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Lazy Daisy Pillowcases

I just bought some organic sheets for the girls’ beds, but wanted to add something sweet to the plain white. So I used a freezer paper stencil and some embroidery to make these cheerful daisies. I’ve been inspired a lot lately by Vera Neumann prints. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • daisy template
  • painter’s tape
  • craft knife
  • cutting mat
  • pillowcases
  • freezer paper (found at the grocery store)
  • iron
  • fabric paint
  • foam or stencil brush (I use the end of a foam roller)
  • scrap cardboard or plastic
  • embroidery floss in yellow and green
  • embroidery needle

If you’ve never made a freezer paper stencil before, you’ll find that they couldn’t be easier. Just print out the template, cut into two rows and tape it on top of the freezer paper on the cutting mat. Cut out the design with a craft knife, as shown below. Press the shiny side of your freezer paper to the pillowcase edge with a hot iron (no steam). Place scrap cardboard or plastic inside your pillowcase so that your paint doesn’t bleed through. Then paint your design, wait a minute, then carefully peel off the freezer paper.

Allow the paint to dry for at least 24 hours, then start the embroidery. I used a lazy daisy stitch, french knots and a simple cross stitch. If you aren’t familiar with these easy stitches, there are lots of video tutorials for the stitching available on YouTube (here and here). I made my daisies a bit wonky to match the stencil design. You could also use this stencil for curtains, bags, skirt hems, dish towels, aprons or whatever you can imagine.

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Etsy Finds Friday

Vintage Flair Flats Shoe Pattern, $4.50 from Winter Peach.

Rainy Day Letterpress Card, $4 from Letterpress Delicacies.

Organic Cotton Tea Towel with Summer Pennant Print, $18 from Katherine J. Lee.

Crochet Dishcloths, $10.50 from Sunshine Grove Farm.

Vera Neumann Scarf, $42 from The Lucky Fish.

Hand Built Cream, Sugar and Tray, $73 from Clay Swan.

Vera Neumann Cereal Bowls, $75 from Wave Song.

Daisy Baby Cardigan, $69 from The High North.

Wool Felted Craspedia Stems, $75 from Berry Island.

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Five Years Later

For Rent, Faubourg Marigny, New Orleans, Louisiana, February 24, 2008. © Ellen Luckett Baker.

It’s been nearly five years since Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans. Too young to remember, our children saw their first images of the storm’s aftermath this week on the news. They both stopped what they were doing and sat down, mesmerized by the strange scenes of families stranded on rooftops.

In a new online exhibition, Katrina + 5: An X-Code Exhibition, curator Dorothy Moye has compiled images of the x-codes, the seemingly enigmatic symbols used by search and rescue teams to mark the homes and buildings in New Orleans. My husband and I visited New Orleans in February of 2008 and drove around the Lower Ninth Ward. Without a full understanding of their meaning, I was fascinated by the x-code markings, so I took photos of the destruction that still remained. When we visited, there were few if any restored houses and as we got closer to the levee, the area was almost completely abandoned. I’m excited to have several of my photos in the exhibition, including the one above. It’s fascinating to read about the meaning of the codes and to see how years after the storm, they remain — an indelible mark on the battered but resilient city of New Orleans.

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Book Review: Stitch by Stitch

Last week I received a review copy of Stitch by Stitch: Learning to Sew, One Project at a Time by Deborah Moebes (published by Krause Publications). Deborah is clearly a talented multi-tasker because this year she published a book, gave birth to a baby and opened a fabric store here in Atlanta. Very impressive. We’d have to ask her which birth was the toughest.

When I talked to Deborah about her book a few months back, she and I both expressed the feeling that there were many project-focused books on the market and although there are some wonderful books out there, we agreed that there was a need for books that focus more on teaching. Since Deborah has been teaching sewing classes for many years, she brought her expertise to this book and wrote a practical, hands-on book with a load of useful information for those new to sewing and even those with some experience.

In the 224-page book, she devotes 77 pages to getting started, from the very basics to essential techniques and helpful tips. Here, she includes mini-projects that will get you started using your new skills. Then in the second half of the book, she focuses on the projects with 11 patterns for home and clothing projects. There are tons of photographs as well as clear directions. Also included is a CD with printable patterns for the projects. Overall, I think this is a great teaching book and I’d definitely recommend it. To see Deborah discuss it in her own words, see her video trailer for the book here. You can visit her Etsy fabric shop here or if you live near Atlanta, you really should check out her shop on Marietta Street or sign up for a class.