This is the Leyla vs Layla edition. Considering it’s not the most common of names, I actually know four Leila’s… or variations on spelling of that name.

Two of these girls had birthdays in the last couple of weeks, so I made them each a pajama pillow with their names appliqued on the front. Why are they called PJ Pillows? Well because I make them with envelope style backs, deep enough to stow away their pajamas (or pyjamas?) during the day when they’re not wearing them. Well, that’s the hope anyways :-)

The first Leyla pillow was quite scrappy with patchwork consisting of some of my favourite prints and colours. It’s floral and sweet and perfect for the little girl who received it. It sits on her bed, nestled in with her pillows. This makes me happy, knowing that it’s being used and appreciated.

The second Layla turned 4 over the weekend. She is the cheekiest little girl and so funny! I used the cheater print from the Sweet Orchard range by my friend Sedef of the blog, Down Grapevine Lane. It’s perfect for a project which you need to sew together quickly (but to look like it’s had a lot of work involved). I quilted along the squares to imitate patchwork and then appliqued her name into the neutral central panel.

For both of these pillows, I used Aurifil 12WT to machine appliqué the names. At first I was a little concerned feeding this thread through the needle, but my machine coped with it quite well. This thicker thread meant that I only needed to sew around the letters once for a stunning (bold) result.

Lately all the kids have been receiving a PJ Name Pillow for their birthdays (including my nephew, Miles) so I’m going to have to come up with a new idea for handmade kids gifts for the next year of birthdays. Any ideas?