This project was a collaboration of several people in my local quilt club. It was inspired by my friend and fellow quilter, Nancy Fish, and her need for a cushion to cover her port from the seat belt while riding in a car. She found a quilted cover online, and the group began to make them for our local cancer care center. The design was modified by our club members over time to the one I’ll show you today. These go together in a flash, and they are a wonderful way to use up scraps of fabric and batting. Any hospital or chemotherapy center would love to have them. Maybe your local group can make some for your local chemo center. Our local group donates hundreds of these a year to our local cancer centers, who then give them to patients in need. For those who need one but do not sew, and otherwise have no access to get one, I have some in my Etsy store.
You’ll need the following materials –
2 pieces of fabric 5 x 7 inches for the base
2 pieces of fabric 3-1/2 x 4-3/4 for tabs
2 one-inch squares of velcro hooks and loops
2-4 pieces of batting 4-1/2 x 6-1/2 inches, depending on thickness
1 small piece of fiberfill for extra softness in the middle
Fold the tab in half longwise, and sew across the short side on one end, pivot and sew down the long side.
Leave the other short end open for turning.
Turn and press the tabs, then sew the hook side of the velcro to the end of the tab. I use the hook side on all the tabs so I keep it straight when I am making more than one at a time. I made four at a time this day.
Place the tabs on the top of one of the pieces of 5×7 fabric about 1 to 1-1/2 inches in from each end velcro side down. Where exactly doesn’t really matter, just place them with some space at the ends and between the two tabs. Pin.
Now, turn up the end with the velcro, and mark an ‘X’ on the base to show where the loop side of the velcro should be sewn.
Place the loop side of the velcro over the mark, and sew in place.
Press the tab velcro onto the base velcro.
Place the backing 5×7 piece of fabric right sides together with the front unit. Pin through the tabs in line with the edge so they don’t shift inside while sewing.
Sew around the softie, pivoting at the corners, and leaving an opening on one short side for turning.
Stuff with at least 2-4 layers of batting, and add bit more of fiberfill or extra batting as stuffing just in the middle. It seems to be more comfortable for the patients if it is softly stuffed, not firm.
Topstitch the opening closed.
Continue topstitching around the edge to hold the batting in place.
Remember that men need these too. So, for every floral one I make, I make another one in a more masculine fabric like a plaid. To use, simply un-hook the velcro and wrap the tabs over the seat belt, press the velcro tabs onto the base and adjust the pad to sit where needed. It can stay on the seat belt until no longer needed.
Easy, fast, and everyone that receives one will be grateful for the cushion in the car from those seat belts. The need is ongoing. There is likely a need in your local area too. Please share this as you can, and I hope that more groups will make these for local chemo patients in your area.
For a free pdf pattern, click on – PortSofties for Chemo Patients
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This is a wonderful idea, Carole. I never had a port for my chemo – my veins were in good enough shape for a stab every three weeks – but I can sure see this being a comfort for those who do. I can also see using it for myself NOW. Even though I’ve had reconstruction, my chest is still tender from having a mastectomy. My seat belt often irritates me. I’ve just been wrenching my clothing around to create a temporary buffer, but one of these would be brilliant! Thanks for the tutorial. I shall make one for myself, and a big batch to share!
Great idea…so useful…will be making some for my local cancer center…I am a cancer survivor so I see the need for cozy comfy items alot…….
Thanks for posting this great tutorial. I made four today, and plan on making more to donate.
That’s a top notch creation! I’ll mention it to our group. Great use of pretty scraps and a kind gesture.
Love this idea. I am always looking for ideas to use up large pieces of scrap. I will definitely be bring this to my next guild meeting as a project. Debbie
These are wonderful. I will certainly make some up and donate them to the local center. Thank you for posting this tutorial.
What a wonderful project Carole and a great tutorial! I wish I would have thought of making one for my mom when she had a port.
My sister just got a port this past week (stage 4 cancer – metastatic melanoma in the lungs). I don’t sew but I would love to find someone who would make one of these with good padding as the port is right next to a painful area. She is only in the car to go to the clinic for chemo/infusion but I know from my husband who had a port for his colon cancer chemo last year, that the seatbelt really makes it painful. Ugh! I had no idea – he never complained, but when I asked (after reading this post), he admitted it was hard to manage (and he just had the port removed last week and it is still tender for him!). If anyone is willing to make me one for my sister, I would be so happy to pay for it and shipping. If this new drug works, she will need treatment as long as she has to live.
So sorry to hear about your sister. I will send you one and I have emailed you for an address. I’ll be making some for my Etsy store for others in the same situation.
How is your sister now? I was diagnosed to Stage 4 melanoma of the Small bowel and lung…nothing fiund on my skin.I am undergoing Immunotherapy as well.
I came across your softie pattern after speaking to the patient advocate person at our local cancer center. I’m a quilter and also crochet so have lots of scraps and yarn laying around. Tthrough the winter months, I crochet baby caps, blankets, and Angel baby buntings for the nursery and NICU at one of our local hospitals. I also crochet prayer shawls for hospice. Well, anyway, after speaking to this person, she told me they were in a geat need of hats, seat belt covers (like your softies, I presume), scarves and prayer shawls for the patients who come. I jumped right in and have made 20 of these softies and crocheted two caps so far! Love this pattern! Thank you for sharing! i found a chemo cap to sew but haven’t tried it yet. Do you have a good one to share with me? Or any other ideas?
I made your little softie for a friend of mine. I haven’t given it to her yet, it just seems too thin to be of much help. Thank you for your pattern. I’ll see how much it helps my friend and then I’m planning to get my quilt group to do some more.
Thank you for reminding me, I just updated the post to reflect the new way of sewing and stuffing these softies. I eliminated the quilting across the middle, and we now add a bit more stuffing to the inside. Thank you for commenting!
Lisa, I stuff them with polyester pillow fill. Not too much though. Just enough to keep the seat belt away.
I love to sew items for service projects & this is one for sure I’ll be making. Thank you.
I am so happy to have come across this little pad. I see an oncologist, (not for cancer and I don’t have a port) every 3 months and my next appt is Tuesday. I will definitely make a few for him to have in the office to offer his patients. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing the pattern details for the Port Softie. I am a 21-year survivor of breast cancer, and can still remember the discomfort of the seatbelt across the place of my port. What a kind and caring idea! I’m planning to make some to donate to one of the local cancer centers.
I can thank you enough for this pattern!
This is something I have really needed but didn’t think existed! I was just going to somehow figure out how to make one on my own.
I’m hoping that this will be something I can whip up a bunch of and put at my chemo center for others in the same boat as me!
it’s a great idéea . Thanks you
(i am french, i do’nt speak really english, sorrie
I bookmarked this page and will definitively be visiting your etsy store if my friend ends up getting a chemo port. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this tutorial! I stumbled upon it while looking for something to make for a friend who was diagnosed with cancer and it was so useful. I am in the process of making more and writing a blog entry about it. Is it ok if I share a link to your page? Your tutorial was my favorite and so easy to follow. Thank you again for sharing!!
Used your tutorial yesterday to create six port softies. I enjoyed the process. I hope to take a bunch of softies to my oncologist’s office at my next visit. Thank you for sharing the information.
Thank you for the pattern! I’m going to make one today and then share the idea with our FACS teacher at school so she can consider these for a community service project for our middle school students. I appreciate the detailed tutorial!
I’m so thankful you shared your instructions! My mom just started chemo this week, and I whipped one of these up today before picking her up. She was so appreciative! Will definitely be making more to take with me on future trips to the infusion center. 🙂
I like the idea of the tabs, not such a big amount of Velcro used as in other patterns I have seen. Thank You for sharing!
I need a port buddy for a male cancer patient no body has a longer one for seat belt acrpss stomach area. I do not sew and would like to get one for my neighbor who is about to start chemo for stage 3 cancer.
Can these be made with fleece and tied around the edges instead on sewn. I am looking for a service project for children from 3rd grade tof 6th grade.
I teach 2nd/3rd graders to make these – there was another post about using velcro – 4″ strips and they are stitched with one on each side & they don’t have to make the casing. I’m going to try making the casing with mine tomorrow. My students are loving using the machines – I have five and the students rotate, but if we didn’t have the machines, I’m sure you could make small pillows with the tie ends and then have them learn how to stitch the velcro in place.
May I ask what you use for a seam allowance? Is it the standard 5/8″?
I use 1/4-inch, but truly it doesn’t matter, a bit smaller or larger doesn’t matter as much as the stuffing being soft.
Thanks so much for sharing your pattern!!! Have made almost 1,000 in the last 8 months. So appreciated by those who receive them.
Thanks for the pattern , checked with my local hospital and they were glad to receive some send 24 so far and have 30 more ready to go . Great idea.
Thank you for posting this. I make small items for Walter Reed Medical Center and this will be a great addition to them. Thank you again and so ready to start this today!
My mother will be starting chemo/radiation treatments next week. We live very far apart. I think this little project might be just the thing to add to her care package and close that gap for us. Thank you so much for sharing your process.
Thank you for the pattern. My daughter started chemo on 2 days ago. I made several and will take some to the oncologist office.
my daughter will start chemo tomorrow. isn’t it very hard to see your children go thru something like this. I did not have cancer, so was shocked when my daughter was diagnosed. I will be making lots of these. She will have one heavy dose every other week for 4 treatments, then once a week for 12 weeks of a lighter dose and then radiation. Prayers for your daughter.
These are a very good way to help others! And I would really love to make them and give to several of the chemo clinic’s we have in our area! I just don’t have a sewing machine and yes I am excellent at sewing by hand and could make them completely from scratch and hand sewn but I just can’t sew as fast as I use to when I was younger!🙏🏼💗😇❣️🦋❣️😇💗🙏🏼!
Just a note to you from Ft Worth, TX. I saw your pattern for the port “softies” a few years back and have been making them for friends and family as the need (unfortunately) has arisen. In addition, I have donated about 50 to one of the breast cancer practices here in town.
They are always appreciated and very well-received. Thank you for paying this idea forward. I know the ones I have distributed have been appreciated.
D Scogin
Thank you for this pattern! I’m going to make one for my 16 year old niece who was just diagnosed with ovarian cancer
I’m not great at sewing and I was wondering if you can clarythis part? I’m confused because adding more batting to the middle is after the step of top stitching the opening closed. I’m figuring the directions might have ended up out of order, but just wanted to make sure I understand what to do!! Thank you!!
“Topstitch the opening closed.
Continue topstitching around the edge to hold the batting in place. Then, add a bit more batting to the middle. It seems to be more comfortable for the patients if it is softly stuffed, not firm.”
Directions fixed to clarify, thank you for noticing the glitch!
We were given one made with just one piece of velcro and over-stuffed and it doesn’t stay in place on the seatbelt very well, so I made a handful of these for my partner and my sister in law who both have breast cancer and ports. I used some scraps of really lovely fun fabrics and used one layer of an old wool blanket along with fibrefill to get just the right amount of ‘squish’ – thanks for sharing this recipe!