Cuz Everybody Needs a Pillow...Case

Hey Everyone!!

Well, I think I'm about belly deep in the sewing pool.  Tonight I made Hannah a pillow case for her body pillow.  It isn't anything fancy, but she loves it!!!  I bought two meters of Tiana fabric for 70% off at FabricLand yesterday (it ended up being $4ish per meter), and I knew exactly what I wanted to make with it.  Hannah has had a body pillow on her bed for a while now, but we were having an awful time finding a case for it.  Some stores sell pillow cases, but they are blah colors or you have to buy a bedding set to get a fun print one.  I had been hesitant to let her use the pillow too much until I had an easy way to wash it, so a cover was a must!

To make the case, it was pretty simple.  I measured the pillow at 20x48-inches.  Thankfully when my fabric was folded in half, it was 22-inches, so I only had to cut the length.  I cut the fabric at 55-inches to make sure that I had plenty for seams, etc. 

Next, I picked which end would be the open end, and I folded it over an inch or so, and then over again, about an inch or so.  This not only squared up the end, but it would also hide the raw edge after I sewed it. 

Once the folds were done (you could iron it if you wanted to), I sewed a fancy seam to seal in the edge and finish it off nicely.  Yes, I know the thread doesn't match the fabric the way it should, but Hannah liked that it matched Tiana's hair, and since the black was already loaded in my machine, who was I to argue??

Next, I matched up the long edge of the fabric and sewed it using a simple straight stitch.  I gave it about a 1/2-inch allowance (actually, I used the printed edge as a guide).  Finally, I matched up the bottom edges and sewed them closed.  I found that the fabric had been cut very crooked at the store, so I had to make sure that I made the stitches far enough in to square off the finished product.

As you can see, Hannah is a very happy customer!!  I have a bit of fabric left, so I might mix it with some other stuff I have an make Hannah a regular pillowcase to match.  We shall see...

Happy Sewing!

Cheers!
Sharon