Saturday, January 21, 2012

hailey's pillow

My daughter and I attended our friend Hailey's 5th birthday party this afternoon. I'm always stumped at what to buy/make/give for birthday presents. Once this idea popped in my head I just ran with it. One scrappy patchwork pillow, complete with personalization! It measures about 18" finished and it has an envelope backing, so it washable. I was so thrilled when Hailey opened it up because she immediately hugged it. I think I have a new go-to gift for the next year of birthdays....hip, hip hurray!!! Now my daughter wants one. Come to think of it, I just might want one, too.

edited to add: the squares for the pillow were cut at 3.5" and finish at 3". For the name I first drew guidelines with a water soluable pen and then I free motion quilted it with 50 weight thread on white fabric. I traced over the letters twice to make them a bit more bold.

99 comments:

StuffandThings said...

Very cool pillow!

Viviana said...

Adorable and doable. Everything else you do, is just out of this world and plain amazing! thanks for sharing.

Brooke said...

Thank you, thank you! I think you've solved my birthday present woes too!

And yes, I want one for my sewing chair as well. :-)

eva said...

OH!!!!!!
MY birthday is coming up too....
and my name is much shorter to write!!!

love it!
xo
eva

Dree said...

Any girl would love that! And the name is what really makes it.

Ray and Jeanne said...

Really cute idea! And it will work for many ages - thanks for the idea. Hailey's is adorable! ~jeanne

Rachel Slote-Brown said...

Lovely!
Wish I had seen this a couple weeks ago. My kids have already been to 3 birthday parties this month and this would have been a great gift. Now I'm ready for next time.

Kat said...

So cute, and so charming!! Definitely a pillow any little girl (or boy) would love!

Hope said...

It's so pretty! I would love one too :)

Michelle said...

I couldn't think of any little girls who would be able to resist hugging a cushion sew cute! I think I want one too...

Dianne Mitzel said...

Love this , think I'll "borrow" your idea for the little girls in my life. Beautiful colors..love your blog!!.

kimbelina said...

What a wonderful gift! Did you add the name by hand or by machine?

Valerie said...

Such a great idea!

Cathy said...

Fantastic idea! Birthday girl won't get two of those!

Emily Cole said...

I love it, AJ! Awesome idea! My daughter has a friend turning 10 next week... I bet she would appreciate something like this... maybe a little more rectangular!

Denise said...

Brilliant!

Terriaw said...

Cute! What a thrill to receive this for a gift. I want one too - hehehehe!

One for a wish.. said...

Looks great! i make personalised pillow cases for my daughter's friends and it's so cute seeing them go on school camp together..all carrying their pillows with my pillowcases!

Unknown said...

This is so adorably cute! How did you do her name so uniformly? Do you have one of those extra-awesome machines that synch up with your computer, OR did you embroider that by hand? I'm swooning over here! I'm so glad that I stumbled upon your blog yesterday. ;)

Caroline said...

Too cute! Can I be an uber-cool mom like you when I grow up??

Josie McRazie said...

And can I say with more and more kids having either unusual names or odd spellings (I have a Kaelynn, a Lillian, and a Darien I understand) it is very special to get something personalized! My son even likes it when I put his name on things!!

Sarah Craig said...

I love it - and I agree, I want one too! I foresee some of these in my future.....

Joy said...

Very cute and a great idea for a present. Quick question...what were the square size before you sewed them together?
joyturner24@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

Are you planning on posting the pattern? Or selling it? Because I would love to have it!

Sandra said...

What a sweet gift idea! Love it!

Victoria Paige @ Boutique Uniquely said...

I want one, too! It's so adorable and the embroidered name adds such a loving personal touch. Very nice :)

A Colorful World said...

Wonderful idea! Love the pillow!

Liz Jimenez said...

Adorable! And kids (especially girls?) seem to just LOVE anything with their name on it. Will have to tuck this in my mental back pocket for our next birthday party...

dolores said...

Yep...let's start them young appreciating the homemade gift...great job AJ!:)

Our daugther is 24 and her go-to gift for her friends is pillowcases...of course I have to make them!:)

Little Texas Cuties Boutique said...

I love it. Gonna have to try that soon with all the scraps I have!

Andee said...

Very cute!

Unknown said...

whata a wonderful idea.

Mama Pea said...

It is so cute! And I just might borrow that idea! Love it! I can see why she hugged it. Any little girl would love that, especially with her name on it. My daughter would! May I ask how big the squares are?

My niece opened up a doll blanket I gave her for Christmas. The first thing she did was hug it and say, "Mine!" That made me feel pretty good. I had made it to go with her American Girl dolls, but I didn't realize she had gotten this new baby doll for Christmas (one that actually breathes...weird!). Anyway, this turned out to be THE PERFECT gift, because she thought it was to go with her new doll. Whatever works! My sister says she has barely put it down!

Thimbleanna said...

What a super gift! Very, very cute CrazyMom!

Quilting Corner said...

This pillow is a great idea and so simple. Thanks for sharing.
Etty

unfinishedquilts said...

What a wonderful and perfect pillow! Love this!

Donna said...

Genius!! You are one clever designer.

Margo said...

Absolutely genius!!!

Why didn't I think of it???

I am getting some ideas of making pillows ahead of time for those oops I need a gift moments - then all I would need to do is stitch the name.

Thank you for sharing your design with us. :0)

Speattle said...

How did you do the name? Is that embroidered, machine embroidered, or inked on?

Just Darling! Are you going to post a tutorial?

Laura said...

Is the back a plain or patchwork! It's beautiful, and I too am always looking for gifts to give.

tusen said...

no wonder you all want it, it's lovely :)

Valspierssews said...

It looks great. I like the name idea.

Nicky said...

Beautifully done!

carol said...

Thanks for the inspiration. This would also be a great gift for the great nieces for Christmas gifts!

Fran said...

I'm pretty sure we all want one!!

Stacy said...

Thanks for posting this and for coming up with such a great idea. I think you just made birthday and Christmas present ideas easier for a whole lot of us. :-)
Keep up the great work. We sure do appreciate it!!!

Kat said...

This is beautiful!
You are a genius with colours !!!
Thank you for sharing this.

Annie said...

What a fantastic idea - I'm going to put that one in my bank! Cheers.

Karen L R said...

perfect.

Suzanne said...

You have a knack for making gifts that make people happy!

Michele said...

Absolutely terrific idea! Perfect for using up those scraps.

tina said...

Me too!
;)

PunkiePie (Jen) said...

Awesome idea for gifts! I will have to remember this one.

Tara said...

Oh, it turned out so great! I'll bet she loved it!

patsy said...

brilliant idea!

pasqueflower said...

Adorable gift! I'm sure Hailey loved it.

Esch House Quilts said...

Great idea! What little girl (or bigger) doesn't love something with her name on it :)

Annette - MyRoseValley said...

The most gorgeous pillow I've seen in a long time. :D Maybe just because I am so into taking care of all my scraps and this looks like it is made from a great assortment of scrap fabrics. Fab! What is not to love about this one .:D

Anina said...

Genius!

Anonymous said...

Another great idea. I honestly can't think of anything that you've done that I DON'T like! You are very talented and creative - not to mention inspiring!

jeri cleveland

Linda said...

Love this! I think I know what the nieces are getting for Christmas next year! :) Those squares must finish at about 3 inches or so? I have tons of squares already cut just waiting to be used!

bethanndodd said...

Hailey's pillow makes me smile...it is just so beautiful & colorful. What a special gift for a little girl (and big girls too!). I may be stealing this go-to birthday gift ;) Thanks for sharing. Smiles~Beth

Quilter Mom of 3 said...

LOVE IT!!

Melodee said...

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most fabulous. Yours continues to be my favorite eye candy blog.

Richard Healey said...

Looks great you may need to make one for every one that sees it.

http://richardquilts.com

Quiltgal said...

It could also be used as a great way to store your PJ's. When I was a kid we had pajama bags, or an animal that you stored you PJ's in. Either way it is a beautiful pillow.

eva said...

how did you do the name??
embroidery??
or??

its lovely!!
xo
eva

Shannon Wallace said...

Amanda Jean--Beautiful!!! It's funny that you posted about this pillow, because I have been on a pillow sewing spree this past week. :o) Mine have been rag quilt pillows. However, I want to make one similar to what you made for Hailey! (Hint, hint...is there a tutorial on this pillow?) Thanks for sharing!! God bless...

Lucy | Charm About You said...

Totally beautiful! I'd love a tutorial too since I'll be making my first ever cushions soon :)

LimeRiot said...

How wonderful! Will you come to my birthday party :)??

Denise L said...

Very nice!

Shauna said...

Super cute!

diane said...

My 15 year-old daughter (with a little help from me) has been doing the same thing for her friends' birthdays for the last year! And her friends love getting something homemade from her heart!

Jenn at The Little Shop of Stitches said...

I can't even tell you how much I love this! What a great keepsake! I have a birthday party coming up this weekend (for a 3-year-old and 5-year-old combined party). I may, in fact, borrow your great idea!

PinkGranny said...

This is wonderful!

Lisa said...

I love it, I want one too! ;) I'm always stumped on gifts too, this sounds great. And such a pretty way to use up scraps when there aren't enough for a quilt. The personalization is perfect!

Pat said...

I'll take a pillow also!!! I love the idea for all ages.

quirky granola girl said...

i'm finally caught up in reading your blog. i'm sorry that i can't comment on all of them. too...tired...
but, know that i love you and i'm inspired by all of your works. this personalized pillow is a great idea. and your mini inspired by your book cover quilt is adorable. of course, my favorite is the EPP stars. mmmmm... the bobbin bin is a great idea, too. i hate it when i sweep those onto the floor.
well, i must, must go to bed now. we'll have to chat soon.
xo,
m

Anonymous said...

Love the pillow idea, might try it next for my go to Birthday present. Currently I make an apron, add it with a box of Brownie mix and a funky colored spatulata to go with the apron - my go to Birthday present this go around.
Julie M.

Jennifer C. said...

That is one beautiful and inspiring cushion. I read your post about your backlog of projects. I am very new to the quilting addiction but it was still hard to decide NOT to make handmade gifts for my friends this Christmas - although made easier by the fact that not all of the previous year's recipients understood the work I had put into the gifts.
I think the key is to get that four-year-old sewing:-) My 4yo loves touching and playing with the fabrics and says that she would like at least two quilts (I am currently working on a fleece-applique quilt for her and finishing a grown up quilt for our livingroom sofa).
Thank you again for sharing all your beautiful projects and your knowledge with the world.

Jenni

Diane said...

fantastic idea! Thank you now I have something else to make besides pillowcases....u-oh this may have changed my to-do-list for this week-dang! :)

Michelle said...

Love it! The colors are wonderful

Tiffany said...

O no - you spelled my name wrong AND gave my pillow away? *sigh* guess I will have to make my own ;-)

so cute and such a great gift idea!

VickiT said...

What a beautiful pillow. I am very impressed that you did the name free hand. Wow. I could NEVER do that lettering so well. I'm very thankful for my embroidery machine for things like that.

Clair said...

I like Hailey's pillow...simple, bright, fun! I should use some scraps to make a pillow for myself.

Di~ said...

What a great pillow AJ. Genius! How can it be...you are crazy and genius at the same time???:)

Karen said...

What little girl wouldn't love a personalized pillow!? I've been considering making one of these myself. But of course, I must not forget the little boy who loves anything I make.

Love the colors you used!

Quiltn Mama said...

I totally stole your idea for a party my daughter's attending this weekend...mine's not nearly as cute as yours, however I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. Thanks for such a great idea; I was dreading buying yet another Barbie doll.

Krista said...

I just love this idea! I think my daughter needs a few of these for her bed. Wonderful scrap idea too.

Live a Colorful Life said...

Such a wonderful gift idea, for a 5-year-old...or someone of any age, for that matter!

Chris Daly said...

What a wonderful gift idea. She will treasure it!

Nicole said...

This pillow is ADORABLE. I can't wait to give it a try!

Anonymous said...

Love it ♥♥♥

Eugeac said...

Very cute!!!

doni said...

What an awesome idea! I see Valentines Day present for my grandkids!! Thanks for sharing - we can always find great projects on your blog.

doni @ Oregon coast

personalized pillow covers said...

Nice designer pillow covers.Pillows with unique cover give your room different and good look.

eva said...

still hoping...
how did you do the name??
is it embroidery??
lovely font
xo
eva

Meagan Hughes said...

Hi - I want to make this for Grandma's birthday in March.

I'm new to quilting and pillow case making - how do you complete this one? I can figure out the piecing, but I don't know the corner part or the back part so it folds over the pillow nicely.

Can you explain?

Kayla said...

Thanks for sharing, Amanda! It is gorgeous! I was inspired to make one of my own for my boyfriend's little sister! I posted about it here: http://thekitschinista.blogspot.com/2012/04/too-many-works-in-progress.html. Thanks again!