home decor and crafts sewing and textiles

How To Sew A Pillowcase In 5 Minutes

by Jen @ RamblingRenovators - 7:15 AM

I'm having a lot of fun playing around with the new sewing machine. Its getting easier to whip up pillow covers in no time. I had a pillow insert sitting around and thought I would sew a pillowcase. I'm not sure where I came upon this way of making a pillowcase with flaps (also known as an envelope-back pillowcase) but it stuck with me because its so simple - and so quick!

There's many different ways to sew a pillowcase. Sewing a pillowcase is a great beginner sewing project because it's easy to execute and it takes less than one yard of fabric. Pillowcases are a great way to change up your decor as well. Once you learn how to sew a pillowcase, you can apply the same method to pillows of all sizes. Whether it's for a bed pillow, or a decorative cushion, this 5 minute pillow case sewing technique will work!

This particular pillowcase has the added feature of the flap. This envelope-back enclosure prevents the pillow from slipping out. It also makes your finished pillow look more neat and orderly; you won't see any raggedy pillow ends spilling out of the side!

Here's how to sew a pillowcase in 5 minutes.

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The 5 Minute Pillowcase With Flaps

You can use this envelope pillowcase tutorial for ANY sized rectangular or square pillow, from standard pillows, king sized pillows, euro pillows to small lumbar pillows or decorative pillow cushions.

Placement of Flap:

There are various options to consider when placing the flap: will it be on the front or back, will it run horizontally or vertically, will it be in the middle or at one of the edges.

With bed pillows, the flap is typically at one of the shorter ends and runs vertically. With decorative cushions, you can be creative! Typically, a decorative cushion will have the flap running horizontally and on the back (see white pillow in first photo above).

For this sewing tutorial, I will showcase a pillow with the flap running vertically and on the front.

Materials:

To complete this project, you need just a few materials:
- sewing machine (I have always had Brother Sewing machines and have found them to be dependable and good quality)
- fabric
- thread
- scissors
- measuring tape
- pillow insert (these faux down inserts are my ABSOLUTE favourite! Soft yet structured!)

Directions:

1. Measure your pillow. My pillow was 12"x16". Cut a piece of fabric that measures (Length + 2") x (Width x 2.5). For my pillow, my fabric measured 14" x 40".

2. At each of the short ends, fold over a 1.5" hem and iron.

3. Fold the fabric in thirds with the short ends overlapping. Shift the overlap to be more or less so that the width of your fabric equals the width of your pillow (in my case, 16").

Now, decide if the flap will be shown as part of the pillow front or hidden on the pillow back. Determine where you want the overlap to fall on the pillow. You can move the overlap to the left or right (keeping the overall width of the pillow the same), depending on where you want the overlap to be. Here is an example with the overlap at the edge of the pillow, running vertically:

Once you've decided the horizontal position of the flap, iron the short sides. This will leave creases that will help guide you for sewing.

4. Open up the fabric. Sew the hem on each of the short ends. I've used a pretty scallop stitch on this left side flap as I knew the stitch would be visible and I wanted it to be decorative.

5. Turn the fabric inside out, with the non-patterned side facing outwards. Overlap the ends. The flap that will be on the inside (ie. not visible) should be on top. Fold the fabric at the creases that you ironed in step 3. Measure again and make sure your width is equal to the width of your pillow insert. Pin along each of the long sides and sew a 1" hem.

6. Turn the pillow case right side out. Use a chopstick to get the corners fully poked out. Insert your pillow.

And voila! Cute and easy, my favourite kind of project. This project is super simple and will make your pillows look fun and cheery.

You can easily adjust the look of your pillowcase by playing with the placement of the flap, using a different stitch pattern, and choosing a different fabric. I hope this helps you sew up more pillowcases for your home!