Vintage Pillowcases

I've found a few nice vintage pillowcases recently (or pillercases if you'm speakin' Bristle).  I love some of the patterns you get on old pillowcases and the ones I've found were not so precious that I felt bad about cutting them up to make book bags with.

I found this one last week in a charity shop in Bristol.  It's pure cotton and those lovely fresh roses on a white background somehow remind me of summer nightdresses when I was little and sun-dried washing blowing on the line.  If it hadn't have been in such a pickle - someone had really cobbled the side seams together at some point - I would have even been tempted to use this one as a pillowcase.  As it is I'm hoping it will make a nice book bag.

This is another one I picked up in a charity shop on a previous visit to Bristol.  There is something very vintage Laura Ashley about those tiny white flowers on a dark blue background, and it reminds me of tiny cottage bedrooms with a jug and bowl set on a pine chest of drawers.

This incredibly 'busy' orange and white one is the second of an unused pair I found in a charity shop in Billericay.  I'm not sure I would want to sleep with a pattern which is quite so migraine inducing, but it certainly makes a very vibrant book bag.  Somehow the orange and white reminds me of a certain type of sweet wrapper when I was little, I think they were called Spangles.

After spending quite a pleasant hour with a hot iron, a tape measure, and a piece of dressmaker's chalk, these are now all cut up and ready for me to get the sewing maching out.  I'm hoping I might manage to sew them all up over the weekend - finger's crossed!!

Comments

[French Knots]

Oh Spangles, not thought of them in years! I wonder if you can still get them anywhere??
Isn't it satisfying to recycle old linens into something new, the first pillowcase is very pretty.

[Claire]

I have the same one as you - the white with blue roses. I love pillowcases - they are usually so soft and feel great to sew. Can't wait to see the end product!

[Selena]

I love the orange pillow case the best. Although I do get those optical migraines and sure enough it does look just like them. Book bags is a lovely idea of reusing these cases.