I have been making a lot of pillowcases for display in the store and also practicing at home.
My mom (the other half of Quilt By Faith) has been wanting a tutorial on the pillowcases and I thought why not share it on the blog so more people can use it!
This is a super simple pillowcase to make and is very functional because it has no raw edges and can be washed without worry about it fraying or falling apart.
Let's get started!
First you will need fabric for your pillow body and fabric for your pillow's band. For this demonstration, I am using Angry Birds fabric for my little guy. It is important to note that measurements here are for a single pillowcase. So, multiply these by as many as you would like to make. :)
For the pillowcase body you will need 3/4 yard
For the pillowcase band you will need 1/3 yard
Start by cutting your fabric band at 11" X 42". Lay it FACE UP. Mine is a solid, so it is hard to go wrong. But, if you are using a print make sure your design is FACE UP.
Next, cut your pillow body at 26" X 42". Line up the pillow body fabric FACE DOWN with the edge of your band fabric.
Now, grab the end of the body fabric that is closest to your and start to roll it up toward the band. Make sure you stop well short of your edge.
Fold the bottom of the band fabric over the roll of body fabric you have just created and line the bottom edge up with the top edge of the band fabric and body fabric. Pin into place every 3" to 4".
Once your fabric layers are pinned into place, sew a 1/2" seam across all the layers of the fabric.
Now you will want to pull your pillow's body fabric out of the roll like so....
Keep pulling the body fabric out until it is all out from the roll. Then iron your pillow's band to flatten it out before the next step. As you can see all the edges of the band are now sewn in and we are ready for the next step.
Next, you will want to lay the pillowcase flat and fold in half with WRONG SIDES TOGETHER. As a quilter, this goes against every gut instinct I have and I have to talk myself into this every single time! Now, pin each open side (except the top, of course) and sew a 1/4" seam down one side and the bottom.
Now that you have your side and bottom sewn together, trim all your threads and turn the pillowcase inside out. Make sure to push your corners out on the bottom of the pillow, too.
Once your pillowcase is turned, you want to iron the edges that are sewn together. Try to line the seam up in the center and iron it as flat as you can.
Now you will sew a 1/2" seam down the side and bottom of the pillowcase. This will sew in all the raw edges we created by sewing the wrong sides together. Now trim your thread and turn your pillowcase right side out. Here is an example of the French Seam:
And, that's it! Mine is kid approved!
