Memory Pillow Using Dad's Shirts - Spot of Tea Designs

A piece of clothing can often hold more than your body. A favorite shirt or outfit can hold a memory or capture an entire personality and while they usually have a natural timeline of wear, you can extend this piece of cloth by turning it into a memory pillow.

Upcycled Memory Pillow from a Man's Work Shirt | spotofteadesigns.com

DISCLOSURE: I was compensated with a product sample by Fairfield World, but the opinions are all mine and not that of the company! In addition, some of the links in this post contain affiliate links, which come at no cost to you. Know that I only promote products I personally use and stand behind. To learn more about my affiliates, please review my disclosure policy.

When looking at a men’s button up dress shirt, I think of my own dad or my own husband, father of two. It isn’t their preferred clothing choice, as, of course, a cotton t-shirt is much more comfortable, but to me, it screams family man. It screams a pride for their work but someone who would love to come home from a day in the office and get a big hug from their kids.

This Father’s Day turn one of these discarded favorite dress shirts into a memory pillow that can hugged for years to come or used as extra back support in dad’s office! A Crafter’s Choice Pillow Insert from Fairfield World is a great option to easily stuff a shirt to turn it into a nice place to rest your head.

DIY Memory Pillow Supplies

Button Up Shirt
Crafter’s Choice Pillow Insert
Sewing Machine
Tailor’s chalk
Fabric Scissors
Straight Pins
Optional: Poly-Fil Polyester Fiber Fill

First, button up the dress shirt and sew the front closed.

Next sew the collar down. I love how the top of the collar has such a hint of dad still in it while also being the top of the pillow.

Turn the shirt inside out and use an iron to press flat. Using a ruler and chalk, draw the lines for the sides and bottom of a square, the size of the pillow insert. Slide in pins for the two sides.

Run this through a sewing machine on the two sides.

Stuff the shirt with the pillow insert. If your pillow is like mine and it had a little gap of space on the top where the collar was, use Poly-Fil to stuff in this open area to help give it more shape.

Use a slip stitch to close the bottom of the shirt to finish the memory pillow.

You can use this approach to turn any piece of clothing into a memory pillow. But with this button up style, you now a a fun pocket area that you can fill with a note or photo of dad to look at and enjoy a fun memory of the patriarch of your life.

Gift it directly to dad as a “work themed” pillow for their home office or to a family memory who would love to be surrounded by the memory of a piece of clothing commonly associated with dad.