How To Make A Pillowcase Without A Sewing Machine

Beautiful pillowcases are a great addition to space. But buying good pillowcases can be a bit expensive.

If you are up for a creative project, we are here to tell you how you can make your own pillowcases.

And what’s more interesting is that you do not even need a sewing machine for this.

How To Make A Pillowcase Without A Sewing Machine?

Making a pillowcase without a sewing machine is not as hard as you would think. After cutting out the fabric with the desired measurement, create a seam for an outer edge on both fabrics. Put both the fabrics together and pin and start sewing in a straight line around the edges. Flip the pillowcase right side out, and it is ready to go onto your pillow.

Here are detailed steps to sew a pillowcase without your sewing machine.

Step 1:

Start by measuring the pillow for which you are making the pillowcase. Let’s take a 17-inches square pillow and keep one inch for seam allowance. Thereafter, multiply the width by 2 to figure out the length and then add around 3-4 inches for fabric overlap at the back. So overall, you will need 40 inches of fabric to make the pillowcase.

Step 2:

On all four sides, fold the fabric at ? inches. Start folding at the long ends and iron it flat. Moreover, keep the iron in the right setting based on the fabric. While longer ends will not be visible once you complete the work, the shorter ends will be visible. Therefore, try to make the folds look clean and professional.

Step 3:

The next step is to bond the ends of the fabric together. For that, you need to cut two pieces of fusible bonding web. It should be of the same size as the shorter ends of your fabric. Position the web in between the fold and use an iron to bring the fabric together.

Step 4:

Put your pillow in the center of your fabric and fold the ends. This way, you will have an accurate measurement of the pillow. Moreover, the fabric should overlap in the middle about 3 to 4 inches. Now pin the overlapping fabric together and take out the pillow form.

Step 5:

Using the same fusible bonding web, close the open ends. Make sure to measure the bonding web before placing it between the fabric’s seam allowances. After that, iron the seam to close the pillow.

Step 6:

Use a bonding web to place between the small pieces of overlap fabric. Subsequently, insert the pillow, and your pillowcase is complete.

What Are The Best Materials For Pillowcases?

When you are making a pillowcase by hand, you need to use the best material. This will ensure that you get the best results in the end. Here are some of the materials that work great as a pillowcase:

Cotton

Cotton is undoubtedly one of the commonly used fabrics in making pillowcases. It is absorbent and cool, making it comfortable to sleep on. Additionally, you will get pillowcases in different thread counts, and they are easy to wash and maintain. But this material has its own share of downsides. Cotton can bunch up easily and can leave crease marks on the face.

Linen

High-quality, natural flax product linen is a great material that is not produced in high quantity. This fabric is extremely lightweight and breathable. These characteristics make linen an excellent option for bedding, especially during the summer months.

Nylon

Nylon is also a very common fabric that is seen in pillowcases. This fabric is made to replicate silk. Nylon has the ability to dry extremely fast, and it is easy to wash. But a downside of this fabric is that it is not absorbent, so it may leave your face feeling sweaty.

Silk

Silk is a natural fabric that looks extremely premium and is very delicate. But this is a very delicate fabric, and you need to wash it by hand. Additionally, silk is sold by hand, and it can be quite expensive to get a quality silk material.

Satin

Satin is another luxurious material, which is smooth and gentle on your skin. It improves not only your skin but also your hair due to its soft materials. Satin is a material that is known to prevent wrinkles.

How To Measure Fabric For Pillow Case?

Following are the steps you need to measure and cut the fabric for the pillowcase:

Step 1. Place the pillow fillers on a table and measure the width from left to right. Thereafter, go on to measure the length from top to bottom. The measurement shows the cushion orientation, suggesting the closure placements and pattern direction.

Step 2. After that, measure the width of the pillow cover from the side as well as the length of the seam. Generally, the hook and loop closure and the zipper are placed at the bottom seam.

Moreover, also add the seam allowances before cutting the pillow fabric. Keep the seam allowance half an inch. And, if you plan to add welting or cording, the width of the seam allowance should be the same as the width of the welt flange.

Step 3. Keep one straight line and consider it as the bottom and side of the cushion. Draw a line on the opposite side of the fabric. Using at-square, mark a 90-degree corner from the straight line. To ensure the measurements are equal, measure corner to corner diagonally.

Step 4. Make sure you cut the fabric based on the design instead of the grain. Use a semi-transparent or plastic non-woven interfacing to cut the fabric in the required size.

What Are The Options To Close A Pillow?

Following are some ways you close an opening when sewing a pillow:

Pocket

This style has overlapping fabric flaps at the back of the pillow cover. You simply insert the pillow between the back flaps and pull them together to close it. It is also easy to create a design for beginners.

Flap

Instead of completely closing the pillow, you can make it look like an envelope. The pillow will go inside the case from the top. And there will be a flap at the top to close the case down. It is similar to making a pocket-style closing, but you will need a little more fabric.

Hand Stitching

You can hand stitch the fourth side of the pillow to close it. The hand stitching method will make sure that all the edges look the same on each side. This is ideal for when you do not plan to remove the pillow or are using stuffing instead of a pre-made pillow.

Zipper

While stitching a zipper may be difficult, it gives a cleaner look to your pillowcase. Moreover, it also makes it easy to put it and take out the pillow from the case for cleaning or changing. Generally, closing the pillow is

the last step, but in this method, you first add the zipper and then do the rest of the stitching.

Is It Bad To Sleep Without A Pillow Case?

Pillowcases are not there just for aesthetic purposes. You need pillowcases because they are easier to clean. When we sleep, we tend to release sweat, dead skin cells, saliva, oil, etc.

These materials get stuck on the pillow. If you are directly using a pillow, then it will get dirty quicker and won’t last long. But with a pillowcase, you can simply remove it, toss it in the washing machine and put it back again clean and healthy.

What is The Strongest Stitch By Hand?

Backstitch is one of the strongest and permanent hand stitches. Moreover, it is also a great replacement for knots at the beginning and end of the hand-sewn seams.

In this, the needle goes into the back of the fabric from the back of the thread of the stitch before. This creates a knot at every stitch, making it a more secure option.