Saturday, July 10, 2010

Pillow Case Tutorial

Pillow case with finished seams. This tutorial shows a really cool way to make a pillowcase with finished seams and no hand sewing. It's super-fast, super-fun and once you make one, you'll start thinking of all kinds of reasons to make more and who you can make them for!

Fabric needed:


  • 3/4 yard of fabric for the main part
  • 1/4 yard of coordinating fabric for the cuff
  • 1/8 yard contrasting fabric for the band







1) Cut the Band fabric to 3" X wof (width of fabric). [Don't worry about trimming selvedges at this time.] Fold in half lengthwise and press. Cut, if necessary, the Cuff fabric to 9" X wof and lay flat with the right side up. Lay folded band along top edge of cuff, matching raw edges and pin.




2) Lay the main pillowcase fabric right side down on cuff/band section, matching raw edges along the top and pin.







3) Now you should have a pinned "stack" of pieces in this order: cuff, band, pillow case body.





4) Starting at the other end (the bottom end of the main fabric), begin rolling up just the main pillowcase fabric. Roll until several inches of the cuff are exposed, but not all the way to the top.





5) Fold the cuff fabric over the "roll" and matching raw edges, pin all layers. Be carefull not to catch any of the rolled part in the pins.






6) Stitch all along the pinned edge, using a 1/4"seam.






7) Carefully pull the pillowcase out from the inside of the roll. It doesn't matter which side you pull from, just reach in and start working it all out!







8) Shake it a bit and press smooth. Notice how nicely the inside is finished!!






9) Trim the selvedges off and square up the pillowcase at the same time.







10) Fold the pillowcase in half lengthwise WRONG sides together. Stitch from the top (cuffed end) all the way down the side, matching cuff and band pieces, with a very scant 1/4 inch seam. Leave the bottom end unsewn for now - just sew the length of the pillowcase.






11) Turn pillowcase inside out and press the seam you just sewed, working it a little to make sure the seam turns completely. Sew the length of the pillowcase again, starting at the cuff and go all the way to the bottom, using a 3/8 inch seam allowance. This creates a finished seam on the inside of the pillowcase!






12) Finish the bottom edge the same as the side seam. And it's done. Yay!!






2 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this. I've wanted to make a pillowcase for a while and you ake it look so easy.

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  2. It is easy, Michele! You'll get a little thrill when you pull the roll out of the cuff and realize you're almost done! Don't be shy about posting pictures of your finished cases - we'd love to see them (and hear what you think of this method)!

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