Here are two retirement pillows I made. Both women are Adaptive Physical Education Teachers. I was asked to make each retiree their own pillow with some mementos of the job.
Running Track and Field Meets are part of the job. I scanned various medals that have been given out to the children over the years. I also used the ribbons that are given out to make the backs of the pillow. On the inside of the pillow are two foam inserts that the medals are stored in. Photos were taken at one of the final track meets.
Step 1: Try to fool retirees.
Step 2: Hide extra ribbons from them.
Step 3: Keep everyone from spilling the beans. LOL
Steps on making the pillow
The Front:
I scanned in all the old medals that we have given out over the years. I Then compiled them as one page in my Print Shop. I printed them out on my ink jet printer on treated muslin.
I then compiled the track photos and cropped them in my Print Shop and printed on the fabric.
I arranged the photos and medals around the top and quilted it. I used invisible thread to stitch around each picture.
The Back:
I used plain muslin as the base of the pillow. I ironed a layer of Wonder Under on the whole pillow back. I wanted something to hold the ribbons in place. I considered washable glue then decided against it. I laid the ribbons down and used my Teflon sheet to protect the iron. 
I did a zigzag stitch around each ribbon with invisible thread.
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The green ribbon didn't show on the final measurement so I used them to make the fringe around the pillows.
The "Pillow Foam":
At the track meets all the medals come in this foam holder. Instead of throwing them away I find other uses for them, such as my "Longarm Tool Holder". Because they are a soft foam they can also be used as the inside of pillows. I use a layer of old batting around it to make it softer.
The Final Product:
