Sew A Handmade Tooth Fairy Pillow
After several years of searching for a lost tooth under the pillow all while trying NOT to wake my child, I found a much better way to do this ‘tooth fairy’ job and decided to Sew A Handmade Tooth Fairy Pillow!
My mom had given me a sewing project book of things to sew for kids and one of those things was a TOOTH FAIRY PILLOW! I have made and donated many of these tooth pillows. My kids LOVED their pillows and I will to show you how to make a tooth fairy pillow.
I recently promised one of my sisters that I would make each of her girls a tooth fairy pillow and decided to take photos, as I was sewing, to use for this post. This tooth fairy pillow tutorial can be used for boys or girls! READY…let’s get started!
FREE tooth fairy pillow template (PDF) for you to download– CLICK on DOWNLOAD link below image.
(I had given away the book I originally used so I had to search for my son’s tooth fairy pillow to trace it and figured out how to make a PDF tooth fairy pattern template.)
I have made this PDF template as an 8.5″ X 11″. Each square in the grid should be 1″. You can use the above template or free-hand draw your own template.
Supplies for Tooth Fairy Pillow
Fabric Piece #1- white or cream color for front of tooth (11″ X 11″)
Fabric Piece #2- Your choice for back of tooth and pocket (11″ X 11″) for tooth and a 2.5″ X 4.5″ for cutting out pocket piece. (Not necessary to pin rectangle piece of paper to fabric- just measure and cut)
Bag of Stuffing for crafts ( <<< Link is for a12oz. bag size)
(Product Display image link is for a 32oz. bag size. You save a tiny bit of money ordering the larger bag)
Fairfield Poly Fil Premium Fiber Fill, 32-OunceBuy from Amazon
Basic Sewing Supplies AND Hand Sewing Needle
Downloaded pattern template
Pinning Pattern Pieces to Fabric & Cutting
BEFORE cutting out your pattern pieces, make sure you prewash/dry your fabric.
Fold each of your fabric pieces, for front & back of tooth, right sides together. Place template on fabric fold line and pin.
The pattern template you have is for HALF of the tooth. The ‘FABRIC FOLD’ line on the template NEEDS to be placed on the fabric fold so after you cut and unpin the template, you will have one FULL tooth fabric piece.
You will cut one piece of fabric for the back tooth and one piece for the front of tooth. Seam allowances are included in the pattern so just cut along dotted line for the tooth template.
Cutting ‘Pillow Pocket’ Pattern Piece
You can place whole pocket pattern template on fabric OR place half of the template on the fabric fold, as shown in above photo. You will cut only ONE 2 1/2″ X 4 1/2″ pocket piece.
Just cut along the straight edges for the pocket template- seam allowance is included.
Steps for making the pocket is in the next section…
Prepare ‘stuffing opening’ seam allowance lines
On Front and Back tooth fabric pieces, sew a basting stitch ON the seam line. This stitching line gives you a visual guide of where to fold and press fabric when you are ready to pin and sew this area closed.
You could use a contrasting thread for the basting stitch to make your seam line ‘stand out’ and easy to see when you remove the stitches.
**This basting stitch step is completely optional, just an extra step that I used and wanted to pass along.
Prepare & Sew Pocket on Tooth Front
Prepare Pocket Piece for Tooth Fairy Pillow
1) Fold 1/4″ on each short side of pocket to wrong side of fabric and press.
2) Fold pocket piece in half, right sides of fabric together, matching edges of pressed seams and press again. (See photo above.)
3) Stitch each side seam with 1/4″ seam allowance. (Top of pocket is the short seams you pressed in earlier step, and bottom of pocket is the folded fabric edge, the two remaining sides are the side seams) See image above for visual help.
4) Slightly trim corners at top and bottom of side seam and turn pocket right side out, using image above as a visual guide.
5) Top stitch the opening of this pocket piece closed-trust me on this…
I keep calling this piece a pocket when technically it is the FRONT of the pocket. After this piece is sewn on the front tooth fabric piece, the area between the so-called ‘pocket’ and tooth will be the actual pocket area. (This is challenging trying to write for something SO hands on! 🤪 This is why I give you many images to see- YAY!)
Attaching the Pocket Piece to Front Tooth Fabric Piece
If you want to add any other embellishments to the pillow front, now is the time to do so before you stitch the front and back pieces together. Just make sure your extra additions are kept away from the stitching line.
Stitch Front and Back Fabric Pieces for Sewing
Pin and stitch around tooth, leaving opening for turning right sides out and stuffing.
Clip curved seams
Clip seam edges before turning right side out. Use the image below for a visual guide.
Turn Tooth Fairy Pillow Right Side Out AND add stuffing.
Turn pillow right side out.
Run your finger on the seams inside the pillow for a quick finger pressing.
I suggest pressing the pillow at this time to get out fabric wrinkles and pressing seams.
Now…Finally it’s time to stuff this cute pillow! Use your fingers or other small sewing tool to get stuffing down into the teeth roots. Finish stuffing the main area just being cautious not to OVERstuff or you may have a hard time if you choose to close this area with a machine stitch. If you want to use a hand whip stitch to close the pillow up- stuff away!
Congratulations! You just made a fun project that will last a lifetime and give many memories to your child or whoever you gift this pillow to!
Before you leave- Be sure to check out this Fun Sewing Project for kids- Cozy Nap Towel for fun or school
Thanks for reading and Happy Simple Sewing to You!
For any questions about this post you can contact amy@amyssewingstudio.com