A Peek Inside - Another Set of Pillowcases

This set of pillowcases in the hope chest is recycled! Some years ago, my father-in-law gave me several pillowcases that were cleaned out of an old warehouse where he worked. They are made from beautiful, tight cotton percale and the fabric is lovely. But, these original pillowcases had a large black logo stamp on the cuff - not so lovely. So, I cut the whole hem off to get rid of that logo. Because that made the pillowcases too short for even a standard pillow, I made a new cuff with this pretty blue print cotton fabric. I used the easy "magic" or "burrito" method to enclose the seams in the cuff. Then I embroidered a design to dress them up a bit. No cost upcyling - just scraps.

In My Workbasket: Pillowcases & Trims

So I am always on the lookout for pretty cotton fabric to make pillowcases. The fabric has to have just the right "hand." It needs to feel good on my face and still be pretty. While I love crisp, white pillowcases, I also really like printed ones, especially ones that I have decorated with crochet edgings. I have quite a stack of prints now and have several lengths of crocheted edgings as well. Now I just have to put them together...

When I crochet an edging before I have a pillowcase for it, it is helpful to remember that there are two types of edging patterns. One type develops from one end and is crocheted to a desired length and then you stop. When I use this type of pattern, I crochet the edging to a standard length plus an inch or so. This pattern type allows some flexibility later when I'm sewing the edging to the finished pillowcase. I can just unravel a bit from the end if I need to. The other type of edging pattern is crocheted into a pre-measured foundation chain. You can see that three of the edgings in the picture are crocheted into a foundation chain. Because I made these ahead and this type of pattern requires a finished measurement, I will now have to make the pillowcase to fit the edging. That isn't a problem, in this case, but it is something to be aware of.

BTW, before you ask, I don't worry too much about whether the print matches anything else in the hope chest. I have never had a matching bed "set." All the beds in our house are covered with handmade scrappy quilts or miscellaneous blankets. It is a real farmhouse, meaning nothing matches and everything is used. But pretty is still important to me. I hope Abigail has absorbed that value to the degree that she can find use for such extra pillowcases. They will certainly match the scrappy quilts I plan to make for her hope chest.

A Peek Inside - Cross-Stitch Pillowcases

Filling a hope chest is a wonderful thing, especially when it is filled with gifts from those who love you! These become treasures that fill your life with beauty and sweet memories. These pretty pillowcases were a gift to Miss Abigail from her grandmother. Grandma Mower has many pillowcases in her linen closet, including some that are now considered vintage and even antique. It is such a treat to stay in her home and find which treasures grace the pillows on the bed. Many are embroidered and some have delicate thread crocheted edgings created by her great aunts, now gone. Grandma loves to speak of these pioneer women - to tell their stories. I was the happy recipient of several sets of pillowcases, embroidered by my mother-in-law, when I married my husband all those years ago (this post). These are mostly worn out now, but I surely hate to retire them because I've enjoyed using them so much. I didn't save these pillowcases from use. Maybe I should have, but I used them. For more than thirty years I've washed and folded them, felt loved and thought about the skill and generosity that went into their creation. Grandma told me that she now no longer enjoys embroidery, but she still likes to cross-stitch.  I'm sure Abigail will enjoy using these in her future home too, just as Grandma has enjoyed those which were gifted to her years ago and as much as I've enjoyed mine. This is what my hope chest legacy is really about. 

Current Project - Crocheted Lace Trim

This crocheted trim is currently in my workbasket. I'm planning to add it to a pair of pillowcases. This is another thread trim that is very easy to crochet. It works up quickly and is practically mindless, once you get going. I can get about 20 inches made in 30 or 40 minutes, so it is a perfect project to take in the car, or to pull out while waiting at the dentist or the piano lesson. The trim uses a basic V-shell stitch and just turns back and forth on itself, over and over. There are all sorts of variations of this basic stitch and I have seen it in the foundation of many antique lace edgings. I think it looks nice as a simple flat pillowcase trim and it looks just as nice sewn on the woven band of a set of bath towels. I'll make a tutorial, just as soon as I help Miss Abigail finish the sewing project.

edit: the tutorial for this trim is found here -- crocheted v-stitch trim

Everyday Beauty

Once you fall in love with the idea of making a home, you find infinite pleasure in making it suitable, comfortable and even beautiful.  But, too often we put away our beautiful things because, well, they are too beautiful. “This is too nice to use for just everyday,” we say. We’ll save it for the holidays or when guests come to visit, and content ourselves with the plain and practical for everyday.  But our home is the space that encircles both our body and our spirit. It ought to be beautiful. No matter where we live, even in a temporary situation, a home is something we can create with the currency of beauty.

Why should you use a dishrag when you can easily use a dishcloth? Why should you use a dust rag when you can easily use a dust cloth? Truly, it is just as easy to use a towel that has, in some way, been made beautiful as it is to use a plain one, or one that is worn out or ugly. Of course, my home is more than those physical objects that surround me, but I find that my happiness is greater when I see, use, and enjoy everyday things that are beautiful. My everyday attitude is much improved.

Lest you get the wrong impression, I’ve used my share of rags, plastic cups and worn out blankets. But, I’m becoming wiser to my own happiness. It doesn’t take much to add a little beauty to everyday things. It does take a deliberate choice to actually use them.

If you own a pair of plain (white or printed) pillowcases, I challenge you to pull them out and use the following tutorial to add some simple, everyday beauty to your home.

Materials: Besides the pillowcases, you need a package of rick-rack trim, 6-ply cotton embroidery thread, two small embellishments, and a needle.

Measure the rick-rack trim, cut and pin it around the hem of the pillowcase.

Measure a length of thread three times the width of the pillowcase and cut. Use all 6 plys and thread the needle. Knot the thread.

Fold a bit under the end of the trim and bring the needle up in the corner. Make a tacking stitch. Do this on both the top and bottom edge.

Bring the needle up at the inside edge of the trim.

Take a small stitch, within the inside edge of the rick-rack trim. Take another stitch on the inside edge diagonal to your other stitch. Stitch, back and forth, within the inside edges of the rick-rack trim all the way across. The thread lays across the trim, tacking it securely to the pillowcase.

Work these small stitches in each wave across the length of the trim. Make the stitch smooth and snug, but don’t pull too tightly or the fabric will pucker.

When you come to the end of the trim, take another small tacking stitch on the top edge to secure the end and make it neat.

Tack down the bottom edge as well, and tie off the thread securely.

Sew on the embellishment. A ribbon rose, a button, or an applique would also make a cute decoration.

You are finished. Now use them. You’ll feel like a queen!