Perfectly Puffy Post-Mastectomy Pit Pillows

It was a bit tricky to lay out the pattern on this half-yard piece. I wanted each pillow to have a complete bird showing on both the front and back.

I cut two sets of pillows, then with right sides together, pinned the edges of each pillow, making sure to leave an opening (about 3") to insert the stuffing. I always put double pins in each side of where I want to leave the opening; otherwise, I sometimes get overly enthusiastic and sew the two pieces all the way around!

After I've sewn around the pillow (except for the opening), I trim the seam to about 1/2" inch wide.

For all the curves, I always carefully clip the seam just up to the stitching along the curved edges every inch or two. This helps the seam to open up and sit more smoothly when the pillow is turned right-side-out.

Once the curves are clipped, I turn the pillow right-side-out.

Here are the two pillows, not yet stuffed. I was able to center the birds pretty well, and even had some fabric left over.

Just to add a bit more fun, I used a black Sharpie to add some bird chatter to the pillows. If I'd thought of this sooner, I probably would have embroidered the speech bubbles on each of the pieces before I sewed them together. But that's OK, the Sharpie worked just fine and gives it a more whimsical feel.

Yes, this bird was already upside down on the fabric, so I purposely left it that way. It makes the "Hang in There" comment more appropo.

When Trisha has this pillow under her arm, this squawky little bird will have the perfect view to proclaim his satisfaction with the medical team's work.

A rare sighting in the Horn household. The only time I ever bring out these implements of drudgery is when I'm sewing. This is a good time to iron the pillows so the seams open as flat and smooth as possible.

A heart is a pretty curvy thing (as is a woman's underarm), so it's important to get the seams smoothed out before stuffing. I just shove my hand inside the pillow form and push the seams flat from the inside out.

Another trick is to use a straight pin and from the outside, gently pull the curved seams out, then iron around the curve.

Now they're ironed and ready to stuff.

Sadly, when old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to get her pit pillow some stuffing, the cupboard was bare!

A quick search of the flat revealed only one other alternative to conventional stuffing. Too bad I just gave Maddy a haircut last week.

Jumped in the car, drove to JoAnn's Fabrics, and I'm good to go with the proper fluffy stuff. I chose "absolutely the best performing fiberfill for pillows.". "Superior resiliency." "Smooth consistency." "Will not bunch." "Washable and non-allergenic" (very important!!!). "Unconditionally guaranteed." Wow! Why wouldn't I choose this one? That poor copywriter probably had to take a leave of absence after grinding out those claims.

Next, I pull pieces of fiberfill from the bag, and manipulate them until they are roughly in the shape of my pillow.

I stuff the "ears" of the heart first, pushing the fiberfill up into the curves so the seams are smooth and flat. I fill in the rest of the pillow after I feel the ears are stuffed to the right thickness. The bag may say that this stuff won't bunch up, but unless you put it IN unbunched, all bets are off. I spend a fair amount of time pulling and redistributing the fiberfill so the pillow feels smooth all over, not lumpy in some places and empty in others.

That looks about right to me. Time to give it a try before I sew up the opening.

Not too soft. Not too hard. In the immortal words of Goldilocks, it's "just right."

The final step is to blind-stitch the opening to close up the seam. Although it's helpful to pin this closed before stitching, I find it easier to put in only one pin at the center of the opening, and blind-stitch along the crease the iron made.