How to Color With Crayons on Pillowcases

Crayons can be used to decorate pillowcases with favorite images. Creating one-of-a-kind pillowcases does not require special drawing skills or artistic knowledge. Images can be created by drawing directly on the pillowcase or by tracing a chosen shape or picture. Fabric crayons make the process easy to complete and the results are machine washable. Crayola products are guaranteed to be nontoxic and safe for children to use.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric crayons
• Regular crayons
• Iron
• Ironing board
• Permanent marker (optional)
• Newspaper
• Paper towels

Instructions

Preparation and Color Application

1. Pre-wash and dry a 100 percent cotton or synthetic pillowcase without using a fabric or dryer softener.

2. Choose a design to place on the pillowcase. Draw the design freehand using a crayon or use a black-and-white outlined image that can be filled in with color.

3. Enlarge the black and white image to the correct size and tape it to a piece of stiff cardboard. Slip the cardboard and image inside the pillow case---the outline should show through the image. Trace the outline of the image using a crayon or a permanent marker. Fill in the image using crayon.

4. Color the image using regular crayons for a 100 percent cotton pillowcase or use fabric crayons for synthetics or blends. Press hard for darker color.

Setting the Image

1. Place a small stack of newspaper or paper towels inside the pillowcase, beneath the colored image. This serves to protect the backside of the pillow case and the ironing board from the excess wax. Lay several layers of paper towel on top of the colored image to absorb wax from the top.

2. Turn the iron on and place the setting at "cotton" and allow it to heat up. Do not use steam to set the image.

3. Press the iron down firmly on the image then lift the iron, move it over and press down again. Repeat the process covering and transferring the entire image. Repeat until wax no longer appears on the paper towels. Allow the pillowcase to cool.

4. Repeat the coloring process after transfer to build a deeper color. The second layer of color will need to be "fixed" into place using the same method.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice on a pillowcase of the same fabric content and color as the final pillowcase.

• Wash the completed pillowcase on a gentle cycle, in cold water and only use low heat.

References

• Crayola Crayons Pillowcase Project
• Creating A Crayon Colored Quilt Square
• Crayola Product Safety