Monday, October 3, 2011

Pillowcase Pattern

It’s October, and signs of the fall season are now totally unavoidable; everywhere there are trees bursting into colors, there’s a nippy chill in the air, and my annual favorite, the pumpkin spice latte, is back at coffee shops everywhere!  So as you dig out your sweaters, woolly socks and heavy quilts, consider getting out your flannel too, for some cozy pillow cases!
Flannel Pillowcases
On my first year out of school I decided to make a quilt for my man’s birthday, and to ensure that he would like it, I had him choose the fabrics (sewers and quilters of the world rejoice, a non-sewer entered a fabric store without much complaining and eye-rolling!).  After dragging him away from the polar fleece several times (I tried explaining that polar fleece is not suitable for a quilt) he settled on some manly flannels.   The subsequent quilt was a huge success, so much that he has only allowed it to leave his bed to be cleaned once!
This year, with fall coming on, I started looking at the leftover fabrics from his quilt and realized there was enough for two cozy, flannel pillowcases.  I took my measurements from a standard pillowcase and sewed up both pillowcases in a matter of hours; instant gratification is delicious!  This would be a great project for a beginner sewer, or a quick housewarming gift since it would be very easy to personalize the pillowcases with almost any kind of fabric.  Please note that the fabric amounts are for two standard pillowcases. 
Important Notes:
·         All seam allowances are for ½ inch.
·         All measurements are in inches.
Fabric:

Main Fabric: 1 ½ yard (I’d recommend buying at least 2 yd for one way, stripe or plaid designs; as you can see on my pillows, I did not have enough fabric to match up the plaid pattern.)
Contrast Fabric A: ¼ yd
Contrast Fabric B: ¼  yd
Cutting Instructions:
Main Fabric:
                 Cut 2 rectangles measuring 22.5” x 39”
                Cut 2 rectangles measuring 9” x 39”
Contrast Fabric A:           
                Cut 2 rectangles measuring 4” x 39”
Contrast Fabric B:           
                Cut 2 rectangles measuring 3” x 39”
Pillow Assembly:
1.       Wash and dry all fabrics thoroughly; this will prevent odd shrinkage and/or dye bleeding later on.
2.       Iron all fabrics.
3.       Cut out all fabrics according to the listed dimensions.
4.       With right sides together, pin the large main fabric rectangle to the contrast fabric A along one of the 39 inch edges.  Sew this seam.

5.       With right sides together, pin the small main fabric rectangle to the contrast fabric B along one of the 39 inch edges.  Sew this seam.

6.       With right sides together, pin the contrast fabric A to the contrast fabric B along their remaining 39 inch edges.  Sew this seam.
7.       Iron all previous seams flat, so that the seam allowances are towards the small main fabric rectangle.
8.       Finish all seams (I would recommend using a surger to finish the seams, or using the zig zag stitch on your regular sewing machine).
9.       Fold the pillow in half, matching up the seams, and corners of the pillow and pin the edges together.  Sew these seams (along the closed end, which is 39” and side of the pillow, which is now 30.5”).
10.   Finish these seams.
11.   Pin the remaining raw edge (the pillowcase’s opening) at ½ inch, and iron.
12.   Pin the folded edge of the pillow to the nearest seam allowance (from the seam between the small main fabric rectangle and contrast fabric B)so that the folded edge is lined up just below the seam, so the seam’s stitches are visible.

13.   Hand sew (using an invisible stitch) the pillowcase’s folded edge to this seam allowance.
14.   Turn the pillowcase right-side out, and iron.
15.   Repeat directions 4-14 for your second pillowcase.
16.   Congratulations, you’re done!  Put your pillowcases on your pillows and take a celebratory nap!

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