When Nova posted a pattern for her wonderful Petal Pocket and Pillow Pocket pillows, I was immediately sold. When I was little, I had a pillow with a small little pocket on the interior where I used to hide away all my special treasures. (I should really show you a photo of it in all its ’70s glory – oh, here’s a little peek of it in the first photo of this post – that orange and green one in the little chair. Kitties, of course.)
So I decided to make up a couple for Max and his cousins. Because even though babies don’t necessarily need pillows, I just couldn’t resist. I’m hoping that the pillows will make for some fun decoration in their nurseries right now, and maybe will be a great spot for them to store their own treasures when they’re older!
I can’t say enough about Nova’s pattern. She’s done a wonderful job clearly describing and showing all the steps, making this a quick and satisfying project. I tend to shy away from projects like this, being kind of afraid of applique, but I was pleasantly surprised at how easily it all came together.
And I truly love how it leaves lots of room for you to add your own touches. I had fun playing around with lots of different fabric combinations – I was surprised to find I had enough reds in my stash for this fun pillow, which I put on a striped gray background and finished with a light gray printed and solid pocket.
I went with browns on a cream background for this one. The back is a fun gold Lotta Jansdotter print with a pop of blue for the binding. And Nova even inspired me to try a bit of hand embroidery on each.
Max’s pillow is made up of prints in bright greens, blues and grays with a pieced gray pocket. The backing is primarily aqua, with darker aqua in one corner for a fun little twist. This pattern is designed to fit a 20″ pillow, but I had no trouble making the background a bit smaller on two of them to fit 18″ pillows instead.
I finished each with a corresponding backing and invisible zipper and a matching binding, and voila, cute pillows!
Thanks Nova, for a really great pattern! In case you want to make one yourself (and you should, you really should!) — you can buy a copy of Nova’s pattern here. Not only does it make a fun pillow for a kids room, but I think it’s also fun for adults as well. Just think of all the things you could store in there — your book, iPad, or kindle, the remote, a little snack… I’ve been keeping Max’s pillow on the couch and lately I’ve been keeping my knitting tucked in the pocket. No end to the fun!
Awww, what a fun gift! They came out great. I love the fabric combos and the embroidery. I bet the children will love them for years to come.
These pillows remind me of the one I had on my bed growing up which was meant to hid my nightgown. Same 70s glory in my house… 😉
These are fantastic! You did a beautiful job and I love the embroidered names!
Oh I have this pattern – I can’t wait to have time to make some!
What a great gift! I’ll definitely be thinking about one of these for the girl child in the near future… to go with her new quilt.
So cute Ashley! I fell in love with Nova’s pillow way back when she made one for the pillow swap. I love your versions, thanks for reminding me I want to make some for my girls too!
These pillows are fabulous!!
Very cute, love the idea of a wee hiding place like that 🙂
LOVE those pillows!! What a great idea to personalize them with each childs name 🙂
How cute are these And the model is quite handsome.
@pril
These are lovely and remind me of one I had when I was little and remade for my little Madam, it had “Tooth fairy” appliquéd on and a teeny tiny pocket on the front for me to put a tooth and then dig out the pennies the next morning!
They look pretty. The finishing is really beautiful. Goota make one 🙂
EEK!! SO adorable!
& the pillows are pretty cute too 😉
xxx
Too cute! And glad to get my Max-fix!
I so love the colours and the ncombinations are great. I am off this minute to find the pattern. Annabelle xx
How clever and cute! (The pillows AND Max.)
I LOVE these pillows. What a great idea. 🙂
Oh yes! Those are so cute. The blue and brown one is my favorite, I think. The embroidery is such a great touch! Thank you for sharing. I’m definitely inspired to make one, too!
I looove that boy. I love your quilts, I pin them on my Pinterest site, with your name, etc. Your gray butterfly one is on my to make list. I love the tone of your blog. I looove that Darlin’ Darlin’ BOY!!!!
Yeah for the pillows! Super awesome. It is cool to see them all together, as well.