Easy
pillowcase with French seams
You’ll need:
27” (3/4 yd.) main fabric (king-36”)
9” border fabric (42” long)
Optional: accent fabric-4 1/2” (1/8 yd.). (This will be a little flap
between your main fabric and your border. I think it looks better when it’s half this
size, but who am I to design your pillowcase?)
Press border fabric in half lengthwise-wrong sides together.
If using accent, also press in half lengthwise-wrong sides together.
Unfold border piece, right side up, and lay across ironing board or
table with salvage edges on the side.
Place main fabric, also right side up and open, over the top, lining up
raw edges (again, salvage edges to the side).
Then place accent fabric on top of main fabric-folded- and line up with
other raw edges. Pin.
{Layer:
border-main-accent~all facing up}
Pull main piece from bottom and fan fold so you’ll be able to enclose
this in the border. Pull bottom edge of
border over all other fabric to create like a calzone (ok, who’s ever seen a
long skinny calzone, but I digress…).
Pin all raw edges together. (be
careful not to pin the part that you fanned because you’re going to pull this
out)
Sew 1/4” seam along open edge. (it’s going to look like a tube with
everything on the inside)
Open one end and pull the inside out.
Press seams.
Just a little detour…
If you’re like me and you definitely are NOT going to pull the whole
thing out and start over, you figure something else out. And what would you do if you were in a
pickle? You find one of your best
friends to help you out…enter Heatbond.
This baby makes me happy!
(Heatbond is
double-sided adhesive that works with heat…it has a backing so you iron one
side onto the fabric, peel the backing off, put whatever you want it to stick
to over the shiny side, and iron again so it adheres. FABULOUS!
I folded the accent fabric in half (thus my humble opinion on why I
think it looks better smaller~because I’ve seen it, done it, and it works) and
ironed 1/4” Heatbond pieces onto the accent fabric. See…
A decorative edge would be splendid, wouldn’t it? Yes indeed!
BUT…
Alrighty, aren’t you glad I made all the mistakes for both of
us? Me too. Sort of.
I mean, I would be except that I have to teach home ec. to boys TOMORROW. And time is, well, short. ANYHOO…
Cut off salvage edges.
Lay fabric WRONG sides together and line up edges. It’s going to look like your seam is going to
be on the outside, but it won’t. Sew
1/4” seam along the 2 open sides.
Now turn pillowcase inside out so the RIGHT side is on the inside.
Sew the same seam again but this time 1/2”. (You won’t be able to see your original
seam~you’re burying it inside so there will be no raw edges showing).
Turn inside out, paying attention to pulling corners to make them nice
and square. Press. (because pressing is
a girl’s best friend, right ‘L’?!!)
You’re done. Easy-peasy, right? (now that the kinks are
ironed out!)
It’s actually a
really easy and fun project~you should try it
(and just for kicks, throw in a bunch of home ec boys…)
