How To Sew A Pillow Cover By Hand

It is wrong to say or assume that you cannot sew a pillow cover without a sewing machine. You can do it with great ease as the process is simple.

With hands, you can create your pillowcase, and it’s an easy way to update your pillows. Invest some time reading this article, and following this, you can know the steps.

How To Sew A Pillow Cover By Hand?

If you are new to sewing and have no idea about it, you are at the right place. Follow this step-by-step guide to start preparing the pillowcase and thread, and a simple needle can do the process.

Don’t worry if you haven’t brought a sewing machine as you can do without that. Be with us if you are interested to know the process of preparing customized pillow covers by hand.

Materials Required For Sewing A Pillow Cover

Many people prefer to go with hand sewing, and the materials you will require for the process are:

Needle: You must have a sharp needle that can be pushed or pulled out of the fabric. If it is blunt and the fabric is heavy, your needle might break. So, you have to be careful while choosing the fabric.

Thread: Different colors of threads are available in the market, but choose something that matches your fabric. It should not look out of place at the sides.

Pillow Form: Have the pillow foam with you for which you want to make a cover. It is required for the exact dimension as, without that, the pillow case may not fit.

Good Quality Fabric: Purchasing high-quality fabric is a must, or else you cannot sew. To ensure that your hand sewing is proper, you have to buy high-quality fabric.

Straight Pins: Have a sufficient amount of pins as you will require sticking both the fabrics together. With that, you can continue sewing the cloth in a line.

Scissors Or A Rotary Cutter: To cut the cloth into pieces, you will either require a rotary cutter or scissors. It will help you cut the cloth in exact shape.

Steps To Sew A Pillow Cover By Hand

Step 1: Decide On The Fabric

Picking the fabric is a crucial task and the best part, and it reflects your style based on what you choose. Select the right color according to the room decor, as it must not look inappropriate.

While buying, always check on the quality as if it is improper, you cannot prepare the pillow cover. It will get torn or get spoiled after some time. For smooth finishing, it is always better to decide on the fabric first.

Step 2: Cut The Fabric

Look for a rotary cutter or a scissor to cut the fabric in size. First of all, measure the sides below both length and breadth and take one-inch grace for all the sides.

Now cut the fabric and ensure the pattern is straight after cutting. It should have fineness, even if you are hand stitching.

Step 3: Fold The Fabric

Fold the fabric in half along length-wise and stitch the finished sides together. Before doing, check if the wrong or other side of the fabric is facing out. If not, make sure that the wrong side is facing towards.

Step 4: Pin Back And Front Sides Together

After the wrong sides are facing out, pin the sides together, keeping the bottom edge open. Through that, the pillow can be slid into the cover easily whenever it gets done.

From the bottom corner, start pinning 2” and proceed across the cover. From the other bottom corner, keep the last pin roughly at 2”.

Step 5: Start Sewing With Hand

Take the needle and insert the thread in it. Keep it a little longer and start the process from one bottom corner and bring your needle through both layers. Move and push the needle back through both layers of fabric.

Continue repeating steps 4 and 5 till the stitching of the entire pillow cover is done. Stop after you have reached the last corner, and it should be 2” away from the edge of the fabric.

Step 6: Cutting the Extra Thread

Pull a little piece of fabric located next to the thread. After that, pull the thread and needle through and ensure not to pull the thread entirely through a loop. After that, pull the thread and needle through the loop.

Step 7: Use Corners

At the four corners, clip the fabric appropriately and ensure you do not cut the stitches. Turn the fabric right side out, and after that, reach in and push out the other two bottom corners.

Step 8: Put Your Pillow

Your pillowcase is ready, and it’s time to place your pillow inside. With that, it is ready, and you can prepare as many as you want.

Prefer Hand Stitching Over Machine

Many people do not have a sewing machine, but it does not mean they cannot make things. Hand sewing is also possible, and here are some pointers why people prefer hand sewing.

Easy To Open

Suppose you find the stitching is not aligned, you can easily open and continue doing it again. It does not take much time to open and start from the step. It happens when you start stitching initially.

Affordable

There is no need to buy a sewing machine when you can do the process with your hands. In that way, you can save a lot of money, and after buying the tool, you have to keep them running.

If you do not, it may stop working after a point in time. As a result, you again need to appoint a mechanic to repair it. However, this thing can be avoided when you hand sew.

Better control

Hand sewing gives you better control, and if you do not like it, you can stop and continue doing afterward. Also, with hand sewing, you have the flexibility to do the process wherever you want.

It is not like the sewing machine where you have to sit and do the process in one place. In a sewing machine, if you forget to remove the pin and accidentally move over it, huge damage can be caused.

However, this sort of situation can be avoided with hand sewing. You do not have to look for other adjustments, changing or setting the thread, etc.

Moreover, you have full control over the corner and can concentrate on details. In shorthand, sewing is the best way to prepare a pillow cover.

After completion, hopefully, you will be happy with the pillow cover that you have made with your hand. With that, you can add your style by putting on a ribbon and using two different fabrics.

Compared to machines, hand stitching is simpler and easier to learn. Try this out for your next project, and you will love it. For more information, keep reading our posts.

What Is The Difference Between Hand And Machine Sewing?

In hand sewing, there is less headache and difficulty you face, compared to a machine. There is no problem with the bobbin and if interlocking is happening while doing it with your hand.

If you perform with the machine and the thread gets over in the bobbin, you have to refill that again. Instead of that, you can prefer opting for hand stitching as it is more convenient.

How Much Time Will I Require To Learn Hand Stitching?

Well, there is no particular amount of time that will be required by anyone to learn hand stitching. Once you start and stitch two to three times, you will notice you have already learned it.

But if you are looking for fineness, it depends on how much you practice. The more you practice, the better stitching skills you will have.