Embroidered Memory Pillow
I talked to you guys about my Uncle Dan who passed away last year from Covid-19. My Aunt April gave me 5 shirts of his and asked me to make her a throw pillow. While I do plan on quilting with the other shirts, I wanted to do something different with one of them. My Uncle loved Mexican-style art and had a house full of treasures. I decided to take his love for art and turned it into this DIY Embroidered Memory Pillow.
I used my Uncle’s white shirt for this project. I drew a picture on the shirt with a pen, but you can use an embroidery pencil as well.
Place the design of the shirt into an embroidery hoop and start stitching.
You can practice different kinds of stitches and the possibilities of what you can embroider on the shirt are endless.
I cut out the design from the front of the shirt and centered it more on the back piece. Use pins to secure the front and back pieces of the shirt together (right-side in).
Use a sewing machine to sew around the shape of your pillow and cut off any access fabric. Turn the pillow case right-side out and add your pillow.
I added my Uncle’s initials, flowers, and just “free-handed” whatever came to me. I thought about adding more embroidery, but I also like the pillow just like this. My Aunt April loves sentimental gifts and I know she’s going to cherish this pillow.
This pillow case can easily be removed and thrown in the washer with a load of laundry, so it’s also practical.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
I have several embroidered pillow cases, they don’t fit our pillows. This is a great way to repurpose them. Thank you for the great idea!!
Did you use cotton floss?