We created PillowWeights out of frustration. We ran an Airbnb and started noticing our pillow design was no longer on display when we arrived. We asked our cleaner if she knew anything about this. She replied that she started putting the pillows in the chest because, upon arrival, she would often have to gather them from around the property due to the gnarly winds in Joshua Tree. Most days, she wouldn't have time to wash the covers and return the pillows to their proper place. We told her we'd go ahead and order some pillow weights to fix the problem, but when we scoured the web, there was nothing!

We thought, "Let's just try corn bags!" Not only did they change the shape and balance of our pillows, but eventually, coyotes found them. We tried sandbags, zip locks with sand, and even sewing straps into the pillowcases, but we didn't like restricting the movement of the pillows. That wasn't for us. After exhausting many solutions on forums, we shelved the problem and dealt with lumpy pillows for another year. We just couldn't find anything we liked that didn't detract from the feel and design of the pillows we had chosen. A year later, during the COVID-19 lockdown, we decided to use the free time to get a sewing machine and reopen this project. After many months of destroying pillowcases (and possibly a washing machine), we found the right combination of materials that work for even the most porous of pillowcases. This involved exhausting 3M and Avery Dennison of all the sample transfer tapes they could muster.

The problem we had was finding an adhesive that was strong enough to adhere to the canvas materials our pillowcases are often made of, could endure the elements and the washing machine, yet gentle enough to not change the look and feel of our pillows. We knew we could make a soft enough, mini weighted blanket that would be slender enough not to disturb the shape of the pillow. That was the not-so-easy, easy part. It was the application to the pillow in a way that didn't disturb the balance, feel, and look of our pillows. We always had in mind that we were going to use a soft hook and loop fastener to make it detachable, but we hadn't quite nailed an adhesive that could do all the things we wanted it to do without being too intrusive.

We had people at 3M and Avery participating in our little mission with us. They were excited to send us more samples and eager to hear how the trials went.

We finally stumbled onto an adhesive something only sold in bulk that's used mainly for transportation and automobiles. A tape converting company in Utah, Walker Tape Converting suggested we try something it had worked with before. It had a high environmental and chemical resistance which was great to hear but we had been excited with other 3M tapes that claimed this too but the adhesive would bleed through the pillowcase or cause a crunchy feel when touched. Some wouldn't really adhere to canvas or other really porous samples. When we finally received the sample, Avery Dennison FT1126 was everything we could possibly want. We tried very hard to be wrong to find cracks in this transfer tape to no avail. Machine wash, rain, high-heat machine dry, aggressive pressure, and most importantly: soft to touch. We finally had our "glue."

Although shipping prices make it tricky to sell a product online that is pure weight, the support was overwhelming, and we decided to move forward. A few years into the process, we found out that this is the very reason nobody has jumped on this project thus far. The discovery of Avery's FT1126 and our business naiveté made this possible. The feedback, journey, and continued learning make it all worth it in the end.

We'd love to know your thoughts, and we promise we'll share them, especially the photos! If you send us some photos of your wonderful setup while using PillowWeights for us to post, we'd love to give you 50% off your next order as it helps us with our growth! (10-pair max).

About Us

PillowWeights was started by longtime friend, Matthew Pearson, and myself, Sam Gipson (right), in Joshua Tree, CA. Actors by trade, we had paired up previously for an ambitious art project. We designed and built The Black Rock Bijou; a large scale art installation at the Burning Man Festival in northern Nevada.

The two currently reside in Los Angeles, CA working on our toughest roles yet, "small business owners."