Hey everyone. Today we're making a fresh pillowcase, and we're using the burrito method so every raw edge hides away neat and tidy.
Meet the Fabric
This is Bits And Bobs Tape Pink from FIGO Fabrics. It's part of the Bits And Bobs collection by Sarah Hearts. And oh my goodness, it is a happy one.
The collection celebrates the joy of making, for sewists, quilters, crafters, and makers. It's filled with the tools we reach for every day. Colorful buttons. Vintage spools. Pins. Measuring tape. Scissors. Zippers. Notions. Even classic ric-rac.
This print is the Tape design in the pink colorway. So measuring tapes take the starring role here. Pink gives it a bright, cheerful base. The wider collection palette also pulls in black, cream, teal, orange, and taupe.
It's 100% premium cotton, 44"/45" wide. That's good, honest quilting cotton, y'all. It presses crisp, cuts clean, and feels soft enough for a pillow.
A pillowcase gets washed again and again, so cotton that sews easy and stays comfortable really matters.
The Project: A Pillowcase
We're making a standard pillowcase with a cuff. Finished size is about 20" by 30". That's the size that fits most standard bed pillows.
Why does this fabric suit it? Simple. The measuring tape print is pure sewing-room fun. On a bed pillow, it reads sweet and playful. Super duper cute.
And a pillowcase is a kind project. One evening. A few straight seams. We're not reinventing the wheel here. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
Materials
- 3/4 yard Bits And Bobs Tape Pink — for the body, cut one piece 27" by 42"
- 1/4 yard coordinating cotton for the cuff — cut one piece 10" by 42"; a cream or teal from your stash works great
- Optional accent strip — cut one piece 2" by 42" for a thin flange between cuff and body
- Matching 50-weight thread
- Rotary cutter or scissors, ruler, pins or clips, iron, and your sewing machine
- A standard pillow, about 20" by 26"
Brief Steps
- Press everything first. Square up your edges. Then cut the body at 27" by 42" and the cuff at 10" by 42". Check the tape print's direction now, so the tapes run the right way on the bed.
- Fold the cuff in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. Press it well. It should measure 5" by 42". If you're adding the accent strip, fold and press it the same way.
- Layer for the burrito. Lay the cuff flat, raw edges up, accent strip on top if you're using it. Lay the body right side up, matching raw edges. Roll the body up toward the cuff. Wrap the cuff around the roll. Pin through all layers.
- Sew that long edge with a 1/4" seam allowance. Use a stitch length around 2.5. Go slow and keep the roll tucked clear of the needle. Slow down here or you'll catch the roll in the seam. Ask me how I know.
- Reach inside and pull the roll out gently. Just like that. Your seam is hidden inside the cuff. Press the cuff flat.
- Finish the sides with French seams. Sew wrong sides together with a scant 1/4" seam. Trim to about 1/8". Turn wrong side out, press, then sew again with a 3/8" seam. Repeat on the bottom. No raw edges anywhere.
- Turn it right side out. Poke the corners out gently. Press one more time. Slip your pillow in and fluff it up.
Practical Tips
Prewash this one, folks. A pillowcase will live in the laundry rotation. Wash and press your cotton before you cut, and you won't get a surprise shrink later.
Watch directional prints twice. Cutting is fast. Unpicking is not. Lay the body out and check which way is up before you sew.
If your cuff seam feels bulky, grade it. Trim the inner layers a touch shorter. It presses flatter and looks store-bought neat.
And here's the permission part, y'all. Your seams don't have to be perfect. You're your own worst critic. A pillowcase that gets slept on and loved beats a perfect one stuck in a drawer. It's not a race.
Want a queen or king size? Just lengthen the body cut, adding inches to the 27" side. Want no cuff at all? Completely up to you.
Make one for your bed. Make one for a sewing friend. These stack up fast.
Thanks so much for sewing along with me. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Bits And Bobs Tape Pink 44"/45" Cotton Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
