Seahorse Pillow Pattern and Starfish Pillow Pattern

I wanted to create a pillow that is unique. Seahorses are incredibly unique so I decided to create pillow patterns of seahorses. I wanted each seahorse to have a little friend, and I also like starfish, so I made starfish accent pillows and pillow patterns. Reading up on the starfish while I created the pillow pattern, I learned some intriguing and somewhat disturbing facts. When I began reading about seahorses, I found a lot of interesting facts – and one very startling fact.

Seahorses are the only species on earth in which the male carry and deliver the offspring. The males have a little pouch like a kangaroo and carry the developing baby in there until it is time to give birth. The male seahorse does not then send the female into the delivery room to go through unimaginable moments. No, the male seahorse goes through it all himself. What a male. What a shining knight in armor.

Seahorses swim in an upright position.  There are adult seahorses as small as two inches and some as big as 14 inches long.  There are approximately 35 different kinds (species) of seahorses none of whom can survive in cold waters.   They need warm, tropical waters to survive.

Seahorses are not welcome visitors to the shrimp creatures nor any mother fish.  Seahorses feed on plankton, brine shrimp and the larva of fish.  At first glance, they don’t appear to have particularly good manners, but they don’t have any teeth so they have to suck up their dinner through their snout. 

A seahorse’s snout is the distinguishing feature of his or her face which resembles a horse.  Seahorses also have mane-like material on their backs and really, the rest is our imagination.  But they’re such fun little creatures to look at.  It’s easy to forget that they are actually fish, they are actually wild and would die very quickly if you take them out of their environment.

Seahorses can change colors to camouflage themselves when there is danger lurking.  Seahorses are colorful and vibrant marine animals.

I have placed my pillow patterns for seahorse pillows at my Etsy Store. Below is the link. The name of my store at Etsy is Maui Express. If ever the link does not work, just type Maui Express into the search box at Etsy.com. The seahorse pattern is simple to follow with step-by-step instructions and photographs.  I also sew orders for seahorses in a variety of colors for customers who prefer their decorative pillows to arrive ready-made. This option is shown, too, at Maui Express.

The starfish are not actually fish. They are in a marine family known as echinoderms. Some people call these little star-like creatures: seastars. There are approximately 2000 species of starfish. It is hard to imagine, but they do not have brains.

Starfish move themselves sideways, forward and backwards. They can have four, five, six or seven arms. If an arm becomes injured and tears off, a new arm grows.

Starfish have little suction cups all over their body and arms which help them to move around. The little suction cups also enable the starfish to eat. Starfish eat meat. Starfish even eat other starfish.

Starfish come in all sizes from very tiny -- the size of a baby’s hand – to very big – the size of a standard chess game board.

I especially like starfish because of the Starfish Story by Loren Eisley. It is a motivational story that can remind each one of us that one person can make a difference for good in the world. It is about a little boy who finds hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand from the tide. He begins throwing each starfish back into the water. An old man comes along and asks what he is doing. The boy explains he is trying to help these starfish. They are suffering. The old man cynically says that is a stupid thing to be doing. The old man says it doesn't make any difference. The little boy picks up another starfish and throws it into the ebbing tide. "It makes a difference to this one, Sir."

Each one of us can make a difference in some way every day.

The pillow pattern for the starfish throw pillows or decorative pillows is so easy that a child could draw it.  It is included for free with the pillow pattern of the seahorse.  See the link above at my Etsy Store.

I am posting photographs of some of the decorative couch pillows (or bed pillows for little children).  Cats love them.  I am not sure why but cats like to grab the starfish and tussle with it.  The pillows in the photographs are my personal decorative throw pillows, so it’s okay that the cat is in amongst the colorful pillows.  She does not get to touch any customers’ pillows.  Customers’ pillows go straight from the sewing table to the packing box.

So there you have it.  Two little colorful choices.  At my Etsy Store  you may order the ready-made seahorse decorative pillow – just email your color preference to me through the Etsy site – or you may order the seahorse pillow pattern and receive the simple starfish pattern, too.  These are a pleasure to sew and a pleasure to give as gifts.

This article and the photographs © Pamela Kinnaird W. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No reproduction without prior written permission.