A Pillow Case Tutorial

I decided to teach my seven year old the basic fundamentals of sewing. I thought a pillow case would be the best palce to start.  While certain parts of the process were less than exciting to her, she was absolutely thrilled with her new pillow case and has been quite attached to it ever since.

I hope the following provides you with a clear tutorial on how to make a bordered pillow case.

What you will need to make a standard size pillow case:

These are all based on fabric that is 42-45 inches wide.

3/4 to a yard of fabric; this will be the main color of the case
11 inches to a 1/3 of a yard of fabric; this will be your border fabric
2 to 3 inches of fabric; this will be your trim
coordinating thread

The reason why I give a range is because I like to get a little mroe than I need to accomodate mistakes but also to use for other projects. If you want to get the bare minimum then go with the lower amount.

Cut your trim fabric to a piece that is 2 inches x the width of your fabric. Iron and then fold in half lengthwise and iron again.

Cut your border (mine is red here) 11 inches x the width of your fabric.
Cut your main fabric (the yellow lady bug one) 27 inches x the width of your fabric. Line them up along the width. Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam, making sure to catch all the layers in the seam.  Incidentally, all seams are 1/4 inch unless noted otherwise.

Open up your seam and press.

Fold in right sides together, making sure to line up the trim and border.  Pin in place and sew around.

Zig zag the inner edges to reduce fraying.

Now turn in a 1/4 inch fold on the border and press down.

Turn the fold into the inside covering the raw edge within the pillow case.  Pin on outside (right side) of pillow case.  Top stitch the fabric in place.

Top stitch again a 1/4 inch into the main fabric.  Press and voila, a new pillow case for sweet little heads.