Ms. Nancy's Nook : DIY Winnie the Pooh Pillow "Redo"

Do you have keepsakes stored from when your kids were young? Get those precious heirlooms out of storage, and give them new life! This "Winnie the Pooh" pillow got a makeover, and now it's nicer than new! This project was "Sew-Easy".

When I was pregnant with my first child, I did not know if I was having a boy or a girl. For the Nursery, I wanted a theme that would work for either. Winnie the Pooh and the Hundred Acre Woods was a popular theme at that time, and it was my favorite. I lovingly looked at the baby items every time I went shopping. I ended up with the Winnie the Pooh bedding, blankets, stuffed animals, and wall decor. I sewed green-checked gingham Priscilla Curtains to go with it, and the Nursery was so beautiful! Of course, I knew babies don't use pillows, but it was cute to have one anyway. Later, when my son Jeff got older, and I got rid of the Pooh items, I just couldn't part with that pillow. I carefully stored it away.

Recently I was going through some Keepsakes in the garage, and there was the Winnie the Pooh pillow from so long ago! It was a little stained with age, and slightly musty smelling, but otherwise okay. I decided to see if it could be used again.

I tried washing the pillow, but that was a disaster! The stuffing matted and had lumpy high and low spots. At this point, the only option was to remove the stuffing and start over. There was no zipper in this pillow, so I examined it carefully to see where it had been stitched closed. I carefully removed the stitches with my Seam Ripper.

I then removed the stuffing. The stuffing was a matted mess!

Granddaughter Mia and I pulled the stuffing apart and re-fluffed it.

Meanwhile, I had ordered the wall-art below for Mia's room. I love the quote, so I looked up the author. It was A.A. Milne, the author of Winnie the Pooh! Christopher Robin said this to Winnie the Pooh!

So, before I restuffed the pillow, I decided to make some updates -

I would add this beautiful quote to the pillow!

I got out my Fabric Markers ...

...put a piece of cardboard in the pillow to prevent bleed-through, and set to work.

This pillow is so colorful, so I decided to use different colors for the different phrases. I breathed a sigh of relief after I finished the first 2 words. I can do this!

I wrote half of the quote on the front, let it dry, and ...

...wrote the other half on the back.

After I let it dry overnight, Mia and I re-stuffed it. It looks so fluffy now!

Then I pinned the opening closed.

I machine stitched the opening, but it could easily be hand-stitched.

And now it's done! I am so pleased with how this one-of-a-kind pillow turned out. The writing did not smudge, and it disguised the few discolored stains.