How to Personalize Pillowcases with Chalk Paint

The other day I was on the phone with one of my sisters. This sister in particular lives at Marsh Winds and she’s been our Palm Beach Princess for as long as I can remember. I tell you this because I have another sister who lives at Hawk’s Ridge that is as free spirited as they come.   We all have the same parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins yet as my parents would say, “the girls are as different as night and day.” Our eclectic differences were definitely on display when we spent an afternoon making candles.

Anyway, I was asking the Palm Beach Princess if they (the kids) were ready for school and for the most part she said they were good to go. There was one thing in particular she said that caught my attention though, “You have no idea how many times the kids come home with the wrong backpack, lunch box, even socks. It makes you want your kids to wear a single color all year long just to keep up with it all. I decided to make it easy this year and I ordered everything that could possibly be monogrammed from Pottery Barn so I know they’re coming home with the right stuff.”

I’m going to be completely honest with you guys, I stifled a few giggles but I can definitely see the point of needing to personalize everything. Inspired by our conversation I got out the stencils and the chalk paint in an effort to make a pair of monogramed pillowcases. Here’s what you’ll need in case you’re running out of time to order from Pottery Barn but still want a set of your own…

SUPPLIES:

• 2 Pillowcases (I’m using a microfiber/cotton blend)
• Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (in your preferred color)
• Fine-tip Detailed Art Brush
• Chipboard Letters
• Leaf Stencils (or other stencils of your choosing) (optional)
• White Charcoal Pencil (or piece of chalk)
• 2 Pieces of Cardboard the Length of the Pillowcase Top
• 2 Garbage Bags
• Tape
• 220-grit Sandpaper

 

Steps:

Center and place the chipboard letters you’re using for your monogram.

Outline each letter with a white charcoal pencil or chalk.

Outline each leaf or other stencil you want to use.

Wrap a garbage bag around your piece of cardboard. Secure with tape. Insert the garbage bag covered cardboard into the opening of the pillowcase. This is to help keep any paint from seeping onto your surfaces.

Your chalk paint should not have a thick consistency. If it does you need to water it down a bit in a separate container. Using a fine tip art brush “color” in the stenciled letters with chalk paint.

Depending on the consistency of your paint, it may take you multiple coats to get the color/finish you’re looking for. Allow the paint and fabric to fully dry.

If the paint dries and feels scratchy, carefully use a piece of 220-grit sandpaper to go over each letter and leaf. While the sanding may help the fabric become more pliable, you have to be careful because you don’t want to smear the letters, stencils or paint.

Speaking of smearing, check out this bit of bleed through. This is why you want to use a barrier.

Once your fabric and paint has dried and you have achieved the color you want, place in the dryer to set the color.

At this point you should be good to go but I wanted to see how the pillowcases would hold up in the wash so I placed both pillowcases in the washer on the “quick cycle (approx. 26 mins)” using the “cold/cold” setting. After the wash cycle was completed I immediately put them in the dryer. This is how they came out. The pillowcase on the right came out almost exactly as it went in but the one on the left (the first pillowcase I tried) didn’t have as much paint on the monogram so it didn’t fair as well.

I’ll probably repeat the paint process with the left one again. I definitely plan keep an eye on how it wears after frequent washings so I’ll keep you guys updated.

This project was really easy and took an afternoon to complete. It would be fun to have a personalized pillowcase for visiting littles or to add a bit of personality to your bed linens.

See you guys back here tomorrow.  I’ll share a new series we’re starting just for Fridays called “From the Front Porch.” Until then, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo