Tuesday, June 30, 2015

a personalized pillow

My daughter has a friend that celebrated her birthday last week. I wanted to make her friend a pillow (I've had it in mind for months!) and even though I didn't feel like I had the time to make it, I whipped it up anyway. It's amazing how much one can get done with a little bit of focus and a deadline.
A lot of these cute scraps came from my friend Mary. (Thanks Mary!!!) My daughter had picked them out and squirreled them away as her favorites. I couldn't think of a better project to use them for! I used a regular sized bed pillow for the form and added an envelope backing (similar to this) so the pillow cover is washable. An absolute must!
With a name like Mandara, I knew that personalized items are hard to come by, so I wanted to be sure to include her name somewhere on the project. I used my rustic embroidery skills (heh) to add her name to one patch. I like that it's included in the mix, but that it's not necessarily the focal point. When I was stressing over the lack of perfection, my husband reminded me that the recipient is 9, and not to worry about it. It's always good to have a voice of reason!
I'm happy to say that Mandara loved it! She and my daughter had fun looking at all the different fabrics and finding cute things to squeal over. It was delightful! It felt pretty good to be able to cross something off my list, too.

42 comments:

Miss Alissa said...

What a neat gift! It turned out super cute. That lined paper fabric was perfect for adding her name!

Quilt n Queen said...

A super cute and practical gift, love the lined paper fabric...perfect to personalize the gift!! Enjoy your day Amanda Jean!!

Unknown said...

It is so nice you embroidered her name. One of my daughters has a first name that was never found on any badge, pin, mug, etc....... in any gift shop. Every time we'd go on vacation she'd search for something with her name on it only to be disappointed. It's a beautiful pillow and I'm sure she'll love it!

naurispelto said...

So lovely and girly gift :)

Anonymous said...

This is adorable. What a perfect gift. I can imagine that she will take this pillow to lots of sleep overs. This is like a mini I-Spy quilt. Love it.

Di~ said...

THAT is some serious cuteness right there! Rustic/Rusty? whatever you rocked that little project!

Bonnie said...

Such a cute pillow. And, I do like the name stitched on to primary "writing paper". clever.

Julie Bagamary said...

Great gift!

Michelle said...

I love it! Nice work. And I enjoy having my husband around to help me out like that too. Sometimes you need someone outside the situation (or quilting process) to give you perspective.

Salmagundi said...

The fabric you chose to embroider the name on is perfect. Anyone would love this pillow -- not just a nine-year-old! Sally

Liz Jimenez said...

Super cute! Perfect gift, and yes, lovely to have something personalized and yet not have that be the focal point.

I always find a deadline helps get things done... :-)

Tanya Quilts in CO said...

I love all the adorable scraps and how you personalized it. What a great gift! Deadlines always help me focus too.

Kathy E. said...

Bravo! Now you'll be the coolest mom on the planet and every kid will want to be your daughter's friend, so they can receive an adorable pillow for their birthday! I'm wondering where you found the hand-writing type fabric to embroider her name. ??? I would love some of that (teacher here)!

Danette said...

Love how you embroidered her name on the line, like writing paper! I always get great ideas from these blogs. So creative.

Terri said...

Who wouldn't love that little hedgehog? That pillow is the perfect little girl gift, and she won't get 2 the same.
Good Job, and thanks for sharing it.
Hugs

Laura said...

I've never heard of 'Mandara', but my new niece is Dandara.

Little Black Cat Quilting said...

So many cute little scraps! This just begs for a game of i spy! :)

Timi said...

This pillow looks fantastic! No wonder she liked it! :o)))

Rita said...

An adorable pillow! Great job!

Gina said...

What a lovely bright and cheerful cushion. I love the fabrics you've used

Sew Stitching Cute said...

Super fun and cute and patch work never gets old!

Anonymous said...

Love the voice of reason!

Live a Colorful Life said...

What a sweet gift. It will be well-loved for a long time.

Lilpuddin said...

What a wonderful idea! It's so beautiful and thoughtful. I think it would make a great gift for adults too.

EBattles said...

This pillow is super cute! I get so happy whenever I look at your creations - love the colors!!

For those of us interested in the label fabric, I found a note from Amanda Jean in a previous blog post. She said it is: "bungle jungle by tim and beck for Moda." Moda.com says the fabric is Dashed Stationary. I found some of the yellow and aqua for sale on easy but none of the white. Hopefully you all will have better luck!

Rike Busch said...

What a cute pillow - I love the animals - especially the hedgehog!!!!
Greetings, Rike

margaret said...

his is a loley gift my granchild is called Salma and impossible to find things she now calls herself Sal due to problems from certain racists will make one of these for her

Lisa H. said...

What a sweet gift. I love the personalization you did, it looks wonderful!

Marla said...

What a lovely, personalized gift! Nine years old is a great age to really appreciate something made with love just for you.

Unknown said...

Amanda Jean, you are a wonderful mother. And what an adorable gift!

Anne / Springleaf Studios said...

I love this pillow. Perfect use of the ruled fabric to add a name. I have some of that fabric and am now brainstorming possible uses. Thanks.

Createology said...

I adore your clever "friend pillow" and all the cute little snippets of fabrics and embroidery of the recipient's name. Sew thoughtful and special. This could be a wonderful way to gift all ages and genders as I believe everyone likes to have a pillow to snuggle. Creative Bliss and High on Life July...

JanineMarie said...

What a delightful gift! I love the use of penmanship paper print for the embroidery.

Karen said...

Lucky Mandara! And your daughter's choice of fabrics is spot on--a quilter in the making!

MaterialGirlQuilts said...

It is adorable (especially that hedgehog!!). Super cute finish.
Amanda

Tracybug Creative said...

I love how on my phone the first picture matches your header almost exactly! Such a fun gift! #bestmomever

Dawn said...

Giving away a handmade gift is a joy for the recipient. I have so many quilts I'm all about giving my treasures away. I'm in the process of making a wedding quilt and two grad quilts!

Unknown said...

FABulous!

rosehippo said...

Beautiful! I love this so much! I would gladly have this on my bed, even at 27. And Mandara is such a pretty name.

Karen @runsewfun said...

I love that you sized this for a bed pillow and added the fussy cut squares and her unique name. What a fantastic gift. Great idea!

Daytona Damsel said...

Such a cute gift. I am sure she will treasure it for years.

Teresa Duryea Wong said...

You are a great mom! Beautiful pillow case. She will treasure it probably for a long time.