K's Elephant Travel Pillow

K likes green. It's her favorite color. And she will walk up to most people and just say "Hi. I like green." K also loves elephants.  We have so many plush and plastic elephants. I have lost count.  With our 15 hour road trip happening, I started looking at all of the kid travel pillows and I found them either too small  or not fluffy enough to actually cradle a kid's head if they fell asleep.  And besides all of that they were animals or colors K didn't like.  I wanted her to be excited to use it.

Since I save everything ( ok not everything but a lot of stuff) I had some left over green fleece from when I made Bunsen and Beaker costumes for Halloween....  four years ago. See, I wasn't kiddin'.

I took a little lamb pillow a friend had a as a reference. It was cute and all but again not fluffy enough.  I made a paper template and then laid that on the fleece and used a silver sharpie to trace it because the pencil I was trying was not showing up.  I also made a template for the ears and the tail and cut them out too. It was

I am a totally sewing novice so I had my mom there to help me and give me  my first sewing class. I have a very heavy sewing foot.  And apparently I should have chosen something other than fleece for my first time on the machine by myself because she had to jump in a help me a few times.

I started by pinning his little ears on and then sewing them to the inside so after we sew the edges we it can be flipped  inside out and it will right.  I then took the tail and sewed it on the inside as well on the edge so it will be with the seam.

 I sewed all of  edges and around his trunk. I left the inside of the middle open to stuff in the fluff.

There's his trunk.

There the hole.

When I was done sewing the edges,  I had to turn him inside out and the only tricky part was his trunk. I used the inside of an pillow that was flat  for the fluff. It worked out great. I didn't know pillow stuffing was green. Did you?

 
When I got the ends both as full as I could get them (for the puffy factor that is sooo important), I then had to take the material and do a whip stitch ( just around and around, my mom had to explain that to me alot) to close him up. And it was kinda hard because even with some pins, you had to squeeze it as you were sewing.

His insides were now stuffed to capacity. I also didn't realize that fleece stretches one way more than another.  You learn something new everyday.  He needed eyes.  I decide to go the  easy route with some black felt.  I  used a quarter to help cut the shapes into half moons and used some clear tacky glue from Micheals to glue them on. It may not be permanent but it will work for now.

There he is and I actually had enough to make to for both the girls. The other one is  how should I put this.... not so pretty.  He won't make it to the blog. He was the first draft. But it worked for S. K loved hers and used it there and back. It worked so well to keep her head up. S wasn't into hers at all.  I think it was the age thing.

Ok....so this was staged but  the nighttime ones are hard to get.

( I finished these two days before we left. Nothing like last minute crafts!)

Monday
What is the Gunny Sack -Making the world Cuter -Debbie Doo -DIY How Off
DIY Shop - Lines Across My Face -I should be mopping the Floor
Great Fun 4 Kids

Tuesday
How to Nest For Less - Tip Junkie - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia -The Kurtz Corner
Sugar Bee - Romance On A Dime - Chronic Christian Crafter - Funky Polka Dot Giraffe
The Winthrop Chronicles


Wednesday
Oopsey Daisy - Thrifty Home - Someday Crafts - Sew Much Ado
- Junk in Their Trunk  - Southern Lovely


Thursday
My rePurposed Life - Beyond the Picket Fence - Somewhat Simple - Live Laugh Rowe
Loving this Crazy Life -Scrappy Crafty Happy - Fireflies and Jellybeans - The Shabby Cottage
Quality Cheap Home  - The Taylor House
House of Hepworths

Friday
Naptime Crafters - Stay At Home Nation
Young and Crafty -  My Turn(ForUs)
Delicate Construction
Serenity Now
Family Ever After

Saturday


Six Sister's Stuff
Be Different Act Normal


Sunday
Nifty Thrifty Things