WIP: The Christmas Pillow

When I first thought of doing a pillow as a gift, I figured it was an easy enough project that wouldn't take too much of my time to make with great results. Perfect combination, right?
Except I've never tried it before and had no idea how some of the steps were done. So, step by step photographic coverage:

This is the so far result. I haven't decided on the best way to close it in the back, so I hope some of the sagging is related to that. But I'm also pretty sure it's too big for the pillow and some of the lines are less than straight. And don't even get me started on the corners! Also, I haven't decided on doing a tree trunk.

So it's safe to say this is a work in progress...