We are currently working on the Reading Pillows for Cabot’s classroom this fall, so I thought it was the perfect time to share some of the pillows we’ve done for the boys’ classrooms in the past. (= The first couple of years we only did Funny Monster Faces, but we branched out into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Harry Potter Characters, Mike Wazowski, and more.
If you’d like to make some Reading Pillows for your favorite classroom, or for you at home, here are a few pointers:
- Applique the faces/designs before you sew the two pillow sides together. Be sure to Fray Check the start/end points (on the back side) to make the applique less likely to pull out. When you see strings sticking out from the pillow (and you probably will after using them awhile) trim off the string — do NOT pull it so you don’t unravel any applique. (=
- Put zippers in the pillowcases so you can remove them and wash them when needed – they will definitely need washing if they are used in a classroom. When you wash them, use Shout Color Catchers in the load to keep the colors from fading into each other. I use these all the time and they are AWESOME! Here’s a link to Color Catchers on Amazon in case you aren’t familiar with them.
- If you’re doing the pillows for a classroom, look for good sales to save money when buying the pillows. We usually get ours at Herberger’s during their summer Home Sale and we are able to get new, pretty decent, pillows for $5-10 each. It’s definitely worth watching for the sales if you are doing a bunch of pillows! (=
Here are pics of some of the pillows we’ve done over the years to get your creative juices flowing. (=
I think Cabot’s bedhead perfectly complements the Reading Pillows. (=
Harry, Ron and Hermione — because we are HUGE Harry Potter fans! (=