Vintage Pillowcase Challenge

Ta da!  This is what I made for Handmade Parade's "Vintage Pillowcase Challenge" contest.  I just love the way they look.  It reminds me of candy!  Entrants in the contest are challenged to create something from a single vintage pillowcase and NO additional fabric.  It's okay to use notions, interfacing, etc., but no extra fabric.  This was a real challenge for me, since I rarely make something using all one fabric -- especially all one print.

I've often admired the bright, kitschy look of old poplin pillowcases, but have never actually tried making something from them.  My first obstacle was the smell.  I washed these a total of five times.  Twice with bleach and twice with white vinegar.  Between washings I even soaked them in a bathtub full of vinegar solution for five hours.  Sadly, even after all that, they still had a slightly "off" smell that I'm not sure I can do anything about.  I know that a lot of thrifting advocates suggest that it's a good way to recycle and, while I agree in concept, I have to wonder whether, after five hot cycles in the washer, plus a bathtub full of water and a bottle of vinegar, there is truly a net gain here.  (Maybe Value Village just had particularly nasty pillowcases!)  I would really love to make something else from vintage linens though so, if anyone has any suggestions about getting rid of the smell, I would love to hear them!

   

My concept for the project was a lunchbox-bag with a covered top and laminated body and handles.  This pink one was my "test run" and, if you look closely, you can see how the top seam is not nearly as nice as the seam on the other two.  I used iron-on vinyl, which is really cool stuff.  It wrinkles as you work with it, but the wrinkles press out really easily. 

 

Because I cut the drawstring top from the pillowcase headers, it ended up having a worn stripe down the middle (where the fold was) which I covered by sewing on a strip of ric-rac.  On a whim, I decided to try the ric-rac on the handles too and I'm really happy with the results (though I think the smaller size ric-rac used on the yellow and blue bags is more effective). 

I ended up having enough extra fabric to make a little desk placemat for each one.  I included a pocket for cutlery and a snap strip to wrap it up like this:

I backed the inside panel with cotton batting and quilted it in a diamond pattern, which added a lot of stability to the bag.

I hadn't originally intended to include the flower embellishments but, much like the ric-rack, I tried one on a whim and loved it.  They're cut from wool felt and secured with a vintage button, which i sewed to the exterior before inserting the lining.

The above picture shows how much better the top seam looks on the yellow and blue bags.  I constructed these a little bit differently than the pink one.  On the pink one, I attached the drawstring part to the lining and put the whole thing together much like I would normally finish a handbag.  On the yellow and blue bags, I attached the handles and drawstring part to either end of the exterior panel before I sewed it together.  I sewed the lining separately and, after securing the bottom corners of the lining and exterior together with zig-zag stitching, I slipstiched the top of the lining by hand.  This resulted in a much cleaner look.

This blue lunchbag/placemat combo is my entry for the contest.  There are more pictures of it on Flickr, if you're interested.  (Actually, they'll be there regardless of your level of interest but, if you want to see them, please go to Flickr.)

I also want to give a shout out to my husband who cleaned the house by himself while I worked on this project all day yesterday and today.  He has already agreed to go to the 10:10, rather than the 7:00 showing of There Will Be Blood tonight and is, as I write, waiting patiently for me to come downstairs and make the Mu Shu Pork I promised for dinner.  Thank you, sweetie!

Comments

[shannon]

These little lunch bags are so cute! I haven't seen the other entries yet but I think you should win.

[Rachel]

WOW!!! These are so adorable! I wanna make some for my kids! I even have old pillowcases to use! Will you be offering a pattern? Please?! Pretty please with sugar on top?!!! :)

[Lil_Birdie]

Your bags are adorable :)
(saw them on the Sew Mama Sew group on Flickr and followed the link )

If the smell you are trying to get rid of is a musty one you might try putting them in a pot of water on the stove and adding a cup of vinegar(let it boil for a while ... run through a regular wash after and hang outside to dry. (sunlight helps get rid of that smell )

I had a bunch of vintage fabric that sat in a shed for 4 years that had a musty smell and it worked for all the cotton fabric .
(nothing I tried got the smell out of poly blends)

[Maitreya]

Adorable and useful, the perfect combination!

[Bronwyn]

I think I am safe to say that we would all love it if a tutorial appeared featuring your happy bags - pretty please?

[zenzhey]

Please!! These are incredibly fabulous! I second Bronwvn, a tutorial would be so wonderful! We can each bribe you with a handmade gift if you would like!

[Jen (sewandsox)]

These bags are adorable! And so much better than the paper bag I keep reusing for my lunch!

[Tab]

To help with smell, I recomend washing then with baking soda added to the water. Add a generous amount, I don't measure, sorry. This has helped me many times, and hasn't failed yet.

I absolutely love these bags. These are really the first made lunch bags that I've liked, and would consider for myself. The blue one is definitely my favorite! Great job!

[Weezi]

Hi there!!! My Auntie swears by Borax to take away "vinatge" odours.
It is very expensive and might be worth a shot. I use it for dishtowels that have that "food" smell and it seems to help. But- that is my only experience w it.
Good Luck!! Luv the pics!!!
Lisa

[Weezi]

OOPS!!!
NOT expensive...sheesh..typing too fast :)

[LIlia]

OMG! I love, love, love these! They put my little lunchbag to shame. Did you just make it up or did you have a pattern/tutorial to follow? If not, you really should make up a tutorial ;)

[Elizabeth]

Thank you so much, everyone! I have to finish the bunny tutorial first, but I will definitely do a tutorial for this next!

THANK YOU also for the anti-smell suggestions. I'm looking forward to trying them all. (Probably not sunlight though. We won't have ready access to that in Portland for a least a few more months!)

[Betty]

Clever, clever, clever. So much cleverness here I can't stand it. I wish you luck and hope you win!

[Lil' d]

Those look absolutely great. I just bought some of that iron-on vinyl, too.

[punchanella]

these lunch bags are really quite clever! i hope you win. :)

[Marcia]

You are so creative! They are very cute and practical! For stuborn smells, I use baking soda. Sprinkle it on and leave overnight, then wash. It usually works pretty good.
Congrats on your wonderful creation.

[Regina]

holy smokes!! That is an excellent idea! I LOVE it! Who wouldn't want to take their lunch in such a pretty little package. Great job with the pillow case!!!

[LeeAnn]

Those bags turned out great! I love them! About the smell situation, I have heard, from a great resource, that soaking the garment in vodka works wonderfully. It is scentless, won't changes colors, and the alcohol kills any mold or bacteria that cause that "old people" scent. But I haven't tried it yet. But I have used vinegar and I feel that smell lingers and doesn't mix well with old.

[kari]

I have never heard of the iron-on vinyl. How cool!

[Penny]

what an absolutely amazing and creative project. great work!

[Janice]

THese are so amazing! I would think you would win this contest hands down with these!

[Cindy]

These are amazing. Good job! Would love a tutorial. Thanks!

[linda]

I use Dr. Bonners liquid castille lavender soap in the second wash if I am doing it by hand. I also add 20 mule team to this. Let soak for around 20 minutes.
Depending on how dirty the item is, I usually pre-soak in vinegar, baking soda and dish washing liquid first with a small cap full of bleach.
The scent of lavender lingers for a while and seems to be what takes out the musty thrift store scent for good.
BTW, beautiful work!

[Lara]

Congratulations! I hear that you won! I am not surprised - these are so fantastic, and beautifully constructed, as usual. You are my bag guru!

[Michelle]

Absolutely ADORABLE!!!!! You really need to do a tutorial....how clever you really have something going here. Let me know if you ever get one done :)