Pillowcases for My Granddaughter

When we were at a show last spring I saw a fleece panel with a dog on it. It is a little bigger than crib size. Since my granddaughter, Tristyn loves dogs, I bought it and gave it to her for Easter. Since that night, it has been the "sheet" in her crib. Her mom and dad have to make sure that they wash and dry it around nap and bedtime because she won't sleep without her dog.

She turns 2 years old today. It is time for her big girl bed. My daughter asked me if I'd make her a pillowcase. Since the dog is made out of fleece, my daughter thinks that if her pillowcase is made of fleece it will be like her dog, soft against her face.

I found several options when I was in Hobby Lobby recently. I asked my daughter what to get. There was Elmo who is Tristyn's favorite (see my post about the Elmo outfit I made for her birthday party), pretty colors and Disney Princesses. Trystyn picked the princesses. Her favorite is Sleeping Beauty and the fleece I found had her as one of the princesses, but she was featured at the fold and close to the selvages. In order to get the most Sleeping Beauty I had to fussy cut the panel. I did that and realized that I would only get one pillowcase from a yard of fabric. Of course when I went back to get more, they were sold out. That meant I had to come up with another plan. I bought some purple fabric and figured if I had to, I'd make it two sided -princesses on one side and solid purple on the other.

I went to another store to try and find the same fabric. But all I could find was a similar one in pink. So I bought 2 yards of that (learning from the first one that I would have to fussy cut this fabric too). I ended up making two pillowcases. One is all pink princess fabric. Again making the most of the Sleeping Beauty parts of the fabric. Then I did the double sided princess and purple pillowcase. The hope is that she will like both of them and will want to use both. That would definitely make things easier for her mom and dad because they will be able to wash one and put the other on the pillow. We'll see what happens when she starts sleeping in her big girl bed. The dog will still be there. He is going to be her top blanket. Here are her finished pillowcases.

Back of the Purple Princess Pillowcase

These are just simple rectangles of fabric sewn around three sides and hemmed at the opening. That's all my daughter wanted. They are nothing fancy but I think Tristyn will like them.

Happy Sewing,

Carol

Finished Project

I just finished the needle case for Fresh Strawberries RedWork. Now I have all four pieces done.

The small strawberry pincushion is stuffed with emory. This will sharpen your needles and pins every time you use it. I filled the large strawberry with crushed walnut shells. They add some weight to it and don't attract bugs like rice and other stuffing materials. I love the little Ladybug Bead on top. It adds a little whimsy to it.

The needle case has a green felted wool center. It is the perfect size to carry a variety of needles. The Scarecrow in Wheelbarrow project I'm working on now calls for multiple colors of perle cotton. It is helpful to thread needles with each color. That way when you need to change color, you can just switch to a different needle. This is the perfect place to store all those needles until it is time to use them.

We have a whole set of sewing themed tea towels. This one the perfect companion to the rest of the projects featured in this pattern. Any of these projects would make a great gift for someone who sews. Whether it is someone who quilts, embroiders or does garment sewing, this would be a much appreciated gift.

Current Stitching Project

I'm working on a pair of pillowcases. I finished stitching the dogs last night. It turned out so cute I had to share a picture. This is was taken right after I unhooped it. Isn't it adorable?

The second one is playful cats. Hope to start the stitching tonight. The pattern for this project is coming soon. It will be introduced at Spring Quilt Market in Kansas City this May.

I'm amazed at how fast this project goes. These designs were traced onto the fabric with a Red Micron Pigma Pen. You could also combine two pieces of Stitcky Fabri-Solvy and put the designs onto the fabric that way. Once the design is on the fabric all you need is a hoop, a needle and a ball of  DMC Perle Cotton #498 - Turkey Red, or any other color you might like.You might want a Perle Cotton Bubble too so the thread doesn't get tangled while you stitch. Then  you're good to go. It is a fantastic take along project!

You can make your own pillowcases from White Muslin but we also have some gorgeous Hemstitched Pillowcases that you might like. 

Happy Sitching!