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I’m a sucka for weddings, so when a sweet-as-heck Brooklyn bride contacted me a couple of weeks ago about creating a set of six custom zipper pouches for her wedding day ladies in waiting, I batted not an eyelash before saying heck yes!

She had a specific fabric in mind, Anna Maria Horner‘s Garden Party Centerpiece in Olive. I’m a huge fan of Anna Maria Horner’s fabrics, which can be seen on a good number of my own products in the Etsy shop. My Brooklyn bride has been using this fabric elsewhere in her wedding and wanted it used on a Longer is Better Zipper Pouch.

We didn’t have much time, as her wedding is this weekend, so I didn’t bother sourcing it from my usual spots and turned to fellow Etsy seller mineymo for the Centerpiece fabric instead. Mineymo carries a delicious selection of juicy fabrics and is a terrific seller to work with! My fabric came through quick and as easy as could be.

On one side of each Longer is Better custom bridesmaid’s pouch, I paired the Centerpiece fabric with the honey-colored velvety fabric you see above, while the other side used a solid cut of the sweet floral-printed fabric.

The bride’s wedding venue is going to be all white with splashes of the bright colors used in the fabric, so we kept the lining nice and simple with crisp white twill.

I individually wrapped and included a personalized gift tag with each pouch, though unfortunately I was in too much of a rush by the time that was done to snap any photos.

Wish I could be a fly on the wall to see how well the pouches are received, but I suppose that’d be creepy. And anyway it’s more than good enough for me to have received a happy note from the bride-to-be the day she received them saying that the pouches are “even more awesome than [she] could have imagined”! Sniff…

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Bolster pillows are characterized by their long, cylindrical shape, and they happen to have HEAPS of great benefits. Allow me to name a few:

1. They look cool, especially when tossed amongst pillows of other shapes.
2. They offer therapeutic benefits! Use them:
   • Under your neck to help relieve head and neck tension
   • Under your knees to relieve lower back pain
   • Behind your back for lumbar support
3. In the Forest Faux Bois design, you can fool your guests into thinking it’s a real fireplace log. Yup.

PLUS…did you know?

The origin of the bolster pillow takes us to the Far East, where wives would fashion bolster pillows out of bamboo for the husband to use when he traveled. He would sleep with the bolster pillow so he would not be lonely.

Children develop a habit of sleeping with bolster pillows in Chinese and Malay families. This habit often carries on into adulthood. The climates in Singapore and Malaysia are often too hot to sleep with covers, so people use bolster pillows for comfort.

The use of sleeping with bolster pillows is so common in Indonesia that most hotels provide bolster pillows for their guests.

Thanks to Outdoor Pillows for these fun facts!

In conclusion, bolster pillows are cool. And you need some! =D Covers in more fabrics are being added just about weekly, but shoot me a note if there’s a fabric in my shop that you want to see as a bolster pillow cover (or any other cover for that matter)!

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So you’ve picked yourself up a fabulous new pillow cover or two from the shop, and now you’ve gotta find the perfect insert. You could sew your own, but perhaps you want more instant gratification.

This post offers solutions for both the make and buy pillow insert (aka pillow form) options. Note: I don’t currently sell pillow forms/inserts in my shop because not only would I have no room to stock the inventory, but it actually seems to make more sense to give buyers the option of choosing their own filling (polyester, bamboo, down feather, faux down, recycled) and size (the same size as the pillow cover or slightly larger for a firmer, more filled look). If you disagree and think you’d be more likely to buy if I also stocked the pillow forms, please let me know!

Make your own pillow form
How to Make a Basic Pillow Form tutorial on eHow is one of the best online tutorials, with photos, that I’ve seen. What’s even better about making your own is that now you have a way to reuse those old t-shirts and sheets you might have lying around the house.

Before you shove that polyester fiberfill into your pillow, I also highly recommend following this video’s tip on pulling your stuffing apart first to help de-clump it. This step “airs out” the filling and really helps avoid the lumpiness you sometimes get with handmade pillows.

Who has time to make anything? Where can I BUY a pillow form?
Here are a handful of suggestions. I buy my inserts from IKEA and Jo-Ann, but I’m also considering ordering from one of the last two places on my list for some additional size options that IKEA and Jo-Ann don’t offer. For price comparisons between the shops, I’ve listed unit prices for polyester-filled 20×20″  pillow forms.

• IKEA
  • These aren’t available online, but if you live near an IKEA store you can choose from a slew of pillow form options including polyester-filled or down-filled. Except for the 14×14″ pillow form, none are quite as bargain-priced as the 20×20″ size.
  • IKEA’s 20×20″ INNER cushions are available for the bargain price of $2.99.
• Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores
  • You can get a pretty great deal on pillow forms from Jo-Ann if you can either wait for their pillow form sales (which would be advertised in their Weekly Sales Flyers) or use a coupon. To get coupons, you can either sign up for their emails or look in your Sunday paper (assuming they still distribute this way). Both methods can save you 40-50% or even more if you wait until the big holidays, where you can get a coupon for an additional 10% off your entire purchase.
  • Jo-Ann offers the 20×20″ Soft N Crafty Pillow for $15.99. Again I wouldn’t purchase this at regular price if you’re looking for a bargain, but at 50% off it’s quite a deal especially if you get it in-store!
• eBay
  • I’ve never ordered pillow forms from any eBay sellers before, but I’ve considered buying from the Pillowflex eBay store because of its good reviews. Pillowflex also has a non-eBay store where it seems that you might actually be able to save slightly on shipping, depending on where you live.
  • Pillowflex’s unit price for its 20×20 pillow forms is $6.73. Their eBay shipping is $10.50 for 2 pillows ($8 flat rate + $2.50 for each additional), while their non-eBay store shipping cost to my zip code is $8.98.
• Robey’s Fabrics
  • Robey’s Fabrics is another place that I’ve never ordered from but have bookmarked because of its competitive prices.
  • The Robey’s unit price on a 20×20 pillow form is $4.00. I’d have to register for a new account to see exact shipping costs, but on their Shipping & Returns page it says: “An order of 2 -3 pillows to a state close by will cost under $7 for the shipping. We do not charge a handling fee. We only charge actual shipping rates.”

So now that you’re armed with all this info on where to buy inserts of all shapes and sizes, go on and get yourself some fresh new pillow covers!

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So far there are two versions of this 10″ pouch: one measures 5.25″ tall and the other 4.25″. An inch may not sound like a big difference, but the 20% difference gives it a whole new look in my opinion. Being the person in charge (because I’m the only person…minor detail), I took the liberty of producing them both!

I pulled out all my favorite fabrics for these pouches and am building a mass collection of them in anticipation of the STORM of orders I’m sure will come since all of you will undoubtedly love them as much as I do. ;P ESPECIALLY when you notice the silver grommet punched into one of the top corners, as shown in the 10 x 4.25″ Ms. Bitch pouch below. Not only does it add a silver sliver of bling to the pouch, it also provides an opening through which I’ve strung a silver beaded keychain. I know there are a bazillion pouches out there, but I’m happy to say that I haven’t seen any others quite like this.

Opposite the grommet is a “grab tab” made of cool seatbelt material to help you zzzzzzzzzip this puppy open, as you can see on the Worker Bees pouch:

And, most pouches have a fun “surprise inside” lining like this one, on the Lurking Leopards pouch!

Finally, I’m offering an option in the shop to pick yourself up a different piece of hardware to slide through the grommet: either a 1.5″ or 2″ steel snap ring for the possibility of hooking on any number of things to your pouch. Other pouches, for instance, more keys…or to allow you to hook your pouch onto the strap of your handbag!

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Whilst Jimmy braved the rain to golf with the boys yesterday, I stayed at home stitching up some more Boxy Pencil Pouches! Little did I realize that I’d chosen so many polka dotted prints, and now I’m seeing circles.

Well it turns out that circles, manifested as polka dots even, are a good sign! Circles represent connectedness and, as we know from the whole wedding ring tradition, are a symbol of eternal love and commitment. 

Surely it would mean a lot then if you were to say, present one of these cute pouches as a gift to someone you love. Just because. Or as a belated Valentine’s Day gift, say.

Not only that, but feng shui practitioners believe that round objects strategically placed in the Creativity and Children section of your home can even aid in fertility, since circles are also symbolic of the circle of life. Ah, a new function for the Boxy Zippered Pencil Pouch!

So many uses, who knew?!

Of course if you’re not feeling the polka dot, there’s always the option of Faux Bois or Flower Power…

Credits: Thanks to this blog for its insight on the symbolism of circles, and this iPaper for its info on Feng Shui for Abundant living.
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You cannot run, Chapstick! Resistance is futile!

Our photo shoot this morning got a little out of control when my latest creation, the Sweetheart Kisslock Frame Pouch, tried to put the lights out on props model Chapstick.

I mean, sometimes we start these shoots so early that some of us don’t get a chance for breakfast. So in some ways I can understand what drove this behavior. But on the other hand, this is a professional environment and inwardly I was quite shocked. I barely had enough time to grab Chapstick out of harm’s way before that kisslock frame came chomping down. Luckily Sweetheart Kisslock Frame Pouch was not quite angled directly towards its intended prey, otherwise it would have been “Sayonara, Chapstick!” Phew!

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Okay okay, sorry I couldn’t help it. It is true that I have a small obsession with my mannequin and all her possibilities, including removable arm. And it is also true that the arm shown in the photo above is actually her left, not her right.

But I so love the fact that I can use her like this for product shots, and I don’t know why I never took advantage of the removable arm before. Actually it’s probably because I used to focus only on handbags, not so much on the handheld pouch/purse/wallet.

All this nonsense just to introduce…the Stash ‘n Dash Zippered Wallet in Forest Faux Bois!

In a very short time, this will be available in the Pouches section of my Etsy shop. In less than two hours as a matter of fact!

In the meantime, this manifestation of the Stash ‘n Dash Zippered Wallet offers a delightful surprise on its backside: an applique of two lush green leaves made of 100% wool felt. Spring is almost here, after all! And, like all of the other pouches in the shop, this is fully lined, top-stitched and built with interfacing to give it some meatiness and structure. I hope you like it!

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…OR DOES IT?!?!

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The colors are right on, the shipping was fast and the value was pretty darn good too! With the vast selection of colors they offer and the great service, I’d definitely order from them again if I’m ordering in small quantities.

The Ribbon Retreat also has a wholesale site where you can actually get better prices per yard if you need at least $35.00 worth of product. At the wholesale site, you can get 20 yds of the 1/4″ solid grosgrain for $2.40 or 100 yds for $10.18. The same 1/4″ solid grosgrain from the retail site is a mere $0.95 for 5 yds. Shipping costs from both sites is reasonable, but you can’t combine orders from the one site with the other.

I also looked at Ribbons And Bows Oh My! which I guess insiders call “RABOM” but…first of all it’s called Ribbons and Bows Oh My! (okay just kidding) and secondly for the 1/4″ width the smallest quantity they offer is 20 yds. A lot of folks over at The Switchboards forums also recommended JKM Ribbon & Trims, among other suppliers, but their 1/4″ selection only comes in 100 yd spools (for $9.37) and seem to take longer to ship, about 10 business days for the Offray ribbons.

So now I’ve got myself 50 yards worth of 1/4″ wide solid grosgrain ribbons in ten colors to keep me busy with more pouches and keychains, in which I’ve been using them as zipper pulls and strap backings. Hoorah!

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