Strawberry Thief Percale Cotton Pillowcase Pair - Sage Green

This is a pair of pillowcases printed with Strawberry Thief, the classic Morris floral of birds picking through fruiting stems and curling foliage. The front is garment-washed slub cotton, which gives the surface a soft, lived-in hand from the first night rather than a stiff, brand-new feel. The reverse turns to a smooth percale cotton in a fine pinstripe, so the case reads one way as a busy botanical pattern and the other as a quiet stripe. Both faces are pure cotton, which breathes well and lets you launder the pair honestly at home.

These sit on a dressed bed rather than a single sleeping pillow, framing the headboard behind whatever you sleep on. The oxford border and the piped trim give a tailored edge that holds its shape when the pillows are propped upright, so they suit a made-up bed you want to look considered. The green and gold pattern works against plain linens and against the striped reverse itself if you turn one case over, and it pairs comfortably with natural wood, cane and warm metal in the room around it.

Construction is what you feel here. The face is slub cotton, deliberately slubbed for texture; the back is percale, a plain, closely woven cotton that stays cool and smooth against the skin. A contrast piped trim runs the tailored oxford edge, and an envelope closure at the back holds the pad in without buttons or a flap to fasten. Being pure cotton, expect a little relaxing after the first wash, which the garment-washed front is made to carry. Strawberry Thief is a long-running Morris design, so the pattern coordinates across a wider range of bedding in the same print.

Are both sides of the pillowcase the same?

No. One face carries the Strawberry Thief floral in slub cotton and the reverse is a smooth percale pinstripe, so you can turn the case for a different look.

What does the envelope closure mean for fitting the pillow?

The pad slides in through an overlapping opening at the back and is held there without buttons or ties, which keeps the front pattern unbroken and makes fitting quick.

What is slub cotton and why does the front feel textured?

Slub cotton is woven with slightly thicker sections in the yarn, which gives a gentle, uneven surface and a soft, relaxed hand rather than a flat, uniform finish.

Does the oxford border change how the pillows look on the bed?

The flat oxford border frames the pattern and gives the case a tailored edge that sits crisply when the pillows are propped against the headboard.

Is this pure cotton, and how does that affect care?

Both faces are one hundred percent cotton, which breathes well and washes honestly at home, though pure cotton tends to relax a little after its first wash.

How many pillowcases come in the pack?

This is sold as a pair, so you receive two matching pillowcases in the Strawberry Thief sage green print.