phew ~

What was originally a trip to the fabric store for just 2 pieces of fabric turned into 6. How does this happen? It happens when you bring a little 9 year-old with you who loves bunnies. I should know better.

I had my eye on an adorable tutorial found on NanaCompany dot typepad dot com for a pillow case, "Sweet dreams little one". I wanted to make something for DD #4 for her first camp. A little love from home. I had some left over scraps from my Montana Quilt and stitched them up. Not her first time away from home but her first sleep over camp. And first time mom and dad home alone without children. 

Added the top band

Then, silly me, having to make things more complicated than they need to be, decided that I wanted a message on both sides, a 'good morning' side and a 'good night' side. So I decided that the patchwork would be the morning and the flannel the night and so that there was no seam I wanted it to be like a standard slip on pillowcase. Phew.... For the 'good night' side I stitched the band using the 'hot dog' method. This is a great method for hiding seams and could probably be used for the bottom of pajama pants (idea!). 

 

Then using a washable marker traced the words. I printed our the message using Giddyup Std and traced the cute little animals purchased from NanaCompany . 

I used Cosmo embroidery floss brown color 311 for all the embroidery. I backed the patchwork side with muslin then quilted all the diagonals.

It was challenging to stitch the words on the band. I should have embroidered before I sewed on the band. 

 

The patchwork side is about 1/4 inch longer than the flannel side which worked out beautifully for the binding. 

Pinned the binding all around the pillowcase

Making sure I did not accidentally catch the flannel band, I pinned it back. I use Heather Bailey's tutorial for attaching binding to quilts. Works every time.

Washed and dried....all the blue washes out in cold water.

Happy face

I would make this again and again. Thank you NanaCompany for your sweet inpiration!

So back to pot holders, Hawaiian postcards quilt and all the other projects just waiting to be completed. 

Pillowcases

October 2010

Service Project


Wow. My girls and I have finished our pillowcases for Con-Kerr Cancer.We will deliver them shortly  to Cozy Quilt Shop in El Cajon. This is the shop that had a fabric sale that made it possible for us to each make 10 pillowcases. Thank you Thank you! My girls were hesitant at first but then they got into a groove.We cut our selected fabric together because I felt this is were the accuracy begins and makes for a nice finished pillowcase. I was able to practice french seams and my girls practiced sewing. One of my daughters exclaimed that she can sew a pillowcase in 30 minutes (not including the cutting, ironing or pinning). Their confidence is rising and hopefully they have a skill that will help them in the future. Not only will the recipient get a pillowcase but we got alot out of participating in the challenge.

Our first three pillowcases

The stack continues to grow!

Kate hard at work

Soley hard at work...pinning?

All the pillowcases completed and ready to deliver

The girls deliver the pillowcases to the Cozy Quilt Shop

I believe that we will remember this time that we spent making pillowcases for someone in need and also allowed us to spend time together.

 I just read that the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge will be over as of December so if anyone out there in blog-land were thinking of participating...get to cutting, pinning and sewing!

Happy Giving!
Ileen