July 21, 2017

Handprint Machine Applique Pillow ~ 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop

Hi, I'm Paige!  Welcome to my stop on the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop hosted by Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  Thanks to Sarah who has worked so hard organizing the hop. She has a fun trip around the world quilt along going on during the hop and great giveaways, but more about them later!

I've got a hand print machine applique pillow cover project to share that can easily involve the little ones if you so desire.  My preferred applique method uses fusible web and zig zag satin stitch by machine but this project can certainly be adapted for your favorite method of applique.




This tutorial is written to accommodate a 16" x 16" pillow insert but can easily be adjusted depending on the number and size of hand prints you want to include.  The hand prints I used are from my great nephews ranging in age from just under one to five years of age.



Fabric Requirements 
  • Background for Applique: 10 1/2" x 10 1/2" square
  • Handprint Appliques: 10 1/2" x 10 1/2" square or scraps for different colored handprints
  • Inner Border: (2) 1"  x width of fabric strips
  • Outer Border: (2) 3" x width of fabric strips or fat quarter
  • Backing for Quilted Pillow Top: 18" x 18" (this will not be visible)
  • Pillow Backing: Fat quarter
  • Binding: (2) width of fabric strips cut to your preferred width
You can read about my fabric selection here in this Sunday Stash post.


Other Materials and Notions

  • Paper Backed Fusible Web (my favorite is Soft Fuse Premium)
  • Iron-On Tear-Away Stabilizer (my favorite is Sulky Totally Stable)
  • Thread to match applique hand prints, for quilting and general construction and bobbin thread for applique
  • Embroidery Floss such as Aurifil's Aurifloss
  • Batting: 18" x 18" (my favorite is 100% cotton Warm & White by the Warm Co)
  • Pencil and paper
  • Parchment Paper or other see-through paper for tracing
  • Removable Fabric Marking Pen
  • 18" zipper
  • Pillow Insert: 16" x 16"
Note:  Cutting instructions will be included in each section as we go along. In the construction of the pillow, 1/4" seams are used throughout.

Let's get started!

Hand Print Applique Shapes

First, we will need to draw or trace around the little hands.  This can be tricky as little hands are often times wiggly.  Older children will want to participate by drawing the hands of younger siblings.


As you can see, you may need to adjust the edges a bit. And I even drew this hand print.


Trace over each hand print onto the parchment or other see-through paper.  I put each child's first initial so I would not get them mixed up if you have children close in age with the similar size hands.


Now, turn over the hand print you just traced.  As you can see the initial is backward.  This is an easy way of reversing the handprint so when the fusible is applied to the fabric, it will be correct.  Do the same for each handprint.


Place the paper backed fusible web over the reversed hand print and trace around the hand print again onto the paper side (not the fusible side) of the fusible web. Again, note each child's initial.


Roughly cut out each hand print and fuse to the back of the hand print fabric.  You can see I needed to extend the hand print for the layout I had in mind and added an extra piece of fusible.


Next, cut out the hand prints, remove the paper backing and arrange them onto the background square. My background measurers 10 1/2" x 10 1/2" and I decided to place the hand prints in the corners with the fingers pointing inward.


And here all four hand prints are arranged.


Fuse the hand prints in place.  Since my hand prints extended beyond the background and needed trimming, I carfully fused the center, then trimed away the excess and finished fusing the hand prints in place.  The hand print in the top right corner has been trimmed.



Appliqueing the Handprints

Now, we are ready to applique the hand prints to the background but first, iron the stablizer to the back of the background fabric.  Stabilizer supports the background fabric and aids in a prettier applique stitch.

Refer to "Appliqueing the Shapes" included in the Blue Christmas tutorial for detailed instructions on setting up your machine for applique and tips for acheiving a smooth zig zag satin stitch.

You will not need to worry about burying threads because the stops and starts will be hidden in the seam once the inner border is added.


Here's a close-up a sweet little handprint and the thread used for the applique.  Aurifil 2260 (Wine) was used in the top and a fine polyester was used in the bobbin.


Once you have all the hand prints appliqued, carefully remove the stabilizer supporting the stitches as you tear it away.


And here are the hand prints once the stablizer is removed.  The pillow center should measure 10 1/2" x 10 1/2" at this point.



Adding the Borders

For a 1/2" finished inner border, cut (2) 1" x 10 1/2" rectangles and sew to each side.  Then cut (2) 1" x 11 1/2" rectangles and add to the top and bottom.  The pillow to should look like this.


For the outer border cut (2) 3" x 11 1/2" rectangles and add to the sides. Then cut (2) 3" x 16 1/2" rectangles and add to the top and bottom.  The pillow top should measure 16 1/2" x 16 1/2".



Quilting the Hand Print Pillow Top

Layer the top, batting and pillow top backing.  Quilt as desired.  I free-motioned around the hand prints and background.  Using a walking foot, I stitched in the ditch around the inner border.  I wanted to keep the quilting simple as not to compete with the hand prints and the printed fabric.

You can see more of the quilting from the backside.  I also stitched around the perimeter of the pillow top to hold all the layers together while assembling the pillow.



Embroidering the Initials and Year

After the pillow top was quilted, I embroidered by hand the boys' initials of their first name and the year with a backstitch.  In this Instagram post you can see the I used a dissapearing fabric marker for writing the letters and year.  This was the first time I embroidered with Aurifloss, Aurifil's 6 strand embroidery floss and I used all 6 strands.




Finishing the Pillow Cover

I made the backing by installing a zipper closure for the first time.  I followed this tutorial by Svetlana at Sotak Handmade and added 1/2" to her measurements as she was using a 16" pillow also.  This method uses less fabric, results in a neater finish, and I found it easier than making an evelope backing and will definitely use this method again.



Binding the Pillow

I layered the pillow top and zippered backing wrong sides together and stitched around the perimiter to secure the two layers together.

I cut (2) 2 1/4" width of fabric binding strips, joined them end-to-end with a diagonal seam, folded wrong sides together for a double fold binding and stitched like I describe here.


Insert the pillow and your done!


I'm sure you know a mother or grandmother who would love to receive a handprint pillow for Christmas or even Mother's Day.





Today, be sure to visit Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Susan at QuiltFabrication and Katie at Katie Mae Quilts for more Christmas inspiration.

Each day I am updating my original blog post and will be linking to each blog for the 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop posts so they can easily be found.

Excited that I have one Christmas present finished...I'll be linking to:

and last but not least
Whoop Whoop Friday with Sarah,
 our very on 12 Days of Christmas in July host!

148 comments :

  1. Wow, and Wow again !!! This is superbly fantastic, and I love it so much. What a treasure to have and keep, and a fun way to have the little ones take part.

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  2. Wonderful idea for a pillow and a great tutorial Paige. Something to be kept and passed to the children in years to come. Nancy is right it will be a real treasure.

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  3. A cute pillow which can be treasured over the years! Thanks for the tutorial!

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  4. What a wonderful family heirloom you've created! Thanks for sharing.

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  5. This is a really fun idea. x

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  6. Great idea to include children. Thanks for post and being a part of 12 days of Christmas.

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  7. So cute, and family-oriented. Thank you for the tutorial :)

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  8. What a wonderful idea - would love to do this with my grand kids handprints. Thanks for sharing.

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  9. great idea!! and thanx for the info on the applique and stitching

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  10. I love this idea! And adding the date makes it even more special. A fun design to do year after year as the children get older. Thanks for the tutorial!

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  11. This would be great for my grand children. Thanks.

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  12. Great idea. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. What a fun project! I'll bet the little ones enjoyed getting their hands drawn for the pillow. And what a nice memory you have now. Great to put the year on the pillow :)

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  14. Thanks so much for the tutorial. This is a great idea for my daughter and her family for Christmas.

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  15. I love this idea for any season and a great little gift.

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  16. This is such a clever idea. Thanks for sharing it and the how to.

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  17. Thank you for the idea. My daughter would love to have something like this with my granddaughter's handprints. Since there is only 1 little I might add footprints. Not sure how that would look, but I can always keep it for myself if I don't want to gift it. Also thank you for participating in the Christmas In July blog hop. momoftana at yahoo dot com

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  18. I can see this being a marvellous gift any time of year. Thanks for the idea.
    Janice.snell@gmail.com

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  19. Oh Paige, what a cute idea! This would be such a fun gift for a grandparent! Thanks for sharing!

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  20. This is adorable--and so personalized! Thanks for sharing with us!
    eahorgan@gmail.com

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  21. Great idea--I always loved making handprint crafts with my kids when they were small--wish they were still young so I could try this one. Thanks for sharing!

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  22. Very cute pillow. I certainly do not need any more plaster casts of little hands!

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  23. Cute idea for the kids-I bet they will show it off to everyone! Thank you for sharing, Susan

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  24. Paige what a great idea. Thanks for sharing.

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  25. This would be fun for grandchildren

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  26. Very nice tutorial, and a fabulous idea for the kids.

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  27. This is just lovely. It is a great idea for a family project. And Thanks especially for the link to the zipper tutorial.

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  28. Great tutorial. This would make a great gift and a real keepsake.

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  29. wonderful idea for a gift and the tute was great

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  30. Great idea for a gift. The tutorial was well done with detailed steps and photos. Thanks for sharing.

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  31. Love this idea and each year the hands prints can be checked for size, who has grown the most haha. Loved all the photo's and thanks for a great tutorial :)

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  32. What a terrific holiday treasure! Thank you too for the excellent tutorial!!!
    Debbie
    ollieami@aol.com

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  33. THANKS FOR THIS IDEA, MY GRAND KIDS ARE COMING FOR A VISIT FOR THEIR 4TH BIRTHDAY FROM CALIFORNIA. THIS WILL GIVE ME SOMETHING TO ENJOY DOING WHEN THEIR GONE TO MAKE FOR THEIR BIG GIRLBEDS FOR XMAS.
    hjrogers@sympatico.ca

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  34. Such a great idea with the personal touch! Thanks for creating and sharing this tutorial with us!

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  35. What a lovely idea. Thanks for sharing the tutorial. It would make a wonderful gift.

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  36. This is a really special idea -- so much fun to make and treasure. Thanks for sharing a great tutorial!! IronLftr10@yahoo.com

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  37. I really wish I had this tutorial when my children were small. This project is such a sweet idea.

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  38. Cute idea, I will put them on place mats for when the G-kids come to visit.
    Will take care of where each is to sit. Thanks for Tut

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  39. What a great idea, will make for Moms of our Grandchildren
    patsystitch@gvtc.com

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  40. This is a fabulous idea and beautifully done, Paige!

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    1. I love this sweet project and thanks for linking up with the Tips and Tutorials Festival!

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  41. Perfect project. Now I just need to collect hand prints.

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  42. Love this idea. Can hardly wait until I have grandchildren to make this pillow!

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  43. TErrific project! Thanks! Cotten.gloria@gmail.com

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  44. What novel idea for grandma or a young mom! This looks to be. A fun project!

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  45. Cute idea for a pillow! Thanks for the tutorial.

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  46. Paige, this is adorable! I don't have any grandkids at the moment, but I sure want to make this!

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  47. I love the fabric you used for the border and the backing. A lovely project

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  48. Hi Paige! Great design, wonderfully executed and superb photography . . . as usual! :)

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  49. This would be a good idea for making a special quilt for my FIL's 80th birthday later this year. Thanks for the idea.

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  50. Cute idea! Thanks for sharing.

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  51. It's a fun project ! Thank you for the tutorial !

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  52. I love the handprints. I had put my nieces and nephews prints on a quilt for my parents but pillows seem like a great christmas gift project thanks
    sharongalli@gmail.com

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  53. I love this pillow and am saving this project--it's definitely a keeper. ( I also like your idea you mentioned to me earlier about doing a Micah pillow.) This is a great idea and tutorial. BTW, thank you for not buying all of the green Cotton+Steel print, I need it for another Christmas QAL and CastnCotton still had some.

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  54. Cute pillow! Great idea! ndfromsdATgmailDOTcom

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  55. when my grandson was small we traced his hand and made a wreath of his handprints using 8 of them placed in a circle.

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  56. For some reason Paul McCartney's song "Uncle Albert" came to mind -
    Hands across the water, heads across the sky.

    Admiral Halsey notified me,
    He had to have a berth or he couldn't get to sea.
    I had another look and I had a cup of tea and a butter pie.

    Happy Friday!
    tvonzalez at gmail dot com

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  57. Very clever project!! Thank you!!
    kcummings71@gmail.com

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  58. Oh wow! I'm saving this to make my niece one with my hands on it-letting her know "I got you kid!" Really cool idea, thanks!

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  59. I never thought to use pillows for the handprints!

    hulseybg at gmail dot com

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  60. That is a super project for any time of year! Thanks for the tutorial too!

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  61. Such a wonderful personal pillow or gift idea! Thank you Paige.

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  62. What a sweet idea! Great tutorial! Thank you!

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  63. Hi Paige,
    What a sweet idea for a pillow. I love seeing that little helper share his hand with you. ~smile~ Roseanne

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  64. This us a great idea for a memory pillow or quilt. Children so often love to find pieces of themselves in their home or grandparents home. Thank you for the detailed instructions.

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  65. Great idea! I'm always looking for ways to create memories and build tradition. This project would be fun to do and fun to give. kthurn@bektel.com

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  66. Nice idea for a keepsake. I particularly like the embroidered details.

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  67. What a clever idea with the hands! cknapp3626(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

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  68. Wonderful idea. I've got to trace some hands when my grands visit in a couple of weeks. Thanks for sharing.

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  69. SO NEAT!MEMORIES TO KEEP!THANKS FOR SHARING!
    msstitcher1214@gmail.com

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  70. Great idea for the kids to make for their parents!

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  71. Very cute! That will be a lovely keepsake.

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  72. I love your use of fabrics in the pillow.

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  73. I love this idea! I definitely want to make one of these with my grand's handprints on it!

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  74. That is a fantastic way to involve the whole family in Christmas decor. Thanks for being part of the blog hop delissac@hotmail.com

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  75. A VERY CREATIVE IDEA. READINGTIRZAH AT YAHOO.COM

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  76. Love your pillow and I am sure the kids would love seeing their hands on the project.

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  77. I love this idea for a wonderful keepsake.

    hijoffeATgmailDOTcom

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  78. What a nice idea to use handprints of family for a pillow top--bet the kids will enjoy looking at this as they grow up. (As well as other family members).

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  79. this is such a wonderfully fun idea for a pillow. thanks for sharing
    quilting dash lady at Comcast dot net

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  80. Wonderful idea a pillow to mark the years, grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins. A record of the family and celebrating Christmas.

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  81. Your hand print pillow is such a great idea! A real keepsake.
    nikilsend(at)outlook(dot)com

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  82. Thanks Paige for great project. I saved it for the grandchildren to make one day.
    ejaneemerson@yahoo.com

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  83. This would be a great gift for grandparents! I'd love one (but I need grandchildren first...)!

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  84. Your pillow with the grandkids hands would make a great gift for a mom or grandmother. Thanks for sharing.

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  85. Thanks for sharing your holiday pillow with the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop!!

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  86. darling project! Nancy A: rangerer@sbcglobal.net

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  87. What a wonderful idea, Paige!!
    **Thank you!**
    (It's a great gift for parents/grandparents, but fun for a child, too, to see how much they grow!!)
    Pat T.

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  88. This is such a cute project. My daughter would love to have this pillow with the grandkids' handprints on it. I would too!

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  89. What a wonderful keepsake - I love the border and pillow back fabric! Thanks for sharing!

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  90. Thanks for a great idea - moms or grandmas or aunts or even friends can make this! dezertsuz at gmail

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  91. This is such a sweet, unique idea! I know my mom would've really loved a pillow like this of all of her grandchildren. There would be hands side-by-side and even in the middle, but I think that would look great too! Very creative.

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  92. This is a very cute idea! I would have to make the pillow a lot larger to accommodate 15 grand children. Maybe I'll do a table runner instead. Thanks!

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  93. What a great project for a gift for a special aunt or mom or grandma etc

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  94. This is cool will have to share with me daughter...tytyty very cool idea... happyness04431@yahoo.com

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  95. What a creative way to keep those treasured hand prints. The plaster ones my kids made in school are priceless to me. Thanks so much forvtjis tutorial.

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  96. Lovely pillow. Thanks for the directions for the zipper closing. I should make a few pillows,to use up some of the stash.
    Pat

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  97. Paige~ A lovely tutorial for a great pillow for an anytime gift. I have some handprints of grandsons somewhere that I plan to use for reindeer antlers. I have my daughter's sons hand but not my son's children's hands. I guess I thought I could get them anything and one of them is now 11 - how time flies. I especially like how you straightened some of the fingers - I would not have thought to do that and they look better. Thanks again. Great job!

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  98. Cute idea for a pillow and thank you for the zipper closing directions.

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  99. How special that is! That would make such a great personalized gift.

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  100. Paige, I just adore this idea!! I can't wait to do it with my grandkids - it will make an awesome gift!! Thanks for all you've done to make the hop a success this year!

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  101. Cute idea. It will be so special with my grandson's hand prints on a cushion. Thanks.

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  102. My daughter's family did this for their Christmas card and included their dog print, too! Barbara Winkler creations4u7@aol.com

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  103. What a sweet project. Thank you so much for such a detailed tutorial. I'll be pinning it, to keep in mind for my niece's family.

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  104. I will have to hold my grandsons down and do this one. Thanks for the idea.

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  105. Interesting design, and could be adapted to any kind of appliques for those who don't have shall children to involve. susanprincess at att dot net

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  106. what a lovely idea Paige, i have seen this type of thing framed of course, but never on a cushion

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  107. Great idea, would make a nice wall hanging. beimborn@charter.net

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  108. Your pillow is such a clever idea. This would make a beautiful keepsake. Thanks!

    Please click on the delaineelliott above for my email link.

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  109. Wonderful project idea!!! Thanks for sharing all the steps!!

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  110. Thanks for the cute idea and excellent tutorial. mfhagopian@aol.com

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  111. Cute pillow project. Love the fabric choice and the binding technique used to finish the pillow, easier than piping (in my opinion). Thanks for the inspiration!

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  112. We did the dad, mom, child s handprint in ink, Appliqué and I digitized them too.

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  113. What a good idea - especially dating the handprints.

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  114. What a cute idea! Something to treasure!

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  115. Such a fabulous idea! My son is the only grandkid on one side, so I will have to think of what we can add so it's not just one hand--maybe something shape using multiple of his handprints. I will be coming back to this! Thanks, Paige!

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  116. Really a neat idea. I have 4 grandchildren, so may have to try this. Thanks for sharing.

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  117. That is a unique idea that I want to try. i will have to squish another hand in as I have five grandchildren. Maybe the baby in the center or linked with her big brother's. thank you for sharing.

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  118. I love this idea. A very long time ago a friend made a block of her families hand prints which I cherish to this day. Thanks for sharing your idea.

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  119. Cute idea Paige! Love how crisp this cover turned out. I'm assuming you don't prewash your fabrics? Thanks for sharing.

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  120. It's a grand idea! I love handprints because they help us remember how important family truly is. Thank you for the great tutorial, too.

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  121. Love this idea! Our extended family is coming together to do something similar on a quilt for my mom this year =)

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  122. I made a pillow like that for my husband. I wish I would have put the date on it for future reference. Great idea!

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  123. Very nice. For a moment I thought you pieced all those little triangles in the border fabric and I was going to say you are .... more adventurous than me!!

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  124. Beautiful pillow and excellent tutorial!!

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  125. Very cute idea! Thanks for the inspiration.

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  126. I think this may be my favorite project! Thank you!

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  127. Such a cute pillow-- would love to do this with my kiddos hand prints.

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  128. This is such a fun idea, Paige! I love that border fabric too--perfect for your project!

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  129. Paige, this couldn't be more timely; I will be getting my husband to trace my grandson Brady, and his mum, our daughter, Brianne's handprints and then making a cushion for their couch for this coming Christmas, which will be a very tough one for Brady, losing his Dad just a month ago. Thank you.

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  130. Such a cute pillow, Paige! Handprints are such a sweet keepsake :)

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  131. What a great way to have a memento that will grace your holiday decor every year! This is darling. Thank you for sharing!

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  132. I made a quilt using your handprint idea. It was presented a few days ago.
    https://cherylsteapots2quilting.blogspot.com/2017/12/buddys-80th-birthday-quilt.html Thanks for the idea!

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