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Make a Pretty Pillowcase

October 5, 2014 By Lauren at Molly and Mama 19 Comments

Welcome to the Little Girl’s Bedroom Makeover Series. In this series we’ll be creating a whole range of pretty pieces for a girly bedroom, including pillowcases, pillow shams, cushion covers, embroidered hoop art, a hair clip holder and more. But today is all about the good ol’ pillowcase.

Sew a Pretty Pillowcase | a tutorial by Molly and Mama

I’m what you’d call a ‘girly girl’ and I absolutely LOVE florals and pink! Now I realise that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. So if you can get past all the prettiness, I promise you’ll find some tips and ideas you can use with your own favourite colour scheme or fabric.

And one last thing before we begin; I’m sewing in Australia and it seems that the terminology can really differ from continent to continent. So I’ll try and make this as user friendly as I know how. But if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

So without further ado, let’s begin! Today’s tutorial is a bit of a warm up. Something simple and fun, and quick to whip up. Yes, I’m talking about the humble and ever-practical pillowcase.

There are a lot of tutorials out there for making pillowcases. And everyone has a favourite method. But I like to keep things as simple as possible. I like tutorials to be easy to follow and simple for those who are new to sewing.

I like to use up fabrics, trims, and notions from my stash. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have a whole hoard of goodies to choose from! So for this project, I chose a pretty floral quilter’s cotton for my pillowcase fabric and a coordinating cuff from polka dots. Sheeting, poly cottons and poplins are probably more ideal fabrics for bedding (especially for faces to rest against). But I couldn’t resist the roses! I’m sure my daughter won’t mind. I also discovered some pretty lace, ric rac and braid that worked together well. You could use ribbon too.

1.jpg

I’ve written this tutorial for a pillowcase based on the standard USA size of 20” x 26”. However the tutorial is easily adjustable to fit other sized pillows or cushions.

YOU WILL NEED

– fabric for the pillowcase and coordinating fabric for the cuff. Cut these to size using a cutting mat, cutting guide (ruler) and rotary cutter (or a big flat surface and a measuring tape). The dimensions are as follows;

Pillowcase top – 21 inches of fabric length x 23 inches of fabric width

Pillowcase back – 21 inches of fabric length x 31 inches of fabric width

Pillowcase cuff (from coordinating fabric) – 21 inches of fabric length x 9 inches of fabric width.

– 21 inches of trims like lace, ric rac, and braids that work well together.

– scissors

– sewing machine and overlocker (serger)

– iron and ironing board

DIRECTIONS

MAKING THE PILLOWCASE TOP

First we’ll attach the lace and cuff to the width of the pillowcase top. Take your cuff piece of fabric and fold it in half lengthways with wrong sides together. Give it a good press.

 2

Lay your piece of lace right side up, on the right side (width) of the pillowcase top. Take your cuff and lay it carefully over the lace so that the fold faces the base of your fabric.

3,4

Pin all four layers together (base fabric, lace, and two cuff layers). 

Stitch the layers together. I used my four-thread overlocker (serger), which creates a straight seam stitch, as well as finishing the edges at the same time. You can also stitch the layers together on your sewing machine first. Then finish the seam with your overlocker (serger) or with a zig zag stitch afterwards. Be sure to use a smaller seam allowance, no more than 3/8”. And be sure not to stitch over your pins, but remove them as you go.

Molly and Mama - Girly Pillowcase Tutorial

Press your seam towards the body of the pillowcase so that it rests under the lace (be very careful with your iron heat settings if your lace or trims are polyester based).

Flip it over and gently press the lace down flat (use a press cloth if necessary).

Lay out your trims to decide the best way to pin and stitch them.

Molly and Mama - Girly Pillowcase Tutorial

I pinned my ric rac over the seam line first.

Then I pinned my braid in place.

Using complementary threads, stitch down your braid with the sewing machine. Use a stitch length suitable for the project. If it’s too small, it may create puckering through your layers. I stitched the right side first, then the left. I used my clear sewing machine foot (sometimes called an appliqué foot), so that it was easier to see what I was doing. And I used the foot edge as a stitching guide for straighter seams.

Molly and Mama - Girly Pillowcase Tutorial

When you’ve finished, your pillowcase top should look like this.

Molly and Mama - Girly Pillowcase Tutorial

PREPARING THE PILLOWCASE BACK

First we’ll need to hem one edge of the fabric width. This will form part of the fold that we tuck our pillow into.

Take your pillowcase back piece and press over a 3/8” fold on one side of the width of the fabric.

Fold it over the same again and press flat.

Pin the hem down for easier stitching and use a straight stitch on your machine to hem the fabric. Be sure your threads (especially your bobbin) are coordinating colours! At this stage, I like to sew a care tag in the seam.

Molly and Mama - Girly Pillowcase Tutorial

Give everything a quick press and we’re ready to put it all together.

LET’S PUT IT ALTOGETHER

Lay your pillowcase base ‘face up’ on a flat surface. Lay your pillowcase top ‘face down’ over the base piece (so right sides are facing together). Be sure to match up the left hand edges. The right side will have an overhang. Pin the top, bottom and left hand edges together neatly.

On the right hand side (or opening of your pillowcase), the base piece will have a large overhang (about 12cm or 5”). Take that piece and fold it over the edge of the pillowcase top, so that you are covering the cuff.

Pin the sides of the overhang down (by replacing any pins you’ve used to pin the pieces together underneath). At this point, make sure that your folded fabric sits exactly over your decorative cuff underneath and that there is no gap.

Molly and Mama - Girly Pillowcase Tutorial

Using your sewing machine, stitch together the seams on three sides. Start at the top right of your pillowcase (we’re stitching the fold down here too).

Continue down this seam, pivot about 3/8” from the base, stitch again, pivot again at the next corner, and then stitch up until you reach the other end of the fold. I used a smaller stitch length at this point and a 3/8” seam allowance. Overlock (or serge) your edges, to give a neat finish. Here’s a close up image.

Molly and Mama - Girly Pillowcase Tutorial

We’re almost there. Fold back the overhang and flip the pillowcase right way out. Give your seams a gentle press. Check your iron temperature and don’t forget to be careful of your trims!

Molly and Mama - Girly Pillowcase Tutorial

Pop in your favourite pillow and you’re ready to go!

Pretty Pillowcase tutorial by Molly and Mama

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!

How simple was that? And how pretty does it look?

THINGS TO CONSIDER

– The direction of the pattern or print on your fabric. You don’t want your pillowcase fabric to be upside down when it’s displayed on the bed. So be sure if it’s a directional pattern, to cut it and sew it right way up.

– Where the bed is positioned in the bedroom will affect where you would like the pillowcase’s decorative edge to be. My daughter’s bed is against a left wall, so I want the decorative edge to be on the right hand side of the pillowcase.

– Laces, braids and ric racs may all have a polyester content so be very careful when ironing your trims down. Use a press cloth (or scrap of quilter’s weight cotton) if necessary.

– Add other adornments like applique to really give your project a personal feel. You can learn how to applique HERE, and you can see all the available Molly and Mama PDF applique templates HERE.

And if you’ve gotten this far, thanks for staying with me! I hope you’ve gotten something useful from the tutorial. I have another pillowcase tutorial which you may also enjoy HERE.

Embroider a Pillowcase - a tutorial by Molly and Mama

My Girl’s Bedroom Pinterest Board has some pretty inspiration and ideas. Pop over for a look.

And feel free to share your work on the Molly and Mama facebook page!

Happy stitching, Lauren x

This post was written by Lauren Wright and appeared first on Molly and Mama http://www.MollyandMama.com.au

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: pillowcase, tutorial

Comments

  1. Lauren at Molly and Mama says

    October 5, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    Thank you Julieanne. Drag out the sewing machine. You’ll enjoy it!

    Reply
  2. carly reed says

    October 6, 2014 at 1:55 pm

    Great tutorial. Attempting a few lap quilts for Christmas. This would be a great add on.

    Reply
    • Lauren at Molly and Mama says

      October 6, 2014 at 7:53 pm

      What a great idea Carly! Thanks for your feedback.

      Reply
  3. Joey McAulay says

    November 10, 2014 at 9:01 am

    Can I ask where you got your Personalized Tags made? I absolutely love that idea!!!

    Reply
    • Lauren at Molly and Mama says

      November 10, 2014 at 10:26 am

      Hi Joey, I purchased the sew in tags used in this project from the store ‘Ikaprint’ on Etsy. I also use World Wide Label for sew on labels. I hope that helps! Happy stitching!

      Reply
    • Sandy says

      October 12, 2020 at 5:05 pm

      Hi

      I’m a beginner at sewing so can’t work out what I am doing wrong. I placed the cuff over the fabric and cut it to 21 inches wide but the top piece is 23 inches wide as per instructions. What happens to the extra 2 inches?? Apologies if I am being dumb??

      Reply
      • Lauren at Molly and Mama says

        October 12, 2020 at 8:21 pm

        Hi Sandy, Thanks for your question. The cuff needs to be folded in half and placed on the fabric end that is 21″ long and not the side that is 23″ tall. I hope that helps. And there are no dumb questions! Best of luck 🙂

        Reply
        • Sandy says

          October 12, 2020 at 9:43 pm

          Many many thanks Lauren. Understand now 😃

          Reply
  4. Judy-Ann says

    August 9, 2018 at 12:32 am

    Hi,
    Could you tell me what measurement for a queen pillow 20×30.
    Thank you
    Regards
    Judy-Ann

    Reply
    • Lauren at Molly and Mama says

      August 13, 2018 at 10:05 am

      Hi Judy-Ann, are you after fabric measurements to sew a pillowcase? Is this for a pillow that measures 20cm x 30 cm or 20 inches by 30 inches? Feel free to send me an email at hello (at) MollyandMama.com.au so I can help you out. Many thanks.

      Reply
  5. Billie says

    October 16, 2018 at 11:36 pm

    Love it

    Reply
  6. Christina Kelso says

    March 30, 2020 at 11:36 am

    Would love to know the fabric can be purchased for the pillow case. Love the design.

    Reply
    • Lauren at Molly and Mama says

      March 30, 2020 at 4:14 pm

      Hi Christina, This project was made in 2014 so I can’t recall the fabric range, sorry.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Little Girl’s Bedroom Makeover – Tutorial Series | Molly and Mama says:
    October 28, 2014 at 12:15 pm

    […] For my first tutorial, I decided to start with something simple but beautiful. So I put together a very easy to follow tutorial explaining how to create a pretty pillowcase using lace and trims. You can create your own by following all the steps in my tutorial. […]

    Reply
  2. Embroider a Pillowcase with an Iron-On Transfer | Molly and Mama says:
    November 4, 2014 at 4:24 pm

    […] you can embroider your text or image before you start sewing. I put together a very simple ‘beginners’ pillowcase tutorial if you’re looking for […]

    Reply
  3. Little Girl's Bedroom Makeover - Tutorial Series - Molly and Mama says:
    May 31, 2015 at 8:53 pm

    […] For my first tutorial, I decided to start with something simple but beautiful. So I put together a very easy to follow tutorial explaining how to create a pretty pillowcase using lace and trims. You can create your own by following all the steps in my tutorial. […]

    Reply
  4. Pretty pillowcases tutorial - Sewing 4 Free says:
    March 29, 2016 at 12:27 pm

    […] Go here for more details and pretty pillowcases tutorial. […]

    Reply
  5. The Tilda Trunk Show and my Tilda makes - Molly and Mama says:
    October 27, 2016 at 2:03 pm

    […] couldn’t stop at just one project, so I also made a beautiful pillow slip using my simple Pillow Case Tutorial. It’s really easy to follow and a great project for beginners or even […]

    Reply
  6. Gift ideas for a frugal Christmas - All About Balance says:
    December 18, 2017 at 2:01 pm

    […] Pretty pillowcases […]

    Reply

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Studio For Pretty Stitches
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🦜🌼 On the cutting table this week is this su 🦜🌼 On the cutting table this week is this summery fun Australiana collection called Birds & Blooms from @mabletandesigns for @pbsfabrics. It’s described as combining classical botanical illustration styles with a modern, trend-worthy colour palette. And it’s so true! Check with @pbsfabrics for stockists near you. 

I love all of Mable’s designs, this one especially! What should I make? 

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How sweet does Miss Maisie Pin Cushion look sittin How sweet does Miss Maisie Pin Cushion look sitting here on this cute ‘I Spy’ style doll’s quilt?  It’s based on the Rising Sun mini quilt pattern from @blossomheartquilts’ book ‘Mini Masterpieces’. You can see more photos and find links to the book on my latest blog post (there’s a link in my profile). 

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This week’s theme is all about Introductions, where you’re encouraged to share a few random facts about yourself. So here’s a little about me. 

🤍 Before starting this wonderful journey into sewing, I was a primary school teacher

🤍My first degree was a bachelor of Behavioural Science / Psychology

🤍 I’ve been crafty for as long as I remember but I also love art, illustration, gardening and baking

🤍 I’m not a traditional tea drinker (which was a little strange as the co-host of #sipteaandepp 😂 

🤍 I’m inspired mostly by colour and nature. I’m drawn to anything muted, delicate, pastel, pretty, dainty and floral. Yet nothing in my home or wardrobe would give you that impression! 

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It’s just a friendly space where I share previews of my current projects, a tutorial or pattern, and some of your makes for added inspiration. I’d be thrilled to have you join me. I’m also working on the next free pattern, which gives you a taste for what my projects are all about - beginner techniques with beautiful finishes, so everyone can experience sewing success! 

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