One of my favorite things about becoming a mom has been watching my husband bond with our son. These two guys are the best of buddies- they love to cuddle, play and rough-house together- and watching my little man look up to his daddy is the most wonderful, heartwarming thing I have ever seen.

When my husband’s shirts wear out, I always ask him to save them so I can make something special out of them. I have yet to start some small quilts with his shirts, but I finally got around to making one of the projects I had slated for a pair of button-ups he placed in my fabric pile- two adorable little pocket pillows! The best part… I used my button-up pillow technique to make the covers completely removable and washable. When I finished the pillows, I placed them in a little “reading area” that daddy can use when reading to the little man, and be a little more comfortable. These pillows are perfect to remind little man of daddy whenever he’s traveling- they would be perfect for families who have a parent that travels a lot- or even military families! (How cute would a worn fatigue pocket be on a pillow??).

Read on to see how I did it!

First, you’ll need a button up shirt with a pocket. Carefully remove pocket from shirt using a seam ripper.

Cut two squares of fabric that will fit your pillow. For complete instructions on making a button-up pillow, please read my Chevron Ruffle Button Up Pillow Post.

For this variation, instead of sewing a ruffle on the front of the pillow, I pinned the pocket from daddy’s shirt into the middle of one of the squares of fabric, and straight stitched around the sides and bottom of the pocket.

Follow the rest of the button up pillow instructions, and you have an adorable pillow cover that is easily removable and washable- perfect for a toddler’s room!

You can put treats, flashcards, or even tooth fairy money in these pillows! The best part- they are little reminders of daddy (I love that one was monogrammed- such a cute touch!!). I used madras fabrics that compliment little man’s bedding for the pillows, but you could use other shirts, too!

Here’s how it looks from the back (and as a bonus, this is a great way to get little hands practicing button skills):

And here’s the little reading area I set up using these pillows. Now daddy can sit on the ground, put little man on his Hippo chair, and have some support for his back.

You could easily use girly fabric for a little girls room- or add a couple pockets per pillow, or use jean pockets if button up shirts aren’t your hubby’s thing. When daddy is home it can be their special little spot- and when daddy is gone, little one can cuddle up with his pillows and read his favorite book to read with daddy. Such a great way to keep that special bond close even when daddy is far away!

What little things do you have in your kids rooms that remind them of you and your husband?