Pillowcase For the Birds

Yes, I am still hung up on making pillowcases. With a whole slew of paired fabrics on my countertops I am committed to making them up rather than putting them away once again.  Here are closeups of two fabric complements for a standard size pillowcase for my sister Maxine who lives in North Carolina. One is a tone on tone purple/lilac bird print; I liked how the birds are camouflaged among the leaves. I was attracted to the fabric, bought it on an impulse, and then never could seem to hit on just the right use. (Sound familiar?) The scale of the print was too large for a dress for a granddaughter – even though all three of them love purple. But as a pillowcase the birds would be on display, and not get lost in the gather or folds of a dress. It is a soft, sleep-inducing color, also. This fabric is printed along the grain so I had to cut the 27" wide pillow body across the grain and use 41" of the yardage to wrap around the pillow. See directional cutting instructions in my Themed Pillowcases post for 5/11/19.

The other fabric choice is an array of blue feathers, a pattern in keeping with a bird theme. There is a hint of mauve in there that I thought would go with the purple bird print.

Bridging the two fabrics and contrasting with both, I threw in a white with lilac polka dots accent strip.

I also photographed each pillowcase plumped up on a pillow. I think my sister will like the feather one better because she is very fond of blue. I fussed so the branches and birds would be upright when hanging sideways off the edge of a mattress. I even avoided cutting off the heads of the birds! You have to consider all these things, of course. A decapitated bird might induce nightmares.

I am hoping the subtleness and uniqueness of the bird fabric will appeal to her also. If not, she can re-gift it. My stash is now further decreased by 2¼ yards – not counting the accent flange – and I have not created another UFO. I am a happy camper. I hope my sister with be a happy sleeper.