Grand Piano Pillow (with tutorial) (Warning: picture overload)

[Len]

Last month was my boyfriend's birthday.
A perfect gift for him would have been a Yamaha C3 grand piano, but I'm afraid that as a gift it isn't exactly affordable, so I had to think about something else.
Since he gave me a brand new sewing machine last Christmas (did I mentioned? HE ROCKS   ) I decided to make him something with it.

So here's the obvious result: a grand piano pillow!





Of course, the first thing he noticed was the number of keys: wrong, I-just-don't-want-to-know-how-many-keys-I-sewed vs 88. But then he loved it!  


Detail of the keys of doom - they took forever!

Aaaaand surprise!! My first invisible zipper EVER:



Can you see it?! NOOOOO it's inviiiiisible!!!
Ok, sorry, I'm a dork. But I am SO proud of my zipper. (I don't know why, but the sole idea of sewing in an invisible zipper terrified me.)
You can't see it, but there's a second piano shaped white pillow inside (without zipper. I am sure it must have a name in English, but I don't know what it is   ). Sadly, I filled it with feathers and they keep on getting out through both layers of fabric!  

Two more pictures just because I love it:





Hope you like it, thanks for looking!

[LovecatLiz]

Whoa, you did such neat work! And you should be proud of yourself with the zipper. Zippers are from the devil

My mom is a piano player....I should *try* and make her one. Don't know if I could get it as neat as you though. Well done!

[Len]

Thank you!
If you need some tip feel free to ask - it's actually quite easy to make, you just need a loooot of patience for the black keys - which I hated with all my might.
Let me know if you decide to make it!

[pinokeeo]

I don't usually respond to pillows, but this one really rocks.  Great job.

[LovecatLiz]

you just need a loooot of patience for the black keys - which I hated with all my might.

I wonder if I could use black felt for the keys. It might make it sooo much easier to sew on....but I don't know. Did you use basic cotton material?

[Len]

I don't usually respond to pillows, but this one really rocks.  Great job.

Wow, thank you pinokeeo 

I wonder if I could use black felt for the keys. It might make it sooo much easier to sew on....but I don't know. Did you use basic cotton material?

I thought about using felt too, but then I decided to use only cotton partly because I thought it would be more comfortable if you have it under your head or cheeks, but mostly because I knew I liked it better the complicated way 
It took me some time to figure out how to do it, and since I'm new to sewing maybe you'll figure out a better/easiest way; anyway I'll try to describe how I made it:



Oh I forgot to say that I embroidered the white keys before attaching the white stripe to the black piece (so the ends of the embroidered lines will be under the black keys and you won't see them).
Then of course open the zipper, sew along the borders right sides facing and turn inside out 

Sadly, my black keys were too thin (0.5 cm = 0.2 inches (while the white keys are 1.5 cm = 0.6 inches wide)) so two of them got ruined while turning inside out (they... uhm... got unsewed...?), and I had to sew a sort of fold along the junction between the black keys and the piano body to cover the imperfections. Ahem. I don't know if I gave you the idea in english... Anyway, if you make larger keys you shouldn't have this kind of problem.

I hope my English makes some sense 

Post some photo of your pillow when you make one, and keep me updated please

[LovecatLiz]

I thought about using felt too, but then I decided to use only cotton partly because I thought it would be more comfortable if you have it under your head or cheeks, but mostly because I knew I liked it better the complicated way 

OK, more kudos to you sister! Lol.
THANK you millions for the tute. If I end up making this, I promise to post it.
 

[spikefan]

Awesome!

[shadowemblem]

dat iz juz super kwaii!

thankz 4 postin' & sharin'
-Ivy

[Len]

Thank you all for your comments!