Polar Pals Panel Pillowcases

Yes, I make a lot of pillowcases! But this one is different because I made it from a panel. The WOF for the panel is sufficient for the 41" needed to wrap around the pillow; but the panel is only 24" wide and 27" is needed for the the length of the body of a standard pillowcase.

I would need to add 3" and do it in such a way that the seam was enclosed and did not make a lump under the face of the sleeper. I did not want any of that Princess and the Pea effect. So I used a flat-fell seam like is in jeans.

The fabric I used for the extension was the same I used for the border. I found a wavy stripe in my stash that went perfectly, of which I'd bought 1 yard just because I liked. I bought the panel at a totally different point in time from a different place. It is not odd (odd = weird) that they matched because they were from the same fabric line; but it is odd (odd = funny) that I was not aware they coexisted in my stash.

Once I was inspired to make the pillowcase, I decided that I needed a second panel so the top and bottom could be showcased on two sides of a pillowcase pair. I found and bought a second panel on Etsy. Here are the two panels made up into two pillowcases. The top of the panel is on the left pillowcase; the bottom of the panel is on the right pillowcase.

A subtle yellow dot print perked up the pillowcase as a accent strip. I chose not to insert an accent strip at the flat-fell seam so there would be no bump there. Similarly I opted not to make the extension larger and the border smaller to attain symmetry. Why I did not do that was the first question my husband asked. I explained that offsetting the flat-fell seam to make a longer extension moves the seam further toward the center of the pillow, possibly under the face of the sleeper. Asymmetry also makes it easier to identify which end is the opening for inserting the pillow.

If the sleeper does choose to make that grey stripe line up, the pillows can be turned to match either the tops of the two panels or the bottoms.

I knew I bought that panel in a moment of weakness just because I thought it was so cute. Now that I have found a way to justify those type of impulse purchases, I am going to keep my eye out for other panels that will lend themselves to pillowcases like these. Hmm... guess I am going to have to buy two panels instead of one. Perhaps my friends at Cooking up Quilts MCM #176 will agree with this philosophy.

Pampered Princesses

The designs of Stacy Iest Hsu are so cute and whimsical that I believe I have made all her doll panels and most of them two or three times. Those I have still to make up I have at least already purchased. My most recent endeavor was for my six-year-old and four-year-old granddaughters to share. In the past I have made each her own doll but their mom assured me that one set per household is plenty!

Who could pass up the pink or lilac hue of the gown on each doll, two popular colors with little girls. And with two dolls on a panel, sharing is less problematic. With a stuffing tool (4/8/20 post) I have been able to cut down my time to get the poly fill down into those thin legs and arms, even the tiny limbs of the unicorn and skinny ears of the bunny.

The dolls, their dresses, and their pets all came from one panel. I have tried both scissors and a rotary cutter or a rotary cutter with a ruler for the straight parts in an attempt to streamline the initial cutting out stage, which each time seems to take longer than it should. Even though this is the fifteenth of these doll panels I have made, I still have been unable shorten my time for the cutting out portion of this project.

Incidentally these are the other fourteen panels I made up for my grandkids, who reside in two households: Lil Heroes, Howdy, Hansel & Gretel, Goldilocks& the Three Bears, Bunnies, Coral the Mermaid, Lil Red

This is the first time a have made a panel of doll accessories other than pets of some sort. This is a castle panel called Once Upon a Time also by Stacy Iest Hsu. It folds in half and is secured closed with a pair of lilac ties and can be toted about with a pair of pink carrying pink handles. Inside are armoire doors that open and close, and a blanket pocket and pillow for the bed.

The instructions called for the walls to be reinforced with iron-on interfacing. I had none in my stash, and buying some became problematic for me because 1) the stores were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and 2) online sources were sold out for masks for health care workers. I opted to give the walls a bit more body by using heat and bond to layer them with some pink flannel I had on hand.

I stiffened the closet door fabric with the flannel layering but also inserting some plastic mesh. In retrospect, I could have eliminated the flannel layering and I plan to omit it when I make up the second panel I have for another granddaughter. Maybe by then I will be able to buy some iron-on interfacing and simplify the whole process. 

Once I had placed each door-front and door-back face-to-face and had sewn around three sides, I cut some plastic mesh to size. I checked for fit, turned right sides out, and slid the mesh in from the bottom.

When I sewed the closet doors on to the castle wall, I inserted a length of grosgrain ribbon to act as a long hinge. One edge of the ribbon was sewn to the wall; the other long edge of the ribbon was sewn to the door. With that detail added, each door could fully close, better than if the door had been sewn directly onto the castle wall.

Adding the Once Upon a Time pocket to the castle wall, and the blanket pocket to the bed, was a piece of cake for both after all the stiffening and hinge-ing rigamarole for the closet door prep. The pillow was a snap, too with no tiny places to wrangle stuffing into.

Now, it was finally time to add attach the inner side of the walls to the outer side of the walls. I stitched on the handles and tying straps, sewed the walls right sides together, and then turned them right-side out. I sewed down the "spine" of the "castle-book" and then, to give the "castle-book" some shape, I inserted two sections of Soft and Stable, a type of foam used to made bags, in each half and stitched across the bottom. 

So here are the front and the back of the castle.

The inner bedroom of the castle is fit for primping or sleeping.

Everyone gathers outside the castle walls eagerly waiting for their great travel adventure to begin.