I have always tended to get a bit carried away when it comes
to decorating during the holidays, even moreso since the grand-
babies started coming. I wanted Grandma and Grandpa's house
to be a colorful, magical place where old-fashioned decorations,
innocent bunnies and lambs, frolicking chicks and ducks, and a
garden full of merry Easter eggs could delight both the eye and
the imagination.
I love Christmas decorations, but Easter...Easter is very special to me thanks to the love and care my mother put into the Easter baskets she made for us, true works of art the likes of which I haven't since the early 1960's.
Very clear in my memory is my 5th birthday party (see above photo) which fell just before Easter and was, naturally, Easter themed. To this day, I haven't any idea how Mom decorated the eggs we hunted which were absolutely breathtaking, some bejeweled, others enclosed within delightful cardboard cutouts, still others meticulously colored and decorated.
Easter was ribbon and lace and snow white gloves, frocks with stiff crinolines, and shiny white patent leather shoes. Requisite accessories included Easter bonnets with taffeta roses and satin or felt ribbon bows, and dainty white straw purses decorated with pastel milliner's flowers. One year my little purse was shaped like a parasol! How I miss those long ago days of princess pretties!
~ HOW TO MAKE EASTER EGG PILLOWS ~
(Enlarge by clicking on the Easter Egg pillow photos above. Samples are the best guide!)
I made my own egg pattern and you can too. It took a bit of patience to get it right. Once I got one vertical side perfect, I simply folded the piece of poster-board I was using and traced the other side so that they matched. The egg pillows in the photo are about 18 inches tall and about 15 inches at the widest width. You can use poster-board or cardboard or heavy butcher paper for your pattern.
Once you've finished your pattern, use two pieces of coordinating fabric 12 inches in length and 20 inches in width. With right sides together, sew a straight seam along the width so that you end up with a piece 20 inches wide and about 23 inches in length. Press the seam open. Place the finished piece on a flat surface and pin your pattern to the fabric aligning the seam in whatever position you want it, taking care that both ends of the egg are within the margins of the fabric and the pattern is pinned perfectly vertical. Cut and lay aside. For the back, use a solid piece of fabric 20 inches wide and about 23 inches in length. This piece won't have a seam, obviously.
With right sides together, pin together the front and back of your egg around the edges leaving room for a 1/2 inch seam. Sew the two pieces together around the edges LEAVING A 3-4 INCH opening along the BOTTOM of the egg for stuffing. Turn inside out, check seams for holes, trim as needed. Stuff with fiber fill. (I use Cluster Stuff which is super-squishy soft.) Hand-stitch the opening closed and
TA-DA!!! You've got an egg pillow that will delight your little ones!
I used vintage chenille and print cotton fabrics for the eggs showcased above. The chenille, with it's various textures, turns out particularly nice. You can purchase new chenille at Hancock's and other fabric stores. Minky dot fabric would also make a sweet, super soft egg pillow.
Sewing on a budget? Use scraps of fabric from old blouses, skirts,
etc. (Satin bows & other trimmings can be used to decorate your egg.)
***Do not leave infants or small children unattended with these or any other pillows due to the risk of suffocation.***
(Enlarge by clicking on the Easter Egg pillow photos above. Samples are the best guide!)
I made my own egg pattern and you can too. It took a bit of patience to get it right. Once I got one vertical side perfect, I simply folded the piece of poster-board I was using and traced the other side so that they matched. The egg pillows in the photo are about 18 inches tall and about 15 inches at the widest width. You can use poster-board or cardboard or heavy butcher paper for your pattern.
Once you've finished your pattern, use two pieces of coordinating fabric 12 inches in length and 20 inches in width. With right sides together, sew a straight seam along the width so that you end up with a piece 20 inches wide and about 23 inches in length. Press the seam open. Place the finished piece on a flat surface and pin your pattern to the fabric aligning the seam in whatever position you want it, taking care that both ends of the egg are within the margins of the fabric and the pattern is pinned perfectly vertical. Cut and lay aside. For the back, use a solid piece of fabric 20 inches wide and about 23 inches in length. This piece won't have a seam, obviously.
With right sides together, pin together the front and back of your egg around the edges leaving room for a 1/2 inch seam. Sew the two pieces together around the edges LEAVING A 3-4 INCH opening along the BOTTOM of the egg for stuffing. Turn inside out, check seams for holes, trim as needed. Stuff with fiber fill. (I use Cluster Stuff which is super-squishy soft.) Hand-stitch the opening closed and
TA-DA!!! You've got an egg pillow that will delight your little ones!
I used vintage chenille and print cotton fabrics for the eggs showcased above. The chenille, with it's various textures, turns out particularly nice. You can purchase new chenille at Hancock's and other fabric stores. Minky dot fabric would also make a sweet, super soft egg pillow.
Sewing on a budget? Use scraps of fabric from old blouses, skirts,
etc. (Satin bows & other trimmings can be used to decorate your egg.)
***Do not leave infants or small children unattended with these or any other pillows due to the risk of suffocation.***
1 comment:
What wonderful memories you have. It is great the you are not only sharing those memories with your grand-children, but creating some for them to cherish. I hope that they continue this family tradition with thier children, and grand-children.
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