Everyone knows a sports fanatic. For me, it’s my 12-year old cousin. Not only does he love hockey but he’s also impossible to buy gifts for as all he wants is money or iTunes gift cards. I like to do something a little bit original so I decided to make him this awesome pillow. He plays hockey for a couple of different teams so using his last name and jersey number were a given. This gift is great for any person of any age for any sport. It’s also great for the crafty and the not-so-crafty. You can choose to include their name & number as I did or you can do their favourite player from their favourite sport.

I chose to make my pillow from scratch. This involves choosing fabric, sewing it, stuffing it and doing the iron-on letters. This gift can easily be completed on a pre-made pillow case. It can be adapted to any size and shape. It’s really quite versatile! Perfect for any sport from baseball to hockey to soccer to football to basketball and everything in between. Any man, woman, teen or tween would love to get a personalized pillow.

To take the easy route, all you need are 3 simple things:

1. Pillow case (if purchasing a smaller pillow, ensure you can remove the case from the pillow – this will not work with a pre-stuffed pillow that is sewn shut).
2. Iron-on letters
3. Iron

To make this customized pillow, simply remove the case from the pillow and follow the instructions on the packaging for the iron-on letters.

 

 

Making the pillow from scratch will require a little more time, effort and supplies.

• fabric of your choice – I suggest cotton
• fiberfill or pillow form
• matching thread 
• sewing machine & notions
• iron-on letters
• iron

First you will need to determine the size of your pillow. I suggest figuring out how much room you will need for your letters and cutting out two identical squares or rectangles (front & back) long enough to fit the name. It’s really up to you what size you want to work with. My pillow is 18″ x 18″. I found this to be a great size for a pillow and it fit my letters well. I also chose to use two different fabrics – the back features hockey players on a background that resembles ice. I used matching fabric for the front of the pillow with only the ice pattern on it. 

Once you have cut your fabric to size, iron on your letters per the package instructions. I used flocked letters & numbers. Take your time ironing them on – it is worth it to have them properly affixed to the fabric.

When your letters are set, pin your fabric right sides together. Sew all the way around the pillow, leaving an opening of about 3″ in the centre at the bottom of the pillow – you will be hand-sewing this shut so it’s nice to be able to hide it when the pillow is propped up on a bed or couch. Flip the pillow right side out and start stuffing! You’ll be amazed at how much stuffing a pillow requires. I used approximately 10-12oz of stuffing. Make sure to push it into the corners of the pillow.

Once your pillow is adequately stuffed, push it away from the opening into the centre – you can readjust the stuffing once it is closed. Using a blind or ladder stitch, seal up the opening. Move the stuffing around so it looks nice and even. Voila! A fabulous personalized gift.