I'm not sure when it happened, or how the word of it spreads, but apparently in order for one to receive a prize from the Tooth Fairy, one must possess a "Toothy Fairy Pillow". It is no longer adequate, nor acceptable to merely leave one's tooth beneath one's bed pillow on the eve of the Tooth Fairy visiting. No! One must leave their fallen tooth in a pillow designated and designed for such a task. Much as a Christmas Tree is a social requisite of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy would be remiss should a lost tooth not be properly left in the sanctity of a Tooth Fairy Pillow!
Okay, I fully admit, I was naive. Certainly, I had seen Tooth Fairy Pillows in catalogues before, and while I thought they were cute, they seemed a bit excessive. Why can't the Tooth Fairy just pick up teeth old-school style, and fish them out from underneath the bed of the sleeping child, where the sacred tooth was sure to fall after the child restlessly tosses and turns waiting for that whimsical fairy to sweep in and steal their beloved tooth. It wasn't until my daughter lost her first tooth that I finally understood how ingenious these little pillows were! Being able to avoid sneaking into the room of a sleeping child and riffling around in the dark in search of a microscopic tooth tucked somewhere within the bedding of the fitfully sleeping child, by simply retrieving the tooth from the pocket of a pillow hung on the OUTSIDE of the child's door, PRICELESS!
After listening intently to the pleas of my daughter, as she explained to me the necessity of having a Tooth Fairy Pillow, and thinking about the ease of the Tooth Fairy's exchange should she indeed have one, I set out to find one of these new childhood necessities. My first stop, of course, was Amazon.com, which did prove fruitful, they had a vast assortment of these little hanging pillows, in all shapes and sizes. My two favorites are posted in the links below.
Unfortunately, being in a frugal frame of mind, I couldn't justify buying a tiny pillow that would only occasionally be put to use. Off to my sewing room I trotted, and within minutes I had found everything that I needed to construct a Tooth Fairy Pillow myself. Armed with a small amount of green fleece, a small scrap of pink felt, a piece of ribbon, a remnant of lace, a needle, and some embroidery thread, I set to work!
I hand stitched lettering (ineptly, but I *think* it's legible) on one side of the felt, and top-stitched it wrong sides together to a piece of fleece the same size. I then stitched that to the front of one of the larger pieces of fleece, sewing along three sides, and leaving the top open to create the much needed "tooth pocket". Placing the two main pieces of fleece wrong sides together, and sandwiching the edge of the lace between the edges of the fabric, I then sewed it all together (leaving one corner open for turning). Using the small mountain of serger trimmings that had been piling up in the waste basket in my sewing room, I stuffed the little pillow with those shreds of scrap fabric. Finally, I hand-stitched the remaining opening closed, and VOILA! The result is this lovely little pillow.
Since I had all of the materials on hand, the only cost to me, was the time that it took to construct it. Personally, any time that I get to myself, and get to hide away in my sewing room is invaluable! I love crafting and creating something out of scraps that I have laying around. I was quite proud of myself, but the true test would be what my daughter thought of it when I presented it to her. When she arrived home, I proudly handed her my creation, and was paid in full with a huge ear-to-ear grin, a giant bear hug, and an "I LOVE YOU, MOMMY!" Never before have I received a greater payment than the love and adoration of my children! This little pillow was well worth the time spent crafting it, just to see the joy on her face.
