hole you made to turn the fabric inside out. See image below.

Fill with cherry pits: Use a homemade funnel (a plastic bottle cutout or a rolled-up piece of cardboard works great).

Sew the open hole shut and you are all done.

Or with a thicker fabric:

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4. Heating & Cooling The Cherry Pit Pillow

Microwave Heating: I started to heat the pillow for 20 seconds with 600W (and tested a few times). Try a few times until you get your ideal temperature. Always test the temperature before using! And stay near the pillow just in case.
Oven Heating: Put the pillow in an oven safe container and heat at a low temp (max. 100°C/212°F) for max. 5 minutes. Keep watching your pillow.
Or put it for a while on a hot radiator.
Cold Compress: You can use it as a cold compress, when your toddler is sick. Place the pillow in a sealed bag and freeze for a couple of hours. Great for headaches and swelling!

It helped me to shake the pillow to distribute the heat before using it.

6. Customization & Gift Ideas

Want to make your cherry pit pillow extra special?

Add a Washable Cover: Make a separate fabric case for easy cleaning. Please don’t wash the cherry pit pillow. I’ll mold. Keep it in a dry place.
Personalized Gifts: Great for baby showers, Christmas, or Mother’s Day. Or you could make these cute ornaments.
Fun Shapes: Try making an animal-shaped pillow, a heart, or a long one for your shoulders.
Embroidery & Designs: Decorate your pillow with cute prints or embroidery to make it unique.

And that’s it! Your very own DIY cherry pit pillow is ready to use. If you loved this tutorial and want to see how I incorporate mine into a bunny plushie, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for updates. Happy crafting!

PS.: This is not medical advice. If you have strong belly pain see a professional.