I decided to see what I could find online about His & Hers pillowcases, after running across a HER pillowcase at the charming Comanche Mercantile store in Comanche, Texas. I had seen embroidered versions of His & Hers pillowcases, but this was the first time seeing HER spelled out in crocheted letters.
Embroider-it-yourself pillowcases were popular during a big chunk of the 20th Century. Embroidery designs included florals, sweet animals, crinoline ladies, His & Hers sets, and more. Designers seemed to have some fun with His & Hers-themed pillowcases. Naturally there was the Mr & Mrs variation, but things got more interesting with his and hers represented by clothing designs–boxer shorts for him and tap pants with bows and frills for her. A design with “I rule the roost” for him and “I rule the rooster” for her made me laugh.
In this newspaper ad from 1921, the Fellmans store in Galveston, Texas, offered pillowcases “stamped for embroidery and spoke stitch hems for crochet” for $1.50 a pair. I would love to visit 1921 and see what kind of embroidery designs they had.
Embroiderers can still buy pre-stamped pillowcases in many cute and beautiful designs, but not for only $1.50 a pair, unfortunately. This online vendor has His & Hers designs and others: Jack Dempsey Needle Art. Other vendors with similar products are just an internet search away.
When I searched for vintage embroidered pillowcases on Ebay on August 23, 2026, there were lots! Some had crocheted trims, too. There was even a very cute “I Rule the Roost/I Rule the Rooster” pillowcase set listed on Ebay.
The Fellmans ad was from the Portal to Texas History’s Texas newspaper archive. That archive is a treasure! Here’s the link to the ad:
Galveston Tribune. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 41, No. 267, Ed. 1, Page 2, Tuesday, October 4, 1921, newspaper, October 4, 1921; (accessed August 5, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, crediting Rosenberg Library.
