Embroidered Places Pillowcase

My grandma made a pillowcase like this for my mom and I've always loved it. She embroidered the cities and some streets where my mom has lived during her life. I thought it would be a neat tradition to pass on to my kids.

The first step was to find the right pillowcase. We went to Target and then Bed Bath and Beyond but nothing seemed right because I wanted a pillowcase similar to the kind my grandma used, which apparently they don't sell anymore. The other week, I ran into a lady at the local flea market selling old-fashioned linens and it was exactly what I was looking for. There are also lots of vintage pillowcases on Ebay. I like the fabric better because the thread count is perfect for embroidery and it's not too silky and soft, which would make it difficult to embroider.

Since I've never actually embroidered before, I tried to use sewing thread (Guttermans), but that was terrible because it's way too stiff. So, then I got some DMC thread, which is perfect. Duh.

Next, I wrote all the places I've lived. I did this pillowcase for me instead of Caleb because he's only lived in two places and I didn't think it would be very exciting. I'll make him one when he's a little older. I used a blue fabric pencil, but next time I'll use a fabric pen instead because I had to go over the letters many times with the pencil in order to see it.

Then I just started to embroider. I haven't finished it yet. Just wanted to show you guys how it's looking. (you can click on the pictures above for a super-sized version)

I looked up on the internet how to make the stitches. It's really easy, as you can see...