Avery's First Birthday Pillow

My dear friends baby was celebrating her first birthday and I wanted to make her something special. I used two types of printing methods to create this personalized pillow for Avery.

To make this pillow I needed
ink jet color printer
photo transfer paper
sewing supplies
pillow form
fabrics 
muslin
an iron
fabric paints and fabric markers
laundry marker
cardboard
spray adheasive

To create the border design I needed these supplies
pencil with an eraser
1"square gum eraser
printing dyes (I used a thickish block printing dye)
brush

Cut muslin 2"larger than pillow form, my form was 16X16 so I used an 18X18 piece of fabric.

Cut two sections of fabric for the back. I like to mix up my fabrics. each piece should be 18X12

choose a photo and using an ink jet color printer print the photo on fabric transfer paper. Then carefully cut out the portrait. 

Follow directions on transfer paper pkg. and iron the print to the muslin.

lightly spray the back of the fabric with spray adheasive and adhere to the cardboard. This will hold the fabric nicely to create a working surface.

Mark off 1/2" around border of fabric

lightly begin detail around face.

begin printing the checkerboard border by painting the fabric dye or ink on the side of the 1" square eraser and gently pressing it on the fabric using the pencil border line as a guide. re paint the eraser before each application. you can measure an inch away or eye-ball it but continue printing along the border.

after printing the entire border, go back and print a second row to create checkerboard effect.

I chose a second color to work with

And a third color to finish my checkerboard boarder

Using white and the eraser on the pencil as a stamp I printed dots in the middle of each square to enhance my pattern.

I began working on the design by painting areas of color into my image.

when the larger areas of color were dry I went in with assorted fabric markers and finally a very thin, black laundry marker to enhance the detail on my pillow.

Remove work from the cardboard backing and use a hot iron to set the color on the fabric. 

turn in 1/4 inch on one 18" edge of each back section.
machine stitch

With right sides together pin one half of the back piece to the front. Fold down 1" of fabric to make a nice edge.

pin second piece of back also folding in an edge.

Machine sew all three pieces together using the original pencil border line as a gauge. 

remove pins and turn right side out.

stuff the pillow form into the pillow