Custom-designed, embroidered pillows are now my go-to baby gift!
Like the other 20×20 pillows, I used Embrilliance embroidery software to edit a birth announcement file purchased from Designs by JuJu. After completing the machine embroidery, I quilted it using ruler and free-motion quilting before adding the backing fabric and binding.
The pillow’s border is made from Tula Pink’s purple “Hexie Rainbow” fabric, along with some pastel swirl fabric I had on hand. I matched the embroidery thread to the colors in the swirl fabric. The border was quilted using 50wt cotton Connecting Threads in purple and white 50wt Aurifil thread in the white center panel. The embroidery mainly was Madeira brand thread.
The problem with this project was with the pillow forms purchased from Amazon. The review I put on the product listing is below.
“The pillow form’s exterior fabric is super thin polypropylene, a non-woven manufactured covering which is not great, but OK. The problem was that none of the fill was in any of the corners of the pillow’s exterior fabric. I had to cut it open and shove the filling into the corners with my hands. and then sew it back together. I then put it in the pillow cover that I made, that’s a perfect 20×20, and it didn’t fit at all. The pillow fits an 18×18 pillow, and it’s advertised to fit 20×20. So, I cut other white fabric at 20×20 and used the filling from one pillow and about 1/3 of the filling from a second pillow to create an actual 20×20 pillow form that has evenly distributed filling. I’ll never order these again. When I buy 20×20 pillow forms from Walmart, they’re actually 20×20. These are a disappointment.”
After remaking the pillow form, the final gift turned out great.
