zakka style: little pocket pillowcase

last week was my nephew's second birthday. the little man formerly known as "baby Max" needed a fun (but adequately grown-up) present, and i was feeling low on inspiration... so i paged through a stack of my favorite craft and sewing books for a little help.

i found a winner in Zakka Style: 24 Projects Stitched with Ease to Give, Use & Enjoy (written by the lovely Rashida of i heart linen)... the little pocket pillowcase project by Meg of elsie marley!

by the way, is 24 some kind of magic number in books? there are, my friends, 24 projects found in each of the following books: Sewing for Boys, Small Stash Sewing, Wee Wonderfuls, and Handmade Beginnings. i'd hazard a guess that there are more...

i had a few math and construction issues with the pillowcase, as i didn't actually read any of the directions and i didn't fully consider how i would attach the patchwork pocket... just a normal day around here, really. it all worked out in the end *plus* the pillow ended up having all french seams. i'd call that a bonus.

the little alien/teddy bear is made out of the sleeve of an old sweater. the part of the sleeve that i didn't need for the outside of the toy, i cut up into tiny pieces and used for stuffing. (yup, we've been reading Little House and if they could use every part of the hog, i think i could manage to not throw away any of the sleeve of a now-defunct sweater.)

the patchwork is Malka Dubrawsky's simple marks for moda, solids are moda bella in summer house lime and turquoise, and i used Aurifil 28wt to stitch Max's name across the patchwork.

sweet dreams, little man Max!