Pom Pom Pyjama Pillow

For a while now we have been trying to encourage Anna to keep her bedroom tidy. For a four year old who loves dressing up and often has two or three clothing changes per day depending on her whims, this is no easy task.

One thing that has been driving me bonkers is that she takes off her pyjamas in the morning and they are left where she is standing. Rather than keep nagging her about about it, I decided to make a special pyjama keeper.

I used the divine Hello Tokyo fabric (by the Red Thread for Robert Kaufman) that I got from my sponsor Fabric Fusion. A couple of cool things about this fabric - it is designed by Australian Lisa Tilse, and it is only on very limited release in Australia, New Zealand and the US. It won't be more widely available until later in the year, but if you love it as much as I do, you might be able to snap some up from Fabric Fusion but be quick - it's been really popular!

For this project, I've used the Patchwork Doll print for the front of the pillow, Geisha Fans in Pink, Orange and Red, and I've lined it with Diamonds in Red (which is red diamonds on an orange background.) This fabric is BRIGHT. It's all about colour, which I love.

As you can see in the above picture, I cut my pieces into 33 x33 cm (13x13") pieces, and for the back pieces I just cut the 33cm square piece in half. I used a 25cm (10") zip, to which I added some tabs on the end. To give it an extra fun element, I included some pom pom trim around the edges. My first time sewing with pom poms - they were a bit tricky!

I tried to work out a way to insert the zip down the middle of the back of the cushion AND have a lining. But I couldn't work it out. I tried and unpicked and tried again...and unpicked again. Then gave up and stitched the lining in by hand at the end! I probably didn't need a lining but I REALLY wanted one! Especially being a pyjama keeper, you don't want to see raw edges and ugly batting on the inside every time you open it.

The back view. I'm feeling a bit proud of that fabric placement. It was a complete fluke that the fans match up so perfectly on either side of the zip! Lucky! To combat the lining problem, I could have just moved the zipper to a side seam, but I felt a middle seam up the back was a bit easier for small hands to manage.

I'm glad I persisted with the lining. It looks nice and tidy - just don't look to close inside! There are a couple of little spots I couldn't close up properly by hand. Oh well - it looks like the idea I had in my head, so I will be happy with achieving my vision, even if it's not finished to perfection.

I used cotton batting inside as well and stitched a few quilting lines on the front of the pillow for added sturdiness. Because the pillow will be empty when the pyjamas are in use, I wanted the pillow to still keep some shape.

Anna is excited by her pom pom pyjama pillow for the moment - I hope that excitement lasts and she is inspired to put them away in there everyday.

Another great thing about Hello Tokyo is that it is cute without being babyish, and it is suitable for a wide range of ages. There is also a range of coordinating ribbons, buttons and iron on motifs.

Now that I've made this for Anna, I'm thinking about what I should make for myself with this fabric - any suggestions?