How to Make a Cinderella Pillowcase With a Heat Transfer

I made two Cinderella pillowcases using a colorful glass slipper heat transfer, and they turned out so bright and pretty. Stella picked this design from the Disney Princess heat transfers, so I already knew the finished pillowcases would be a big hit. Once I peeled away the transfer sheet and saw those colors, I could hardly wait to put pillows inside and carry them upstairs.

The Cinderella design

The design I used is called the Glass Slipper heat transfer. It features Cinderella with the glass slipper and comes as a set of two heat transfers, which worked perfectly because I wanted to make two matching pillowcases.

These transfers look a little muted before pressing, but the colors become much brighter once the heat is applied. That reveal was my favorite part of the project. The blues and all of the small details showed up beautifully against the pillowcase.

Stella had a few princess options to choose from, including other Cinderella designs, but the glass slipper caught Stella’s eye right away. The decision was made, and the excitement over these pillowcases started before I even turned on my heat press.

Supplies I used

For this project, I used the following supplies.

• Two pillowcases
• Two Glass Slipper heat transfers
• Heat safe tape
• Parchment paper
• A heat press or iron
• A padded heat safe pressing surface

My pressing surface was similar to an ironing board pad. You need a flat area that can handle the heat and gives you enough room to position the entire pillowcase without bunching the fabric.

Preparing the pillowcase

I started by spreading the first pillowcase flat over my padded surface. Since pillowcases often have fold lines and wrinkles straight out of the package, I pressed the area where I planned to place the design.

Smoothing that section made it much easier to center the transfer and helped the design sit flat. I used the folds and creases as a simple guide for finding the middle, then eyeballed the final position until it looked balanced.

I also placed parchment paper inside the pillowcase. This creates a layer between the front and back of the fabric, which helps keep the transferred design from reaching the back side.

I added parchment paper underneath the pillowcase too, between the fabric and my pressing pad. That extra layer helped protect the surface below while I worked.

Positioning the heat transfer

Once the pillowcase was smooth, I placed the Cinderella heat transfer near the center. Before taping anything, I stepped back and checked the placement to make sure the design looked straight and had an even amount of space around it.

I secured the transfer with heat safe tape around the outside edges. I kept the tape on the clear areas where there wasn’t any part of the printed design.

The tape is a small step that makes a big difference because the transfer needs to stay in the same position while you apply heat. If it slides while you’re working, the image can smudge. A few pieces of heat safe tape held everything in place and gave me one less thing to worry about.

After securing the transfer, I placed another sheet of parchment paper over the top. At that point I had parchment paper above the design, inside the pillowcase, and under the pillowcase.

Pressing the Cinderella pillowcase

The heat setting I used

I heated my Cricut heat press to 360 degrees and pressed the design for 60 seconds. Those were the settings I used for this particular transfer.

My heat press almost covered the full design. I set it down over the transfer and pressed without sliding it around. Keeping the press in place helps protect the image from smearing while the heat does its work.

For the small area that needed a little more coverage, I gently repositioned the press rather than dragging it across the transfer. If your press is smaller than the design, work in sections and keep the transfer taped securely in place.

The countdown feature on my heat press made this part easy because I could see the temperature and the remaining time. Once the 60 seconds finished, I lifted the press straight up and moved it out of the way.

Removing the transfer sheet

I removed the top parchment paper and carefully peeled the transfer sheet away from the pillowcase. The Cinderella image looked much brighter on the fabric than it had on the original sheet.

The finished design was colorful, clear, and centered nicely on the pillowcase. I also removed the parchment paper from inside before moving on to the second one.

Making the matching pillowcase

I repeated the same process for the second pillowcase. Since I wanted the pair to look coordinated on the bed, I turned the second pillowcase in the opposite direction before placing the transfer.

I pressed out the wrinkles, added parchment paper inside and underneath, and found the center using the folds in the fabric. Then I taped the second Cinderella transfer in place and covered it with parchment paper.

I pressed this design at 360 degrees for 60 seconds as well. When I peeled away the transfer sheet, the second image was just as vibrant as the first.

The finished Cinderella pillowcases

These matching Cinderella pillowcases turned out so stinking cute. The glass slipper design has plenty of detail, and the bright colors look beautiful against the simple fabric.

I planned to finish pressing out the remaining creases before adding pillows, which would make it easier to see the full design on the bed. This project came together quickly, and using two transfers made it easy to create a matching set.

The same type of princess heat transfer would also be fun on a T shirt or a bag. You could use the same pressing steps while adjusting the setup to fit the item you choose.

Chalk Couture supplies I used

• Disney Princess Heat Transfer Bundle

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