Scrabble Square Pillows

I saw this cute idea for Scrabble square pillows on Pinterest and decided to make some for our apartment. The problem was, my sewing machine is back home in New Hampshire. Thankfully, my mom helped me out. I asked her to find a light-colored canvas fabric and sew four square pillow cases for me with just a three or four-inch opening. She found the exact fabric I'd described and sewed them--perfectly--and mailed the cases to me in Utah. 

When I received them, I used a ruler and drew the letters and numbers on the pillows in pencil. I mixed black acrylic paint with fabric paint then I carefully (and slowly) brushed it between the outlines of my letters and numbers. It took a long time. I put a thick piece of paper on the inside of the pillowcase so that the paint wouldn't bleed through to the other side. I probably could have put painter's tape or something similar down on the pillows to keep the lines nice, but I have a pretty steady hand so I just winged it. I couldn't decide between the letters for "home" or "love" so I decided to do both. Luckily, both words share the same vowels, so I just needed to paint an L on the back of the H pillow and a V on the M one. I looked up the point values for each letter online so I could paint the correct number. I let them dry, stuffed them with white stuffing from Michael's, and then had Dalin sew (with a needle and white thread) each one shut by hand for me so we could say he helped make them. (He claimed his hand and arm cramped up, but the openings in each pillow were only a few inches so it's safe to assume he's fine :P). And voilá! Here are some pics of the finished product! 

We've had the pillows now for almost two years (I made them when we first got married) and they are still in great condition. My main piece of advice would be not to over-stuff the pillows. Leave a little space for the stuffing to fill in. 

Let me know if you try this project or if you need any advice!