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For many couples, the wedding day is all about the bride and groom. But your wedding wouldn't be possible without the help of your groomsmen and bridesmaids, right? These are the friends who have supported you through the planning process and will be by your side on the big day. So how can you thank them for all their help?
One thoughtful and practical way to say thanks is to give them each a DIY pillowcase. Not only are pillowcases useful, but they're also easy to make! In this blog post, we'll show you how to make your own pillow cases using a few simple materials.
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What You'll Need
Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) from Atlanta Vinyl
The texture of the red and white HTV was a matte finish but the yellow used for the "Braves" is a flock material that feels more like suede. It added a nice detail to the pillow cases since they were of a similar feel and look too.
Pillowcases and Cutting Mat from Amazon
This soft-style material took heat really well. There was no outline left behind from the press which I found super impressive. IT doesn't hurt that they come in 23 colors and 6 different sizes either.
The cutting mats from HTVront are just as durable as the Cricut brand but are much cheaper. I also love that they include a free scraper with every purchase. I use it to burnish and remove materials quickly and with little effort.
Tools, Maker, Mini Press from Cricut
I used the Maker, fine point blade, weeding tool, and 12x12 cricut easy press and cricut mini for this project.
Images from PNGhut
All images used were downloaded from PNGhut. Just type the sports team in the search bar and find the image you like best.
Creating The Cases
DESIGN
Check out my full designing tutorial on how to turn a single-layer image into one with multiple layers on my YouTube Channel HERE! You can get the overall gist of the project HERE!
CUT
Cut your HTV into the desired shape and size. I was able to place multiple colors of HTV on one mat to reduce my cutting time. I also sized my images at 11.5" to maximize the space. If I had gotten a more rectangle-shaped case, I would have chosen an image (like the team name) and may have needed the 12x24" mat.
I cut all the HTV on the Heat Transfer (non-Cricut) setting with Default pressure but I cut the HTV twice. I don't like to use MORE pressure for matte HTV because I have found that the little details (like on the inside of the letters A, R, or P, get lost. Of course, that also depends on the size of your font but just to be on the safe side, I keep the pressure at DEFAULT, check a small section then decide if a second cut is needed. Either way, you're using HTV so don't forget to mirror your mat before cutting!
WEED
Once the cutting was finished, I pulled my design back up to reference before weeding. This is a good practice especially if your image has any "negative" space as it helps to avoid pulling off the wrong parts. The HTV was really smooth and extremely easy to weed. I was able to weed the HTV for all 4 of the pillows I made in under 10 minutes!
PRESS
First I opened the pillow case and placed a washcloth/small towel inside to avoid unintentionally adhering the pillow cover closed. I would have much preferred to use my heat press mat but the pillowcase wasn't quite wide enough for it to fit. I preheated the pillow cover using my Cricut Easy Press on 300℉ at 10 seconds.
I used my T-shirt Ruler to space and align the image onto the pillow cover before pressing at the same settings. I followed the Easy Press with the mini just as an extra precaution since the towel I placed inside kept my surface from being completely flat. The mini press helped fill in any gaps I may have missed and made me feel more confident that the HTV would not pull away from the cover.
A BRIDE'S THOUGHTS
If you're looking for a way to add a personal touch to your wedding, custom pillow cases are a great option. You can save money and use them as part of your wedding décor or as gifts for your wedding party. You could even make them double-sided and add a monogram. Only one side of a pillow is on display at a time so whenever their teams is in the off-seaon, the pillow can still be on display! With just a few supplies and a little bit of time, you can create unique pillow cases that will be cherished even after your wedding for years to come.
