PillowPal Users

pjwalman · Post by **pjwalman** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 1:34 pm

I've given out over 60 patterns for the PillowPal at this point but have only heard from a handful of people about how it is working for them. I am at the point where I'd appreciate some input on whether it has helped you sleep better in all your masked glory or if there are suggestions you would make to improve the design.

I realize not every product will work well for every person, but if the majority of people feel it didn't help them with accommodating their masks better for improved sleep, then I don't want to keep posting about the availability of the pattern. On the other hand, if the majority of the people who have gotten the pattern have felt as positively about it as the people who have taken the time to let me know how the PillowPal has worked for them, then I want to keep offering the free pattern to my fellow hoseheads.

So if you could either tack a comment onto this thread or PM me with your reactions to the PillowPal, I'd appreciate hearing from you so I can assess whether I need to "bump" my offer again to reach the latest group of newbies or whether I should just let the PillowPal die a dignified, private death as a well-intentioned idea gone wrong.

Thanks!

Peggy

bap40 · Post by **bap40** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 8:14 pm

I am happy with the pillow that I recieveed! I think it is a terrific idea. The one thing that would make it perfect for me is... less stuffing. I find my head is a bit too high, after having used it since it's arrival and still do use i Great minds are always appreciated.

Maybe an option of fill factor? Or maybe it is just ME? I would also love to have the pattern now. I am finally going to re-place my sewing machine that is DOA, this fall.

pjwalman · Post by **pjwalman** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 8:49 pm

Thanks for the feedback, Brooke! If you'll PM me your email address again (I often didn't have real names for email addresses and so gave up on keeping track of whose email address went with which forum name), I'll be happy to email you the pattern so you can try it out on your new sewing machine when you get it.

I appreciate the feedback about the filling, but I'm not sure that there are many options out there for pillows. If yours has a velcro closure (I think that's what Sharon started doing for them), just grab out a handful of "stuffing" and see if that's more comfortable. That is the problem with pillows and people's different preferences of firmness, so I was grateful that Sharon came up with the idea of velcro so people could stuff and unstuff as they please. I wish I could sew well enough to figure out how to do that on my own that I've made for myself, but I haven't quite figured out how to do it well yet and always end up just sewing them closed in frustration.

Look forward to sending you the pattern when I get your email address by PM.

Take care!

Peggy

GumbyCT · Post by **GumbyCT** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 9:06 pm

Yea maybe a way to add or remove filling for indiviual preference would help. Maybe a small zipper? Other wise yea I like mine. I don't use it every nite but it is a good option & I like the design. It could make the difference in leaks or no leaks for some.

Shutchis1951 · Post by **Shutchis1951** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 9:09 pm

Peggy
I am not putting velcro in them because the filling would get caught in the velcro and not stay closed. Am trying to work on fixing that tho

Brooke

On the side where the pillow is hand stiched take the stiches loose and take some of the filling out or use a thinner bed pillow under the pillowpal. Hope this helps you

Sharon

pjwalman · Post by **pjwalman** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 9:54 pm

Sharon, that's exactly why I got frustrated with my velcro tries and ended up sewing them up. So at least I know it's not because I'm a beginner seamstress! I used to say "sewer" until I realized how that looked. Yay! I thought maybe I was not putting the velcro in the right way or something.

I bought some snaps and am going to try one with those. I'll let you know if that works better. I don't have a clue how to put in a zipper, but maybe there's no time like the present to learn. Right?

Thanks for all your hard work, Sharon!!! Without your skill, several people would have gone without a PillowPal so far.

Peggy

Maryb · Post by **Maryb** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 9:59 pm

I used Peggy's pattern to make a PillowPal last weekend and I've used it every night since.
I think it's great! I've tried just about every kind of pillow (some really pricey) and have not been happy with any of them. But the little PillowPal just placed on top of an ordinary pillow works really well. It's very comfortable and my mask doesn't get squished against my face, so I have less marks on my face in the morning. The pillow provides just enough support for my head and neck and allows the mask to hang slightly off to be supported by the larger pillow underneath. Also, I think this little pillow will be great to travel with--small and lightweight.
thanks Peggy for inventing the PillowPal and making it available to us!
I'd advise everyone to try this.

Maryb

Shutchis1951 · Post by **Shutchis1951** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 10:12 pm

Peggy I know how to put zippers in maybe a short one would work. They cost a lot the longer they are will have to see how much the short ones are. Then see if I remember how to put one in. Its been a long time since I used to put them in my sons pants when they were young. They are 31 and soon to be 27 the end of the month now.

Sharon

pjwalman · Post by **pjwalman** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 12:23 pm

We'll get this figured out then. I'll do some experimenting this weekend and see if I can figure out a good way to leave an entrance to stuff or unstuff, depending on personal preference. I know Gumby once suggested it would be nice to have memory foam, but darned if I know how a lay person can get ahold of it. I did a Google search to see if a person can buy "sheets" of it or whatever, but all I came up with was already-made pillows and mattress tops. I have to admit I attacked the inside of my memory foam pillow once to get a slab to try as a gasket of sorts with a mask, but the idea was a flop. Probably it would be outrageously expensive, considering the price of the memory foam pillows on the market, but it's a great "wish list" item.

And as far as stuffing, it's going to start shifting around and getting lumpy with each wash, just like a regular pillow, so I'm starting to think maybe a person should get it stuffed to just the right firmness for their own personal preference and then throw a pillow case over it to be washed rather than throwing the PillowPal in the wash instead. Or maybe I can come up with some sort of zippered pillow case pattern for it, and that would solve that particular problem. Nah. You'd still want the option of being able to add or remove stuffing, I think. Man, it's ALWAYS something, as Gilda Radner used to say. (Dating myself there, aren't I?)

I'll keep trying to figure something out, guys! Promise! And if Sharon or I come up with something, I'll try to figure out a way to revise the directions I send out. Also again thanks to Gumby's input, I've been thinking of maybe having the pattern include two different lines to it, giving an option of a larger size for those that like something a little bigger under their heads. I've been experimenting with it and found you really don't want to extend the "legs" much more 'cause they tend to "grab" you at night when you switch sides and then you're groping around in the dark trying to find where the danged Pal went so you can lay back down again.

Just rambling here, aren't I? Sorry! Anyway, I'll try to improve the design and will keep y'all posted. In the meantime, please feel free to keep providing input as the feedback definitely helps!!

Peggy

Yoga · Post by **Yoga** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 3:53 pm

Has anyone compared the pillowpal to the pap pillow?

pjwalman · Post by **pjwalman** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 5:12 pm

Just so you won't be misled, Yoga, the PillowPal is just a small "pal" to sit on top of your favorite pillow (which actually you already know since you got the pattern yesterday). The PAP pillow is actually a pillow. One is little. One is big. One is homemade and crudely designed. One is professionally manufactured and, I assume, professionally designed. One is free plus the fabric and stuffing it takes to assemble it. One is...well, not free. So there's no really comparing them. Some people have mentioned having tried the larger actual pillows and not had them work very well for them. Some love the big pillows. As with masks, each person has their own personal preferences on what is comfortable to them, and we all have different budgets we have to factor in.

So, again, just to clarify, the PillowPal is NOT, by any stretch of the imagination, a pillow...so if a pillow is what you're looking for, you'll definitely want to check out the PAP pillow and other similar items that actually ARE pillows. Guess I should have come up with something a little more accurately descriptive...like "masked face elevation device" perhaps?

Peggy

WearyOne · Post by **WearyOne** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 8:55 pm

I somehow missed this originally. What exactly is it? Ever since I started cpap over a year ago, I've used an old neck roll pillow on top of my regular pillows. I lay on my side with my face on the edge of the neck roll so the mask doesn't smash in the pillow and leak. Is it something like that? The neck roll can get uncomfortable sometimes, so something else would be welcomed.

Thanks!

Pam

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): CPAP

larbabe · Post by **larbabe** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:11 pm

Peggy,
Sorry I haven't responded sooner. Still waiting for the wife to sew it. She assures me I'm on the list!!!!! I'll let you know when it happens.
Thanks!

birdshell · Post by **birdshell** » Sun Jul 06, 2008 12:01 am

I have a couple of suggestions:

1. My buckwheat hull crescent pillow (which I have used for some time to raise my mask off the pillow) has a muslin "container" holding in the hulls so that the cover may be washed. I wonder if something similar combined with the zipper would help?

2. Zipper tape is available by the roll, with a number of sliders. This is how various manufacturers buy them, depending on their use. I entered "zipper rolls" in a search engine and had 821 hits. Anyone making a number of pillows might benefit from buying them this way.

One offering had 16 feet of zipper tape and 20 sliders for $2.99 + $6.94 shipping and handling. That is a total of $9.93, which works out to just slightly under $0.50 per zipper, allowing for about a 9" zipper. More slides are probably available to cut the cost further if smaller zippers are desired. Of course, there is also the possibility of buying more zipper tape.

Sorry if this is overkill; I just happened to know about these two things and thought that it couldn't hurt to share.

Karen

pjwalman · Post by **pjwalman** » Sun Jul 06, 2008 12:57 pm

Thank you, Karen! All I could find at Joann's this weekend was a seven-inch zipper, which I think will be too long. I'm still going to give it a try, though as I've never put one in and now is as good a time as any to try to learn this new skill.

I had no clue you could buy zippers in rolls. Definitely not overkill -- thank you so much for taking the time to research it and share it with us!!

Peggy

PillowPal Users

PillowPal Users

Pillowpal Users