Pillowcase Time Again

My History With the Hot Dog or Burrito Method for Pillowcases: 
I'm about to leave town to share with friends the craft of making pillowcases with French seams and no raw edges inside that would invariable ravel in the wash.  This I learned from a group of women in Lee County, Florida, who produce an incredible number of quilts for a national organization called Quilts for Kids.  The quilts are distributed to kids in the hospital and hospice, and at holidays throughout the year they get pillowcases - Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, etc.


As for me, I've made quite a few themed pillowcases for family & friends:  peacocks, Star Wars, college football teams, planets, historic maritime maps, etc.  In addition, I've made a special seven pillowcases for my dear friend's grandchildren after a house fire.  Photos???



Now the Method:  This method, sometimes called the "hot dog" or "burrito" method, is found on the Internet, but I want to add some "Lessons Learned" to help you make a better quality product.

From Anina @ www.twiddletails.blogspot.com

First, how much fabric do you need?  Generally, for a standard size pillow case, you'll need 27" (3/4 yd) for main, 9" (1/4 yd) for cuff, and 2.5" for trim.  (See St. Pat's examples above.)  Anina from www.twiddletails.blogspot.com uses different lengths:  she cuts 12" for the cuff and 1.5" for the trim.  I've noticed that the pillowcases are often a tad short.  So adding a few inches to the main or cuff sections is up to you.  What I like is the difference in the trim length - just a think strip/stripe for contrast.  

A table of fabric required for these versions, plus king-size pillowcases will be provided below.

This piece was cut at 12" and reduced to about 10.75".

Second, do I prewash?  If you have ever prewashed your fabric before, you know what to expect when you put a thin strip in the wash.  Therefore, I would recommend 4" for the trim strip and recommend washing by hand.  Plus, if it is cut off grain, you will loose even more when you align the weave.


Also, I recently read that some prewash in hot water.  Ever since most of us started washing in cold water, I prewash in cold.  But I'm finding that I'm washing linens in warm now.  With this in mind, you may want to alter the quantity.  Food for thought.    Do a test...


Third, what do I do about differing widths?  There's not much you can do unless you spend extra time choosing matching fabrics of same widths.  Usually it's not a problem.  The narrowest one determines the width.

In this case, the green end fabric is the narrowest.

In this case, the main fabric is the narrowest.

Fourth, which style of trim fabric is best?  I have been sewing all my pillowcases with the 2.5" strip, and what I have discovered is that after washing/drying, the trip is all over the place.  And since I mostly iron when sewing or going to a job interview, I have no plans of ironing pillowcases at this point in my life.  So, I use one of the decorative stitches on my machine and secure the trim.

On the other hand, and this I really like as it saves a step, is the 1.5" strip that Anina uses.  It gives the appearance of piping but without the need for ironing.

Fifth, what did I learn about French seams?  Once fabric has been cut, there will be loose threads.  Always.  So, when you sew your seams, be sure the first is smaller than the second.  Huh?  See what happens if not?  And believe me you really don't want to go around the perimeter of the pillowcase and trim these threads.  Try 1/4" for first seam, the 3/8-1/2" for second seam.

Finally, have you all been waiting for the steps to making your own pillowcase?  Sorry for the delay!  Here you go: