DIY: Home is Wherever I'm With You Pillow

Sad news. My best friend, Kim, is moving across the country. :( For three years at least. It makes me sad. To be fair, I did move halfway across country to Arizona two years ago, so I guess we're even? 

No, seriously, I am so happy for Kim and her hubby, Jake, to embark on their next adventure. I can speak from experience when saying moving to a far away place can be scary, but also an amazing growing experience with fun new adventures to be had!

We had our farewell dinner last week at this amazing little restaurant in Seattle called Pasta Freska. You are seated and then the Chef comes to your table and asks you if there is anything you can't eat, don't like, etc. I said no fish, Kim and Zach said not too spicy and Jake said bring it on! No menu, no prices listed. He just brings you a bottle of wine (and a Raspberry Lemonade for the prego) and the first course begins! Such a cool experience and everything was so delicious. Brought us all back to Italy! I think in all we had about 7 courses including dessert. It was a little spendy, but well worth it for a nice dinner out to celebrate awesome friendships! 

So, back to the pillow. I wanted to send them off with a sweet going away gift and have always loved the "Home Is Wherever I'm With You" quote from this song. Further evidence here that I love it and how relevant it was to us when we moved to Arizona (and to Kim and Jake now that they are moving to Charlotte.

Luckily, I had everything on hand for this project, it was just a matter of putting it all together, which was super easy!

Supplies:

Fabric

Felt

Fiberfill

Embroidery thread

Scissors

Needle

Sewing machine with matching thread

Step One: Print out your quote in the font you want. Cut out the paper letters individually first.

Step Two: Cut out your fabric in two square pieces the same size. If you are using fiberfill, you can make it any size you want. If you have a pillow form, measure the form and cut accordingly. I made mine about 17 inches square.

Step Three: Cut out the felt letters. 

Step Four: Play with the placement on your pillow.

Step Five: Start stitching! I started with the bottom row to make sure there was enough space along the bottom. I used a simple running stitch on each letter with three strands (half) of the embroidery thread. 

Step Six: Sew the pillow together using a straight stitch with your machine. I used navy thread that blended in quite nicely. Make sure to leave a good 5-6 inch gap at the bottom so you can stuff your pillow. 

Step Seven: Turn the pillow inside out and stuff with fiber fill. Make sure to get into the corners really well. I didn't stuff it too full because I wanted it to be comfy and soft. 

Step Eight: Sew up the pillow using a hidden stitch. I used the navy thread and didn't have to be that careful since it blended in. 

Don't you love it? Modern and simple. Perfect for Kim's style - and she loved it too! Such and easy project, I think it took me two nights while watching TV. Not bad at all. I kind of want to make one for myself now! :)

We'll miss you Kim and Jake!!!

PS see more of my pillow projects here!