Three Seams Pillowcase With a Secret Message

Three seams pillowcase

We sat at her kitchen table that summer morning, drawing her pink geraniums. She let me use her pastels, so much more magical than crayons, and we worked on real charcoal drawing paper from the art supply store. My grandma had cancer by then. Long enough ago, when the treatments were experimental, and there wasn’t any cure.

What I knew at age eight, was that her arm hurt, probably hurt to draw. I listened as hard as I could, to the birds chirping, to the sun shining, to all the colors in pink, and to her belief that I was another artist, just like her.

That child (me) illustrated her first book by the age of 20, and earned a degree in Children’s Literature. I have illustrated 45 books since, and now work on painting and creative projects with my own grandchildren, aged 3 and nearly 5. 

I share my creative adventures with the kids on Grandycamp, Facebook and Insta, with easy instructions for you to do the same. I am honored to join Nanahood with some creative fun, and look forward to hearing about yours. Grandmothers are influencers, you know – Grace, age 3, travels with a sketchbook already, even to her brother’s baseball game. Dinosaurs are her favorite thing to draw, but that didn’t come from me!

One of the first projects I wanted to share with you is an easy three fabrics/three seams pillowcase. It is super simple sewing, and fun whether you are choosing the fabrics for a special gift or sleepover, or the kids are doing the choosing. I have done versions for birthdays (each family has one to celebrate birthday week and pass around), a tooth fairy visit (with a tiny pocket), college kids, summer camp, recovering friends spending a lot of time in bed, a senior to brighten up their room at the care center, and to send to Afghanistan with my son. It feels like a bit of a prayer “Now I lay me down to sleep…”  in the making that travels with the pillowcase.

Grace, of course, has dinosaurs. Grandmas can write secret messages on the fabrics with a quilter’s Micron pen that doesn’t wash out. The kids like reading them before turning out the light. There are detailed instructions and samples at the link, an easy to follow video, an introduction to Spoonflower and ways to design your own fabric. But the simplest approach takes 27” or ¾ yd of the main fabric, 2 ½” of band fabric, and 10” of edge fabric. Once I’ve done my planning and cutting, I have gotten the sewing down to under an hour. A teacher friend made one with an 11-yr-old grandson as a creative math lesson and taught him basic sewing – he was so proud! I would do a trial run before making one with kids to keep the project moving along. We would love to see what you try!

Please welcome Karen Ritz, one of the craftiest, most talented grandmas I know! We are so excited to have you onboard, Karen!

Bio: Karen Ritz is a longtime children’s book author and illustrator. She has been chosen for the Society of Illustrators Show, had a book featured on Reading Rainbow, and has materials housed in the Children’s Literature Research Collection at the University of Minnesota.  Karen started GrandyCamp to share new creative adventures with her grandchildren, now three and five, after recognizing our new generation of grandparents are busy, active, probably still working, but always interested in creating memories. She lives, paints, and grandparents in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Karen also has free printables for Grandmas, teachers, and librarians to promote reading since it is getting toward back-to-school time. www.karenritzcards.com/reading-and-writing-printables