Tulip Pillowcase Finished!

It tried to bamboozle me, but I prevailed!  After feeling so frustrated yesterday, I returned to my instructions and I was able to make heads and tails of them.  A diagram would have helped, but I got it figured out without it.  I took the too-short tulip strip and wrapped it around the pillows I wanted to use these with, and I found that it was plenty long enough.  I was able to ease in the fullness of the actual pillowcase, and it turned out fine.  There are a couple of little puckers, but with the black fabric, it really doesn't show.  I expect the other pillowcase will be similar.  I'm motivated to finish the second one now, and this whole project will be history.  (I've moved several UFO's down the road to completion this month, and I'm happy about that.  It's about the only good thing I can say about our rainy weather.)

The green border at the top of the tulip band is a flange, and I hadn't ever done one of those before.  It was easier than I thought it might be.  These fabrics are all left over from the quilt the pillowcases are intended to match.  This is my "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" quilt. 

(I can't say that without thinking of Tiny Tim and his ukulele.  Is anyone other than me old enough to remember him?)  This quilt still needs to have the hand-sewing on the binding done.  The quilt and pillowcases are destined for the bed in our guestroom.  Right now the guestroom is a mess because we recently had a closet built in that room where, formerly, there was none.  (If you don't put a closet in a bedroom, then it doesn't count as a bedroom for property tax purposes.  It was like that when we bought the place.  Also, there was a shower stall with no door.  A shower stall with no door counts as a half bath instead of a full bath.)  The framing and drywall on the new closet are done, but it still needs trimming and painting.  The doors for the closet need to be hung too.  Mike was going to do it, but then we decided to hire someone instead.  Now we're just waiting on him.


Today I'm going to make chicken pot pies for tonight's dinner.  I try to have something prepared ahead for dinner on Saturday so that I can relax in the evening.  Usually, we have leftovers, but today I'm cooking in the morning.  Also, I need to do some housework.  Erik and Mae are coming for dinner Monday to celebrate Mae's birthday, and so I need to catch up on the housework that hasn't been done because I've been sewing all week.  (It's a good thing we have people over once in a while or the house would never get cleaned.)  Once that's all done, I'll get back to my other pillowcase.
 
George and Gracie are continuing their long winter naps today.
 
 

 
As everyone knows, napping is serious business.  It requires a lot of practice to perfect the fine art of napping.