Monday, April 22, 2013

A Mother's Day For My Daughters....

When your daughters are all grown up and are mothers themselves, it is hard to claim one of the biggest holidays of the year just for yourself.

How do you make it special for each of you?

By spending some time together that day. And maybe making them a special gift.

This year I saw something that I really wanted for myself but then got the idea to make one for each of my daughters, Candice and Jena.

They are both mothers with one daughter each. And they are good mothers. And I get to be NaNa to my precious granddaughters Cassidy and Chloe....


So I decided instead of making myself one of these, I would make one for each of them.

 
I apologize that this is not a tutorial per se, because I didn't think of that till they were almost done (I will try and explain what I did to give you an idea of how to make one). And while I was handsewing them, I was thinking about what on earth I was going to blog about today and AHA! That was MY aha moment!
 
I got the idea from Judy Clark's Etsy shop 20 North Ora, which is the address of her childhood home. She says that is where her Mom taught her to do all kinds of needlework. Her shop is full of lovely sewn items. She calls them Beautiful Memories pillows. The front is a pocket to hold keepsakes and pictures of your children. Judy says " I just started making the pillows because I had so many vintage photos that I wanted to do something with and made the first one for my Mother. I collect vintage lace and linens and wanted to do something creative with them so they could be out instead of in a box".

A great idea for Spring and Summer brides.......Judy has made as many as 200 of them for a wedding reception. The bride put a wedding portrait and thank you note in each pocket and put them on the seats at the reception.

She has also made them using pieces from old wedding dresses.

I started mine by cutting 8 1/2 x 11 pieces out of the quilted mattress pad that both girls used in their crib as babies. Yeah, I keep things....for this reason. It is a bit of nostalgia that is now put to great use!

I found two different doilies from my stash of vintage doilies and started playing with the layout on each one. I made sure to pin and sew the embellishments on before sewing the edges together to form the pillow, which makes it alot easier!

 
The first one I made was with a doily that is stained all over and looks really old and shabby chic. When I pinned it on and folded over the top for the pocket....oh, my goodness....it looked like an owl. My older daughter Candice just happens to be really into owls right now. I sewed a few stitches down the middle to create a beak and the doily did the rest! I handsewed the doily onto the top piece of the pillow all around the edges. I took a scrap of wide lace, tucked it together, added some trim and a vintage button and put it on the right corner. On the left corner the feathers are glued on and the vintage mother of pearl button is sewn in place. Kinda makes the owl look like he has ears but really the corner embellishments add decoration for when the keepsakes are in the pocket.

The doily is wrapped around the underside and stitched in place.


 
Add your treasured keepsakes to the pocket and you have a Memories Pillow. I used a picture of my Son and things he drew for this picture.
 
 
For the second pillow I used an oblong doily that has a dark stain in the middle. It was perfect for the shape of the pillow. It is handsewn onto the pillow fabric along the sides and bottom. The back of this pillow is plain.
 
I had to be creative to try and cover that stain. I took a scrap of wide lace, fanned it out and sewed it onto the doily being careful not to catch the pillow fabric since it has to be an open pocket. I added a piece of sheer ribbon and a vintage button to cover up my stitches and the stain is gone! A thin piece of vintage lace trim placed diagonal on one corner and seashells glued on the other finishes this pillow. Both pillows are stuffed with fiberfill and the top is handsewn with a blindstitch. All the materials I used for both pillows are scraps and things I had around the house.
 

 
Placed with other pillows on your window seat, a chair, or a shelf, these pillows are decorative as well as useful to hold your most precious memories.
 

 
How do you celebrate Mother's Day?
 
AnnMarie : )


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25 comments:

  1. Oh those pillows are lovely and I love the idea of storing memories, well done!
    Tonight I'm going to cook for my mom, it's a surprise! We live in different cities and don't see each other very much, so I've decided to surprise her with a nice dinner

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  2. Hello, Ann Marie!! So pleased to meet you!! Thanks so much for following me and I have just returned the favor!!Also thank you for your kind words about my Rose!! LOL!! I am so thrilled with her myself. I have also seen one done using sewing patterns instead of music sheet paper decoupaged on. Only I was told that you will have to use 2 layers of the sewing patterns as they are so thin. I f you do not want to use the base, the dress form comes with a hanger. I have also seen one done with lace glued on. It was stunning....

    I LOVE these sweet memory pillows!! I have also see this type of thing but using embroidery hoops and then you hang them. That is on my list of things to make!!I am sure your daughters will love these. I am a Mom of 2 sons, no daughters! LOL!
    I have also added your blog to my blog roll....

    Hugs,
    Deb

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  3. Such a neat idea AnnMarie! Thanks for sharing! :) If I were better at sewing it would be a perfect idea for my mom! Maybe I'll have to learn something new!

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  4. What a great and thoughtful idea AnnMarie! I love it!

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  5. You are such a sweet mama (and Nana)! Thanks for sharing!

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  6. These pillows are beautiful! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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  7. you do beautiful work! Love it...what a neat idea

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  8. Wow, Anne Marie the pillows turned out so well! I know your daughters will treasure them for years to come. I thought that pillow looked like an owl.

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  9. What a great idea! Thanks for posting this- I pinned it for later, because my daughter is still young enough that I'd love to have some of this stashed away for later. :)

    Noelle

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  10. They are beautiful! Such a pretty way to repurpose old doilies.

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  11. So pretty! What a lovely idea!

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  12. I'm sure your girls will love them.

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  13. Beautiful way to store and display precious keepsakes. So tender.

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  14. What adorable memory pillows! So feminine and sweet! I love lace/crocheted doilies, too! This is my first time visiting here. I thought it was pretty cool that your two granddaughters names are Cassidy and Chloe. I have two granddaughters also, Chloe is 13 and Cassandra is 11. I'm a new follower!
    Ann @ Cairn Cottage/Christ in the Clouds

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  15. Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog! Love these pillows. How sweet to make those for your daughter's to celebrate them on Mother's Day. I have an almost 18 month old and we celebrate by going out to brunch together....my Mom, my sister, her husband, my husband, my daughter, and myself, and once my mother in law is leaving near by she will be included in the mix as well. Last year after brunch my Mom, sister, and I went to get pedicures and shopping after lunch. It was a great day and hoping for another great day this year!
    ~Jackie @ The Non-Martha Momma

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  16. I hold a special dinner for my mother most years, this year it will be extra special as my youngest brother will be graduating from high school that day! Great idea on the pillows:) New follower from the Meet & Greet.

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  17. Hi Anne Marie!
    Love this idea - as I was scrolling down and saw the Owl Pillow - I thought - wow what a brilliant idea - and then saw that it happened by accident lol!
    Such thoughtful gifts.
    Hugs,
    Suzan

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  18. Lovely! I am a big fan of using things from the past to create new keepsakes. The mattress pad recycle is genius! I also love the idea the bride used to thank her guets, and the way you filled the pillows with pictures and drawings - such a sweet way to let someone know how special every part of them is to you. Happy (Grand)Mother's Day!

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  19. AnnMarie,
    Thank you for coming to our Sunday Social. What beautiful work. I am now following you all ways.
    I would love for you to link up to my Tuesday party at http://www.memoriesbythemile.com/
    Wanda Ann @ Memories by the Mile

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  20. This is pretty! Thank you so much for sharing it with us @ The Show Off Blog Party :)

    Jessica
    The Wondering Brain

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  21. Hi AnnMarie! What a wonderful idea. I love these pillows! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. I am now following you on GFC. I hope you have a wonderful week!

    -Amy

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  22. I love this idea for keepsake pillows! Very sweet!

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  23. Those pillows are beautiful! I LOVE the lace. I've only been a mommy myself for two years now and it still doesn't feel like Mother's Day is a day for me.. But a nice gift like this would definitely make me feel special!

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  24. Beautiful pillows! what a great idea. It's so sweet of you to make everyone feel so special. Thank You so much for sharing at A Bouquet of Talent this week! Happy Friday!
    Hugs,
    Kathy

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