This pillowcase pattern is used in the Clothing Construction I class, FCS 207, at BYU-I.
You will be using three fabrics for (1) pillowcase body, (2) pillowcase hem, and (3) pillowcase trim.
First, put each fabric on grain for crosswise grain by having fabric folded in half with selvage edges matching.
Cut off 1/4" on each of the three fabrics to make a clean edge.
Now put cut edge of the pillowcase body fabric, (the longest fabric piece), at zero and measure down to 25" and cut.
Place hem fabric at zero, and then measure 13" down and cut.
Next, lay each fabric single layer right side up, with body on the bottom, hem in the middle, and trim fabric on top. You will now be cutting 42" width and you want each fabric to be the same width. I usually fold the fabric in half crosswise grain and then cut at 21".
Fold the 25" piece of fabric in half, with right sides together. Pin along one end and the side. One side is the fold and one end is open. (When folded in half, the pillowcase body should measure 21" x 25".)
Sew a 5/8" seam along the two pinned edges. Backstitch at the beginning and end of seam and pivot at the corner. (Note: to know where to pivot at the bottom corner, measure in 5/8" and make a mark.)
Next, serge these two seams. (Note: If you do not have a serger machine, finish off raw edges by zigzagging the raw edges together. See picture for example of zigzag stitch.)
Remember not to cut off too much fabric. You should be able to still see your 5/8" stitching line. I like to serge the bottom and side continuously, so I pre-cut the corner as shown below. This way I can turn the corner on the serger and put the trimmed edge next to the blade and continue serging.
Press the seams and turn the main body right side out. Push out the corners with a point turner.
Next, take the 3" trim fabric and fold it lengthwise (hotdog style) with wrong sides together, matching raw edges, and press.
Open up the hem portion of your pillowcase and lay flat with the right side up. Lay the folded trim along one end, matching raw edges. Pin into place. Using a long machine stitch, baste into place, sewing a 1/2" seam.
I usually don't sew through the pins, but this is an exception. I leave this pin in and slowly sew over it, being careful not to let the needle hit the pin. This way I can keep my trim pieces perfectly matched. Way to go!
Press the seam open over a sleeve arm pressing tool.
Notice the nicely matched trim below.
You have now created a tube that is 13" long. Fold the hem tube in half, wrong sides together, making sure that the raw edges meet exactly and press--your tube is now 6 1/2" wide.
Now divide the pillowcase hem portion in fourths, marking every fourth with a pin.
Take the sewn pillowcase body and fold it in fourths and pin mark the top raw edges for reference markings.
At this point, you are ready to place the hem portion over the body portion. Slip the hem portion over the main body (with the trim side facing the right side of the main body), match up the four pins and keep the fabric evenly spaced in the circle. Remember to match the seams, and put a pin on each side of the seam. There will be a total of 5 layers of fabric. Pin through all the layers--everything should be smooth with no puckers. This is called a sandwich seam because of the many layers. Continue pinning between these pins, keeping all fabric layers smooth.
Sew a 5/8" seam all around the hem circle and backstitch. Serge this seam, being careful not to cut off too much fabric and make sure that no additional fabric is caught into your seam. Sometimes the intersecting seam area is very bulky and too thick for the serger. I usually pre-trim this area to allow the serger to go through more easily. Otherwise the serger can bind up and not work. (Note: If you do not have a serger machine, finish all raw edges with a zigzag stitch.)
Turn the pillowcase right side out. The hem portion will be facing towards the hem of the pillowcase. Press the seam allowance toward the main body of the pillowcase
Great job!! Enjoy!!
Sew * Create * Live
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