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Photo by Sarah Walor
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I'm a pug person, and if you know any other pug people, you may have noticed that we are really into our pets. Really, they are more like family members. So, it didn't seem at all strange to me that I wanted to create a pillow to look like my pug, Ollie. If you like to squeeze your pet, you'll probably have no problem picturing them as a pillow. Not only did I see Ollie as plush perfect, but since pugs are a toy breed, I could easily make the pillow Ollie-shaped and Ollie-sized.
Supplies you'll need:
- camera
- white sheet
- fabric
- straight pins
- needle and thread
- polyseter pillow stuffing
1. Stage a photo shoot Ollie was ready to go — this dog loves attention! Set up your photo shoot against a white wall (or hang a white sheet) so it will be easier to cut out the background later. Take lots of pictures and have your pet stand and sit in various positions so you have plenty of images to choose from. 2. Edit your photo Choose your favorite picture and then use photo-editing software to remove the background. There are plenty of free, easy online applications, such as fotoflexer.com. 3. Use Spoonflower Upload your image to spoonflower.com, and resize your image and choose the fabric to print. Spoonflower's online fabric designer tool will show you exactly what your custom-printed yard of fabric will look like, allowing you to make changes until you get it just the way you want it. Once you place your order, they will print it and have it ready to ship in about a week. Prices start at $16 per yard. 4. Choose a backing fabric Go to the fabric store and choose a fabric for the back of your pillow. I used a chevron fabric in a similar weight. 5. Assemble the pillow Cut around the shape of your pet, leaving a couple of inches of white space all the way around. Then use that cut-out piece of fabric as a pattern for trimming the pillow back. Using straight pins, pin the two pieces of fabric together with the printed sides of the fabric facing together. (Don't worry, you're going to turn it inside-out when you stuff it.) Sew all around the perimeter of the pillow, leaving a hole in the bottom to push the pillow through. Once you have filled the pillow with stuffing, you can hand-sew the bottom opening. 6. Pet meets pillow Now, place your new pet pillow on your couch and just wait for your friends and family to notice. You might also want to introduce your pet to their new twin. Ollie the pug, meet Ollie the pillow! Karen Guard is the blogger behind Darling Octopus . In each issue she tackles a new do-it-yourself project for R•Home.
