Save the Whales!

As I mentioned, Jed's dearly beloved whale pillowcase is getting a little tattered.

Okay, more than a little.

How did it get to be in such condition, you ask? Well, it used to belong to Dave. It was his when he was a little boy, and he loved it so much he brought it with him when we got married (That pillowcase, some really great bowls and an excellent pair of nail clippers were Dave's contribution to our household) (okay, I jest--a little). I love that Jed loves the whale pillowcase as much as Dave does, and I wanted to be able to preserve it for both of them. So I decided to make a little pillow, small enough so Jed can take it places and big enough for Dave to nap on in a pinch.

I knew the whale fabric wouldn't hold together much longer if it wasn't backed with something, and I happened to have saved an old dress shirt of Dave's that had gotten tar on it somehow. I figured that thick dress shirt material would be just the thing to reinforce the whales.

I got the two fabrics pinned together

and drew lines along the bias

then stitched the two fabrics together.

I felt like this pillow needed some extra dose of fun, so I decided to make piping to go around the edge. I have never made my own piping or worked with it before, but it turned out to be really easy. Just wrap some cord in some bias tape, sew along the edge and you're good to go. Luckily, I had this homemade bias tape leftover from my apron project last spring and it went perfectly with the quilting thread.

I got things sewn and ready to be stuffed, and once the pillow was filled, I hand sewed the opening closed.

I must say, I'm particularly proud of how good that piping overlay looks! Not bad for a first timer.

The finished product. I got it done just as Jed woke up from his nap, and I was really excited to see his reaction. He was pretty sad when he saw the pillowcase go under the knife, so I was happy to be able to return the whales to him in a different form.

He was thrilled to see his beloved whales back in action! He carried the pillow around the rest of the day and--of course--snuggled up with it last night.

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It is nice to see something I've worked hard on actually be enjoyed. There is nothing better than giving new life to something so my boys can love it longer. Truth be told, I'm incredibly partial to the whales myself.