Joy Pillows from Country Living Magazine

When I saw this picture in the newest Country Living, I thought "I can DO that!!"

Here's what you will need to make a set for yourself:
2 yards red felt (it's $3.99/yd at Hobby Lobby but they run 50% off a lot!)
1/2 yard of an accent felt (I chose brown)
white and red thread
iron on adhesive
stuffing for the pillows (or inserts... I bought the 16'' ones)

1. To start, I free-handed the letters onto paper. Then, I cut them out and made stencils for the accent color.
2. When I had my letters cut out, I used white thread to stitch along the edges of the letters. The magazine didn't do this (and you could totally skip this step!) but I wanted mine to look more rustic.
3. Then I got to work making the pillows using the red felt. I cut 6 individual 20'' squares (let's not kid, I didn't measure at all. I went all willy nilly but it seemed to work out fine). I sewed two squares together along three of the edges and part of the 4th edge. I left a 8'' hole to stuff the pillow inside once it's turned right side out.
4. Then, I followed the instructions on the back of the iron adhesive to attach the letters to the front of the pillows. I just eyeballed it to get it centered!
5. Then I stuffed the pillow insert in (oh boy, that was like putting sausage in it's casing!) and stitched up the hole by hand.
Ta-da!!
Oh, and while I had the iron out, I ironed our names onto our stockings. Joe, if you're reading this, I swear I didn't realize those letters were pink when I started!!
I love these pillows. Isn't that what this season is about, JOY??