I ended up with a lot of extra fabric from the quilt I am making for my daughter, so I decided to whip up a pillowcase. Pretty simple project, right? Well, I wanted to be able to use a lot of different fabrics on the pillowcase and I can't let anything be too simple. So I made it up as I went and created a fun patchwork pillowcase.
In case anyone else wants to do something like this, I put together a tutorial (
Disclaimer: measurements are approximate and based on a standard U.S. pillowcase size.)
Step 1:
Gather your fabrics and determine which you will be using for the body of the pillowcase, the band of the pillowcase, and for the patchwork band. Start with the patchwork band. For mine, I used solid orange pieces between the patterned pieces. Cut your solid strips 2 x 4 inches. Cut your patterned pieces 3 x 4 inches. You can vary the sizes of these strips depending on how you want the final product to look. Just be sure to include 1/2 inch extra for seam allowances on each side.
Sew your strips together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, alternating patterned and solid. I didn't bother pinning since that would take longer than sewing. Just place your strips, right sides together, under your presser foot and let 'er rip! Sew all the strips together to form a long strip.
A standard U.S. pillowcase is 21" x 30", so make your strip 21.5 inches long. Press all your seams flat.
Step 2:
On to the band! You'll want the band fabric to be 21.5 inches long x 7.5 inches wide. Press your fabric in half long-wise, wrong sides together. (My fabric came from a left-over fat quarter, so it was not long enough. I ended up adding a bit of solid purple to make it the right length.)
Step 3 (no photo):
Place your folded band and your patchwork right sides together and pin. Stitch them together with a 1/4 inch allowance. Turn wrong-side out and press seams flat. Stitch ends together to form a circle.
Step 4:
Cut your pillowcase body to size: (60.5" x 21.5"). Fold it in half (right sides together) to make it 30.25" x 21.5" and press the fold flat. Stitch both sides from the fold to the edge. Flip it right-side out. (Test this portion to make sure it fit on your pillow. This way you can alter it if you need to before you sew the band on.)
Pin the patchwork & band to the open end of the pillowcase body, right sides together. Sew all the way around. Press all seams flat.
Step 5:
Top-stitch along the long seams for a nicely finished look.
Put it on your pillow and enjoy!
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