Beginner Sewing: Child's Pillow and Pillow Case

This project is a little more time-consuming, so if you are not feeling really confident about sewing, you may want to wait for an easier project coming up in a future post.

The process for this child's nap-pillow---a little cushion to use for a nap on the couch, is almost the same as for the very first post in which I showed how to make one of those nature bags. The only difference is that there is no handle, and the inner pillow is stuffed and sewn up. Look to the previous posts on beginner sewing, to find instructions if needed.

It is really important to pre-shrink your fabric. Fill a pan with lukewarm water, and put your fabric in it, and leave it soaking for 10 to 20 minutes.  The water will remove the starch, some extra dyes and other things produced by the cotton mill. The fabric shrinks when it has been wet, and when you pre-shrink your fabric before you sew something, you prevent the finished garment or project from shrinking after it has been washed.

  The fabric I like best comes from the cotton mills in the Southern States, and there is good cotton from other sources, such as northern England and India. 

For less wrinkling on cotton fabrics, gently press or squeeze out the excess water, and hang it on a line or fence outside, to dry. Here is one yard of the cotton fabric I have been working with in previous projects. I hope you are not tired of it yet.

Ironing goes hand in hand with sewing, so the next thing to do is press with a very hot steam iron. It makes it easier to cut a straight line, and easier to put your pieces together. Ironing creates a wee bit of static-cling, which is an advantage in sewing, when putting pieces together to stitch. If you use a tissue pattern, iron it on low heat, and it will cling to your fabric.

What you see above is a piece of muslin, cut in a rectangle, the size desired for a child, and stitched on 3 sides. I've shown how to turn a corner so that it will be square when you turn it inside out.

If you are a beginner and just getting used to needle and thread, you might cut across the corner, as in the above photo, but do not worry about it. Just make sure you stitch across the rest of the corners exactly the same way. It will end up being a more rounded corner, but still look fine.

Mark your stitches with pencil if you like. I am using a darker thread so it will show up better in the picture.  Leave a half inch between your stitching and the rough edges, as you see. If you sew too close to that raw edge, your stitching will come undone.

Now, turn the piece so that the stitches are on the inside, and it looks like a bag. It does not matter which end you left open. Be sure you have fastened off your stitches by stitching in the same place several times and making a circle with your thread, pulling your needle through, and  making a knot.

On that open edge that you did not sew, take a hot iron and press it down one fourth or one half inch. You just need to fold it once, as you see, above.

Now it is ready to fill with some kind of soft stuffing. You can get fiber-fill products made of cotton, wool, or polyester. If you do not have stuffing, you might try several layers of thick quilt batting, cutting it just smaller than the pillow, and insert it, like this.

Insert the stuffing or batting, making sure the corners are filled, by pushing it in with your fingers.

With an over-cast stitch, close up that opening, keeping the folds down and joining the top edges of both sides.  I like to take an extra stitch inside the over-cast stitch, to secure the stitching. That way, if one stitch comes undone, the whole thing will not unravel. It is like tying a knot in every stitch. You will have to find someone to show you how to do this.

If you need to distribute the stuffing a little better, shake the pillow from each side. Remember that it does not have to be perfect. You will find that with each small success in sewing, you will strive for more perfection, but these small projects are designed to get you used to working with the needle and thread and the fabric.

Cut a piece of folded fabric a little larger than the pillow, leaving it longer on one end, like this. Notice that one side is folded, and the long side may be the selvage, which is the finished woven edge from the mill. If you put the selvage on the long end, as shown, you will not have to hem that end. Now, beginning at the folded edge, stitch one fourth inch from the raw edges, all around the two unfinished edges. There is very little sewing, for the child's pillow case.

If you do not use the selvage on that end, you will have to iron down a fourth inch, and then fold that down again and press. Stitch as in previous projects.

Turn it inside out and, if you have not used the selvage edge for the opening, iron it down twice and stitch around it. Fasten off.

Here it is plain, and it will do just fine for a little person who falls asleep on the couch. If you want to add trim, just stitch it on, turning the ends under, to make it neat, and fasten off.  By following previous instructions for bags, you can make a matching bag for this pillow, and use it  for an adult, when on the train or plane, or on a car trip.

With sewing, you do not have to stay indoors all day. You can move your sewing equipment to the porch and enjoy the fine weather.


Next in the sewing category: adult pillow case, men's handkerchief, ladies handkerchief, eyeglass case.


How to get time to sew:  Leave the house clean in the evening, and, after the dishes are washed in the morning, and the beds are made and the floors are swept, just get out a basket where you keep your sewing things, and work on one small item. 

Hand Sewn Doily

Beautiful Summers Day 

Today I am going to show how to make one of these easy round doilies. They are useful for protecting furniture from sun-stains or scrapes or just anything that occurs when you have a lamp or hard object on a table. They absorb water if you have a little vase of fresh flowers. 

Above is one made from muslin and gathered lace.

The Victorians insisted on using crochet and tatting, and various types of cloths to protect their furniture. Until recently, women used pieces on the sofa and chairs in the living room, to protect the head area and the arms, where it would become the most worn or soiled. It is partly due to this extreme care, that so much of the furniture of that era is still so beautiful and durable. I have a few small tables from that era, that have barely a mark on them, because they protected with women's lovingly hand made place mats and doilies.

You will notice in the previous post, that I still have one of those crocheted pieces from the 1940's, on the back of  sofa chair in the back ground. These little things you are making are a quicker way to provide protection and beauty to your furniture. Try them in different fabrics, such as tapestry, to give an old-world feeling, or even that sparkly butterfly fabric from the fabric store, for a country cottage appeal. 

As in previous projects, be sure to press the fabric with a hot, steam iron. You will need all cotton for this project.  You can use muslin or anything else from clothing, sheets, and even dishtowels, if they have no "nap."  A nap is anything that sticks out in a fuzzy way, such as terry cloth or velvet or corduroy. I am working with no-nap fabrics, meaning, they are smooth and flat. 

You can make this any size you want, depending upon the size plate or bowl you use to trace around. I used a glass plate so that I could make sure that one of the brightest roses was in the middle of the doily. In this case, you do not have to turn the fabric over and mark it on the "wrong" or more faded side. It works better to mark it on the right side.

Then, cut out around your pencil marks, and iron the edges in toward the wrong side, one- fourth inch. If your circle is really large, you can iron again one-fourth inch. Since mine is just small, I will only be able to crease it one time.

 Now thread your needle and make a knot. Put the first stitch under the hem, to hide the knot, and take a few stitches in the same place over and over to secure it. Then stitch around the hem, as you see here. Fasten off. If you are unsure of things like threading and knotting a needle, running stitch, over cast stitch, fastening off, etc. you can find instructions on the web. However, it is better to get someone to show up up-close and personal.

After you have stitched it, press your stitching. Then, turn it over and press again firmly on the other side.

Your project can be completed right now, if you like, and you can use it somewhere in your house...

...however, I am going to add some lace. To get the right length of lace, just leave it on the roll or hank, and stitch it around until you meet the beginning. Then, continue stitching and sew the two end pieces together so that you can't tell where the beginning or end is. I always like to match up the floral design and then cut it.

 In a future post, I will show you how to embroidery a piece like this, using matching embroidery threads. Since the colors will already be stamped on the fabric, all you have to do is use a satin stitch and co-ordinate the threads to the rose parts.

Here is what mine looks like so far. It is not necessary to do any of these things, but it helps you learn and it leaves some pretty evidence behind. Someday you will be able to show some little girl the things you did when you were young. In future posts, I will show you how to make a matching box to store these things in.

Remember, you can click on the pictures twice  to get larger details.

It is not all indoor activity around here. Sometimes I fly a kite,

..and yesterday I renovated an old metal tricycle that no one wanted. The basket came from a junk store and is tied on with pink wired ribbon...

...and found another treasure, which I traded for something I made.  It looks old, and it has a heavier base than the modern lamps, so it does not knock over as easily.

Future easy projects: handkerchiefs, stuffed pig, pillow, pillow case, wall hanging, garden flag, yo-yo quilting project, doll, apron, girl's skirt, scarf, place mat, purse, tea towel, fabric toys, and more.

Note: these projects are for beginners, and those who may feel a bit awkward with a needle at first. I used three threads in the needle, which has a large eye, to stitch the rose. I prefer the larger needles when showing someone who has never used one before, but if you want to advance, just reduce your needle size and use less thread. I am not trying to be perfect in these projects, because I want it to be easy for people who want to learn quickly and easily.  I do not intend for any of this to look professional.