Meant to Be Pillowcases

Hey ghouls and creeps! This week I wanted to give a great beginner sewing project a new twist! So I selected the tried and true pillowcase, which is super easy to construct but includes some text appliques to personalize and spruce up the outside. “Meant to be” is a shortened version of the song lyric “Simply meant to be,” from Jack and Sally’s song from the Nightmare Before Christmas (just in case you were wondering). You could easily change the wording on your pillow fronts to be a name or any word of your choosing! Let’s get started!

*The dimensions mentioned in the cutting step will fit a standard bed pillow! If you are needing your pillowcase to fit a larger pillow size, add the needed excess to the dimensions below.

I rated the Meant to Be Pillowcases as being easy! The appliques could be challenging if you are unfamiliar with doing the satin/applique stitching, but this technique is super easy to learn! If this is your first time, iron some single-sided fusible interfacing to a scrap piece of material and take some time to practice!

Step 1: Cutting your Pillowcase Pieces: Begin by cutting four rectangles measuring: 29″X18.5″. These will be your pillowcase fronts and backs. Be sure to note the print direction of your material if this relevant! After cutting the fronts and backs, cut two pillowcase cuffs measuring: 8″X 36″.

*The dimensions mentioned will fit a standard bed pillow! If you are needing your pillowcase to fit a larger pillow size, add the needed excess to the dimensions above.

Cut your single-sided fusible interfacing to make two rectangles measuring 16″X 26″.

If you want to include the contrasting cuff strip, cut enough strips to make two strips measuring: 2 1/8″X 39″.

Using the JPG file below, either print the template to cut your letters out manually or use the file in Cricut design space. Pro-tip: Iron your Heat n’ Bond onto the back of your cotton prior to cutting out your appliques! This way you only have to cut your letters once! *Letters are about 14″ tall.

Step 2: Doing your Appliques: Center your single-sided fusible interfacing rectangles to the wrong side of both your pillow fronts. Iron the interfacing to fuse in place.

Turn your pillowcase fronts so that they are right side up. Peel the paper backing off each applique and situate them on the pillow’s front.

I had my letters approximately 2 1/4″ in on all sides. Pro-tip: use a transparent ruler to help get letters orientation straight!

Once perfectly placed, iron your letters so that they fuse thoroughly. Complete these steps for both pillow fronts.

Now that your letters are ironed, your ready to finish those edges with some satin stitching! Use a scrap piece of material with some interfacing ironed to it, to test stitch length and density before starting. Position the edge of the applique along the center of the presser foot. This will make sure that the stitch covers the applique edge.

When you get to the curves and corners and need to pivot, put the needle down in the pillow front if you’re turning the foot left. If you are pivoting right, put the needle down into the applique. You can also tell if one side of your stitching is farther ahead than the other side. If this is the case, you want to put the needle down on the side that hasn’t progressed as far. This will ensure that you won’t have weird gaps and inconsistencies in your stitching. Complete satin or applique stitching around all letter edges.

Flip pillow front to the backside and gently peel interfacing away from pillow fabric. Use shears to carefully trim away interfacing excess around letters.

Step 3: Making your Pillowcases: Take your pillowcase backs and place them on top of pillow fronts with right sides together. Because I wanted my pillowcase openings to mirror each other, I was careful to have the left side open on the “meant” pillow, and the right side open on the “to be” pillow. This may not matter to you, but if it does be careful to sew up the correct three sides!

After determining which side will be your opening on each pillow, pin the other three sides. Sew together with a 1/2″ seam allowance. If you have access to a serger/overlock machine, finish your seam edges with an overlock stitch. If you do not, you can also use some of the alternative stitches on your sewing machine!

Take your contrasting cuff strip pieces and piece them together if needed. Press your strips in half lengthwise, with right sides out.

Unfold the strip at the end, and fold the end to create a forty-five-degree angle. Sew the end near one of the side seams of the pillowcase for about three inches. I sewed about 1/4″ from the edge so that this stitch line would later be hidden in the seam allowance.

Lift the presser foot and fold the strip in half again. Continue sewing the strip all the way around the pillow opening.

When you get to the end, cut any excess off the strip. Stick the end inside the angled sleeve created at the beginning. Continue sewing until you reach the beginning of the stitch line.

Sew the short ends of your pillowcase cuffs together with a 1/2″ seam allowance. Press each seam open, and then fold the cuff in half lengthwise, right sides out, and press.

Stick the cuff on the inside of the pillowcase, and match up side seams. Pin the cuff and pillowcase together all the way around, aligning raw edges.

Sew the cuff to the pillowcase with a 1/2″ seam allowance. Repeat these steps for both pillowcases.

Overlock stitch this joining seam or finish with an alternative stitch type on your sewing machine.

Flip the pillowcases right side out. Press cuff and pillowcase seams into the pillowcases. Understitch near these seams on the pillowcase side, catching the seam allowance underneath. This will keep the seam inside the pillowcase.

Guess what? You’re finished! Check out those awesome pillowcases you just made! I don’t know about you, but I think it’s time to break these babies in and take a nap!

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Ready for your next project? Here are some tutorials on the blog I think you’ll like! Frame Flip tutorial: https://britnijade.com/frame-flip/, Macrame Wall Hanging: https://britnijade.com/macrame-wall-hanging-w-bones/, or the Spider Web Macrame: https://britnijade.com/spider-web-macrame/. Enjoy!