9.11.2009

Creative Guest: Kid's Neck Pillow Tutorial by Infarrantly Creative

Happy Friday and welcome to Ucreate! My name is Beckie, author Infarrantly Creative.

I am honored to be a guest blogger today and would like to invite you to come visit me. I have many tutorials and DIY projects that anyone can do. Come on over and be inspired.

I have been on a stuffed animal massacre lately. Kari featured my puppets out of stuffed animals a few days ago and now I am going to teach you how to make a stuffed animal neck pillow for your child.

We take many road trips and one of the challenges is trying to keep my kids asleep in the car, especially my three-year-old. Let's face it, shoving the pillow between his head and the car seat doesn't work for more than about 30 minutes before the head bobbing wakes him up.

I used to do a lot of flying and took a travel neck pillow along to help me sleep. It got me thinking and I came up with this. (He is posing people, yes he is normally strapped in when the car is moving ;-)

The animal's head keeps my son's head from bobbing by propping it in place, perfect for a long car ride. Do you want to learn how? It is easy, I promise.

Supplies:
Pattern (download here)
Stuffed Animal
Fabric (I chose a plush felt)
Scissors
Batting
Needle
Coordinating Thread
Sewing Machine
Pins

1. Gather your supplies. I had it all on hand and even had the plush felt that matched the lion's head. Perfect!

2. Cut out two pieces of your fabric from the downloaded pattern.

3. With ride sides together sew around the entire pillow with a 1/4" seam leaving a 4" opening at the top.

4. Turn right side out and take a small pair of sharp scissors and cut a circle through the 1st layer of fabric. You may want to take notice of the side your child naturally falls asleep on (left or right) and cut the circle on the opposite side. Turn right side out.

5. After you decapitate your stuffed animal sew the head onto the circle using a needle and thread. I kept the head stuffed and just sewed it in place using a whip stitch.

6. After you sew the head on, stuff the pillow full and whip stitch your opening closed.



The whole project will take you less than 30 minutes, which was way worth the 2 hours my son slept in the car this past weekend on our way to Michigan.


Thanks for tuning in, over and out!
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33 Comments:

  1. Very cute! Will link up to this next week at Dollar Store Crafts.
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  2. I love Beckie's blog she always has the best ideas and such a great attitude.
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  3. i wish i could sew...i looove this idea!! this is perfect for the car ride home after a long day of play @ grandma and grandpa's house!!!
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  4. I love her blog and I love this idea!
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  5. That is a great idea. We are going on a road trip with our (then) 9 month old in November from California to Iowa... we need ALL the help we can get!
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  6. haha Kari - sounds like something I would do.

    Thanks for the introduction!

    I can't wait to check out Beckie's blog - that idea is so cute! I have a little nephew on the way. I think I need to add this to my list of things to make him!

    :)

    Roeshel
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  7. Very very cute! I will have to make on of these! My son is the king of head bobs! : )
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  8. Great idea. I have a little head bobber.
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  9. Oh my gosh! I am sending this to my mom right now. She has been saying for years that she wants to make something for the kids to keep their heads from bobbing around when they sleep in the car.

    And SHE knows how to sew. Unlike me.
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  10. I absolutely love this idea and will try this for my toddler asap. Thanks!
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  11. I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.


    Susan

    http://carusbcharger.com
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  12. Fabulous!! I posted a link to your tutorial on Craft Gossip Sewing:

    http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-kids-plush-travel-pillow/2009/09/11/

    --Anne
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  13. What a great idea. You are so talented. Thanks for sharing.
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  14. That is such a cute idea!! So glad she shared the tutorial!
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  16. Once again, Beckie, you have come up with a great idea!

    (AKA sarah@neoteric.traditional)
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  18. Very cute! What a great project!
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  19. I have been wanting something like this for my boys!!! I hate it and feel so bad for a baby, toddler, or older kids head to bob! Or for their neck to be completely falling to the side. I LOVE this! Thanks for the tutorial. I do not sew, but it looks easy enough for a beginner to try! LOVE IT!
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  20. Oh goodness girl! You are brilliant!!!! I am constantly (while NOT driving) trying to squeeze myself between the two front seats, to reach my kids in the back, and wedge a pillow between their head and the car seat. And I only have a gazillion extra stuffed animals. One of them will be decapitated SOON!
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  21. Cute idea. My kids flip their head back and forth from one side to the other so maybe I would need an animal on both sides.

    Just checking in A-G-A-I-N
    My blog has been growing like gang busters and while that is great I haven't had much time to visit my blog friends. I decided I needed to make some time for some visits, cuz I just missed everyone too much. Come back over for a visit as well.

    Cheri
    Its So Very Cheri
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  23. That is DARLING! I love that you used a stuffed animal, what a great idea! I'll be linking to this.
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  24. I love this neck pillow. It is so much better than the boring ones I have seen. It says "kid." O wo;; featuring this on a post about kids at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com
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  26. Love this. I have a little one going in for surgery and has to have lots of tests at the hospital. He comes out tired and the stores were out of the boy neck pillows. Made mine out of an old blanket and new stuffed animals. Thank you!
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  27. I have a stuffed animal that has lost one leg and one arm that would be perfect for this project.
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  28. Going on a 5 hr road trip to FLA this weekend w/ 2.5 yo.

    Have a ton of free Mardi Gras stuffed animal throws lying around the house.

    Guess what I'm going to try to make this week!!
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  29. What a wonderful idea!!
    Thank you for sharing it with all of us. Very cute.
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  30. This is SO great. I think I'm going to convert one of my two-year olds fuzzy blankets into a neck pillow. It's perfect! I can't bring myself to decapitate one of her stuffed animals though. :( Not yet anyway... I'm just waiting til one looks at me wrong. Ha ha!
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  31. love it! I have been wanting to get some of these for my girls - and have been wanting to cut down on the crap we have... now i can convert an already loved stuffed animal into some thing useful! Thanks!
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  32. Awesome. We have a 22 hour drive coming up with a 5.5 y/o and a 2.5 y/o. I think these will work out fabulous! Thank you for posting!
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  33. Thanks for the pattern, I wanted to make one of these but couldn't find a good one. It turned out perfect and my little boy loves it! I blogged about it too. Thanks!
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