It's that time of year!

Nothing like a pillowcase to help get me into the Christmas spirit,

... especially when it's made out of such fun fabric!

:)

Pillowcase Lessons

Inspired by Shea Henderson's fabulous book School of Sewing, Phyllis and I tackled the first project - pillowcases!

I was amazed how how far Phyllis has come in her sewing skills since we were together last year for some basic sewing lessons.

Those pillowcases can be a bit tricky when you're first learning how to construct them, but she grasped the concepts right away and fell in love with the idea of making pillowcases for her own use or to give as gifts.  She couldn't wait to get back to the fabric store for some more supplies!

So glad to have someone accompany me into the world of fabric and pillowcase love!

Note:  You can also use this tutorial from Missouri Star.

Pillowcases for Christmas!

I was stumped as to what to get for Christmas for my 11-year-old nephew, especially since he now has an iPhone; and, Playstation 4 was on his Christmas list!  :(  When I give a gift, I like to give something that is representative of me, yet meaningful or enjoyable for the recipient.  (I can assure you, electronics are not an option!)  I was thrilled when I found this fabric this afternoon while fabric shopping with a friend - perfect for a last-minute Christmas pillowcase!

I LOVE the various Santa motifs!  I made two pillowcases - one for me and one for my nephew.  Hopefully he'll love it as much as I do!

A Few More Pillowcases

Instead of working on some pesky UFO's, I stitched these - all from fabric I found at the thrift shop (minus the cuff and band)!

Way easier than a UFO any day!

:)

And Another Pillowcase....

I found these fabrics at the thrift shop today, and had to come home and stitch up another pillowcase immediately.

I love how the dots work together perfectly, totally unorchestrated by me!

I found these prints as well - a quilter with good taste must have been cleaning out her stash!

I love all these vintage children scenes...

... but love the prices even more!!

:)

One Last Pillowcase for Me!

This one is my favorite!  Since it's made out of my favorite fabrics, this one is for me!

Another Pillowcase!

I came home and made this pillowcase for my nephew last night.  He had insisted on going home from JoAnn's with these fabrics several years ago, and they've been sitting in my stash ever since.  I figured they'd be happiest as a pillowcase for his birthday next month.  :)  This time, I used a french seam for the side and bottom seam; I really like that touch.

I think I need to make one for myself yet!

Pillowcases for Charity

I made these cute pillowcases this morning for my quilt guild's charity project for Philhaven.  I was surprised at how much I enjoyed making them and how quickly they came together!  It was a fun walk down memory lane as I pulled out various fabrics from previous projects.

I am very, very late in the game in getting on board in making pillowcases for charity....  I had convinced myself that the One Million Pillowcase Challenge was simply a ploy by the fabric industry to get quilters to buy more fabric, just like the diamond industry invented the need for engagement rings.  (By the way, there's a great video on the College Humor site about the whole subject, but it was too vulgar for me to include the link - what a shame!!)  Maybe my premise is correct, but I finally realized it doesn't mean I can't use some of my leftover fabrics in my stash to partner with my quilt guild members and do some good in this world.  So, here are my pillowcases!

I found this fabric at the thrift shop a few years ago; I bought it for my sister who has collected anything Snoopy for forever, not knowing what I was going to do with it.

It was perfect for a pillowcase, and I had just enough fabric to make two - one for charity and one for her.  :)

These fabrics were left over from backing from the t-shirt quilts I had stitched for my twin nephews' high school graduation almost ten years ago.

And these fabrics were left over from a baby quilt, 

an "I Spy" quilt for my nephew, and another t-shirt quilt.

Click here for the link to the tutorial I followed. 

My guild members used french seams on the side/bottom seam for extra finesse, so I'll try that on my next one!