Sew Many Craft Puns

As this blog is sort of a "miscellaneous drawer" of topics, I thought I'd step off my soap box and do a few how-to's of some craft projects that I've been working on.  :)

The inspiration for these projects came from one of my good friends and her recent sewing exploits.  You can check out her how-to blog here.  Since I am nowhere near experienced enough to imitate her impressive clothing-making skills, however, I started small...

My sorority Mu Epsilon Theta was opening a new chapter in Arizona and I wanted my 'little sister' to have something special for her initiation - something that would be a cozy reminder of the sisterhood.  My high school's dance team had gotten their senior members a personalized pillow case for graduation, and I remember it being one of my favorite gifts. It seemed simple enough to make (by cutting a few corners), and so armed with inspiration and a reasonable deadline, I set off to make a pillow case!  Below are the instructions for my personal process for those of you who are looking for some easy homemade gifts. 

Gather two black pillow cases (I recommend buying an extra as a practice run so the final gift looks more polished), fabric for the letters (I used my sorority's colors), fabric glue, puff paint, and some ribbon for the edge of the pillow. Cut out paper stencils as a guide for the outer-most fabric frame of the letters. 

Then trace the letters onto the fabric with a pencil and cut out the shapes.

Pin the letters in place on the pillow case and glue each one down with fabric glue.  My mother, who's sewing machine I borrowed for this project (Thanks, Mom!), came up with an ingenious way to do this: 

1. Place wax paper over one side of the letter
2. Fold opposite side onto wax paper
3. Cover entire surface of fabric with fabric glue, ensuring thin but even coverage
4. Fold back onto pillowcase and press in place
5. Repeat with other side
6. Voilà! Let the letters dry for 3-7 hours (I just left them overnight) on a hard, flat surface. 

Once the outer frame is dry, cut about 1/4" off of each side of the paper stencils to trace your inner fabric letters (you can see the outline I drew on the letters at the top of the page).

Repeat the cutting and glueing process and let sit for 3-7 hours. Once the letters are dry, seal the outer letter frame with puff paint to prevent fraying. 

 I recommend storing the paint bottle upside down while you work to prevent air bubbles.

Now you're ready to sew! Measure and cut ribbon to fit down the right-most edge of the pillowcase.  If it is factory made, there should already be a seam you can use as a border.  Pin the ribbon in place, making sure to poke through the first layer of fabric only (or you'll sew the pillow case shut!). Use a sewing machine to stitch the ribbon in place. 

And you're done! Here's my finished product: 

 If I had had more time to work on it, I probably would have hand-stitched the letters onto the pillow case rather than glueing them down.  This would more effectively prevent fraying the make the pillow case easier to wash.  I also would have added a ruffle to the edge of the case (as seen in the inspiration above), though I would need a great deal more practice and training to sew a successful ruffle. Finally I would have added my little's name somewhere along the case (either in puff paint or iron-on letters).  

Overall I feel really good about how my pillow case turned out (luckily I had one to practice on, so my little got the best of the two) and have gained more confidence in my crafting abilities. :)

+1 Dexterity