Written by: Caroline Ludwig
For Lilly’s second Christmas I made her a pillow bed. It’s something that she could lounge in while watching TV, potentially take to the grandparents’ houses for sleepovers, and use for naps if she wants. Lilly loved it and used it as her reading center for a long time. After Elliot joined our family, it was only a matter of time before he got his own pillow bed.
Elliot had to wait a while to get a pillow bed of his own, but he only had to wait until a little after he turned one. I found a twin sheet to complement Lilly’s bed while I was at Target in December, but decided to wait on getting pillows until I finally got his bed sewed. With two small kids, one of which thinks that plugs are the greatest play toy ever, it’s hard to find sewing machine time. I was going to take over a corner of the basement one weekend and get things sewn during nap time, but then our whole family got COVID. We were all stuck in the house together, were not feeling well, and all crafting and extracurricular activities stopped. Elliot’s belated Christmas present would have to wait.
Once the kids and Joe’s parents were feeling better they decided to take the kids in one day so we could have a break. Joe was back at “work” in the basement, so I took over the dining room table and got to sewing. I dug out my sewing machine, chalk, pins, and yardstick. I got to work measuring out and pinning the blanket into a pillow bed that could hold five pillows. Measuring and pinning was more work than I had remembered from working on Lilly’s bed. I used the whole table with both leaves in and I still haven’t been able to find a tablecloth big enough to use on its own with this table.
I made my Instagram first reel that day, setting up my sewing machine, getting ready to sew, and then realizing that my pins were facing the wrong direction and I’d need to fix them all.
After fixing the pins so I could easily take them out while the sewing machine was doing its thing it was smooth sailing. I almost ran out of thread, but managed to finish my last row before my bobbin ran out. Soon after the new year began I had finished sewing Elliot’s pillow bed, but I was still missing a crucial ingredient: the pillows to turn this giant sham into a bed.
Elliot’s birthday party was a bit of a mess, as documented here, and had been the intended place for Elliot to get his pillow bed. Unfortunately for him, I still had not procured pillows to fill the bed. I managed to sneak off to Target one day and, in addition to buying things that were not on my list, I got five pillows for Elliot’s bed. Once I got home, I quickly stuffed his pillow bed so he could have a comfy spot to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse before bed. It was a huge hit and Elliot was very happy to have a pillow bed of his own.
Almost a month later, the kids love their dueling pillow beds and use them for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse time the most. Lilly has now decided that instead of sitting on the pillow bed she would rather use me as a bed. We’re slowly working on boundaries, but for now, my evenings are filled with toddler snuggles alongside two pillow beds I made with my own hands.
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