Friday, June 11, 2010

A Memory Pillow from Dad's Shirt

If you read my blog you know that my Dad died recently.  I asked my Mom for a few of Dad's shirts to make pillows for my son's bed.  I thought it might be nice for my son to have something of Dad's that could also be useful.
The shirts are XL size, I made this one into a 16 inch pillow.

I cut an 18" square from the center of the shirt, the buttons will be the closure for the pillow.
It looks like a rectangle here, but it really is a square.  Next I cut an 18" square from the back of the shirt.
I pinned the two squares together with the buttons on the inside, so the fabric is right side together.
I sewed a 5/8" seam all around the squares and then unbuttoned the front and turned the pillow cover right side out.
I ironed the edge seams carefully, and then stitched about 1/2" from the sides all the way around to create an envelope style edge.
Here is the finished product!
This one looks great on the couch and I have another shirt that is a soft brushed flannel which will make a very nice pillow too!

15 comments:

a little bit of everything said...

Excellent idea. Love it!

Ann @ makethebestofthings said...

How sweet of you to make these for your son. I wish I'd done something like this with my father in law's shirts.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful idea! Great memory piece of your father.

Laura said...

This turned out great. What a special way to remember your father.


Thanks for sharing with us at Saturday is Crafty Day!
Laura @ along for the ride

Diane said...

What a great idea. Great tribute to your dad.

Hope you can visit me somtimes over at Pittypat Paperie.

Haverford House said...

This is a great way to remember your dad ~ thanks for sharing this project. ~Marcy

Stephanie Lynn @Under the Table and Dreaming said...

What a great idea! I love the sentiment behind these too. What a precious project! Thanks so much for joining the Sunday Showcase! I greatly appreciate it! Hope you have a wonderful week! ~ Stephanie Lynn

Ott, A. said...

Thanks so much for stoppin' by for a Latte' and commenting on my cupcakes. This pillow is a great idea, I wish I could sew. Thanks for sharing.

Stephanie Lynn @Under the Table and Dreaming said...

Hi Ellen- I'll be featuring your pillow tomorrow! Stop by and grab a featured button if you like. Thanks again for joining The Sunday Showcase! ~ Stephanie Lynn

Mamarazzi said...

CUTE...my daughter would love a pillow made from one of her daddy's shirts.

Rory from Tools Are For Women Too! said...

What a great way to honor your Dad...I know he would think these are great! Thanks for sharing them with us on Modern Craftswoman Monday! Rory

Unknown said...

That is such a cute pillow. I never would have thought that it was made from a men's shirt. The buttons "pop." Great job!

Quiltstory said...

What a sweet idea. Love it! Thanks for linking up.

Cathy said...

This is fantastic, I love it! My Dad died almost two years ago and I took some his wool socks to make sock monkeys from. I wonder if my Mom still has some shirts too, I'd like to try this. It's a nice way to keep him around:)

X said...

We do think alike! :) I love the idea of using a loved one's old shirt for a pillow. I think my son would love a "Dad" pillow made from daddy's old work shirt.
Following you back!