How to make your own prayer pillowcases

You can help kids learn simple morning or evening prayers by writing the prayers on their pillowcases using permanent marker or fabric marker. Put a morning prayer on one side and an evening prayer on the other; let the kids decorate the prayer with a border of flowers, religious symbols, stars and planets, etc.

You can buy Catholic prayer pillowcases with beautiful pictures of saints, angels, the Virgin Mary, and so on (at PrayerPillowcases.com or Amazon), or you can make your own—a project your kids might enjoy, too.

How to make your own prayer pillowcases

Materials

  • Plain white pillowcases
  • Large sheet of paper or wax paper (same size as the pillowcase)
  • Pencil and dark marker
  • Fabric marker (such as Stained by Sharpie Brush Tip Fabric Markers or Crayola 10-Pack Fabric Markers)
  • Optional: iron-on t-shirt transfer paper (Jet-Pro SofStretch Inkjet Heat Transfer Paper 8.5″x11″)
  • A prayer by your child’s patron saint, or a morning or evening prayer
  • Optional: Images of saints or other appropriate symbols from your computer (for the iron on)
  • Directions

  • If the pillowcases are new, wash them.
  • Using a pencil, sketch out the design of the prayer and any accompanying decorations. Once you are satisfied with the design, trace over the pencil with a dark marker.
  • If you wish, you can incorporate digital images by using ink jet printer heat transfer paper. Find appropriate images online (or create your own) and use the transfer paper to iron them onto the pillow. Note that this method may produce a shiny, plastic-like result; for better results, use soft-stretch transfer paper.
  • Place the tracing paper inside the pillowcase. Carefully trace the design onto the pillowcase using the fabric markers.