That is awesome Jilly that you are doing it! Definitely I agree that earlier is better. If you keep putting something off then it becomes a have-to-do rather than an enjoyable break.
I have a green pillow that I bought to support a Tibetan monastery -
The idea of making your own seems amazingly nice!
I don't use my pillow much even though I deliberately bought it. I will have to work that in.
Mostly I tend to meditate at night after I write in my journal. Bob likes to have the TV running all day while he works on his laptop and I find that incredibly distracting. So at night when he falls asleep I turn it off, and then I enjoy the blissful silence.