On the Line

I should have said, "On the fence."  It was so chilly, wet and windy that I took the nearest fence for this display, as I did not want to walk out to the clothes lines. I thought you might like to see my personal designer line of pillowcases! 

I was planning on making only one pillowcase, the pink daisy print  you see on the left, using a piece of fabric too small for a garment and too large for a small project.  It was so much easier than sewing a dress, and the results were instant.  After making one pillowcase so fast, I thought, why not make two...or three, or ten?  It was like the dollar store thinking: "It is only a dollar, so why not get two?" 

Most of these were a hundred percent cotton, except for two of them that were a blend with synthetics--definitely not as pleasant to sew and I could tell the difference between the high quality cottons and the cheaper fabrics.

The yellow one in the middle was from a yard  of cotton I bought at Hobby Lobby on my first visit there. It feels like a combination of linen and silk, and in definitely want to make dresses when I get more of it.  The dresses I have shown here this year were for other people-I have not made mine yet! I think I am waiting til I get younger or better looking, or thinner and everything else!

The one in the middle, above, is made from a curtain panel by Rachel Ashwell brand, which I got brand new, still in its package, at Goodwill.  I strategized the fabric so the hem could be left on it, saving me time and effort. That one sewed up very quickly, with only two seams, one at the top and one side.

In the past when I have made a pillowcase, I did not understand the reason for a very wide or deep hem found on commercial ones, but found the pillowcase with the thick hem looks much nicer and fits a whole lot better on the pillow, for some reason.  Also, when the open end is visible, it looks like the pillowcase is lined with the same fabric.  So I went to the extra effort to put in the generous hems and also made each pillowcase longer than necessary just so it draped the pillow better.

Above: an ample hem, made by pressing one fourth inch first and the three or so inches and machine stitching.  Highly recommend you use the selvedges for seams whenever possible. On other seams, use overlock (I don't have an overlock machine) or zig-zag after stitching, to reinforce and prevent fraying of seams.

These brown pillowcases were such a bargain, but they are not very cheerful, especially is a person has been sick in bed for awhile.  These new pillowcases are for someone recovering from illness, so she can have a fresh one on her pillow each day.

I made the pink daisy print pillowcase, thinking how much better it is to have the luxury of a nice pillowcase when you take to your bed with illness, or just need more rest.

With all these pillowcases, they can change them as often as you  like, even during the day. 

I am off to make a few more as hostess gifts.

By the way, just lay an old commercial pillowcase on your double layer fabric, with one side on the fold and the open end on the selvedge, leaving a lot of space for the hem, cutting an adequate space around it for the seams.  You only need two seams if one side is on the fold. That is what makes it fast to sew these pillowcases.  I will show a tutorial later on today when I get time.

This is a good idea if you like to sew but do not want anything too time consuming or complicated, and will suffice for children's pillowcases. These days when the bed is made, the bedspread and matching pillow shams are seen on the outside,so it doesn't matter if the pillowcases do not match the sheets or the room decor.   

It was mentioned by a commentor a few weeks ago that being sick at home meant the family went to some effort to make the sick person comfortable, and I think a soft, new pillowcase is very helpful.

The hem was already made on the cotton curtain panel.