Learn to Sew Pillow Cases

Handmade Christmas Gifts

Today Emily and Grandma made two pillow cases in an hour.  This project makes a wonderful first sewing gift for a beginner as all of the seams are straight – great sewing practice with a polished finished product.

We used two 1 yard pieces of fabric and 1 ,½ yard piece contrasting colour and from this we were able to make two pillows.  Next time I would purchase a 1 ¼ yards of fabric to make the pillow cases longer.

 Cutting

We cut our pieces to the following measurements:

• 24 inches for the body of the pillow (again in the future I would make the pillows 30 inches long)
• 3 inches for the contrasting band (green in the pictures)
• 12 inches for the cuff of the pillow case.

Note: you can lengthen your pillow by either increasing the length of the pillow body or by increasing the length of the cuff.

Sewing and Ironing

Step #1

Iron all of your fabric flat.

Step #2

Take your contrast band and fold it in half length wise, giving you a 1 ½ inch long band.

Step #3

Place the body of your pillow with right side of fabric facing up and place the band onto the right side with the cut edges meeting.  Secure this with a few pins (these will come out at the next stage)

Step #4

Take your cuff fabric and place it right side down on top of the band and body fabric.  Remove the pins securing the band and pin the four layers of fabric together

Step #5

Lay your piece out on a table and starting with the body fabric opposite the band and cuffed roll your fabric towards the cuff.

Step #6

Take the cuff with the right side of the fabric facing in and fold it over the roll and pin this now pocket closed.  The edge that you will sew is now five fabric layers thick.  

Step #7

Sew the long edge of the fabric leaving the ends open.  Note: You never sew through the rolled up fabric!

Step #8

Through one of the ends turn the pocket inside out releasing the rolled up body of the pillow.

Now all you have left to do is to finish your pillow case in whatever fashion you like.

• Surging the seams or
• French seams.

 I first learned to make this pillows at the Hanover Sew Club where it was one of the sewing projects that we completed on site.  That was over a year ago and I was not confident I remembered all of the steps.  To ensure that we did not waste the fabric Emily Googled three seam pillow cases and we found the You Tube Video below.  

Here is the You Tube Video

Merry Christmas

Grandma Snyder

   ©2013 Twosnydergirls