Vintage Look Pillow Cases {Tutorial}

Hello Friends!  Following my IG post (here) today, I've had so much interest in a tutorial or pattern for my vintage look pillow cases, I decided it was a good idea to write out a few steps for you and share it here on my old blog!   I'm visiting my mother in New Mexico and have a little time while she's sitting in her recliner reading, to try and whip this out!  Smile!  (Luckily I did take a few pictures and made a few notes when I was making the pillowcases!)

I've seen similar pillowcases to these on Pinterest (for years) and I've wanted to make them.  But honestly as far as I was concerned it needed to be a "certain" fabric!  Ha!  This fabric line is made by the company Poppie Cotton and designed by Elea Lutz, who just happens to have a special place in my heart from YEARS ago when she donated some of her fabrics to a quilting class I was teaching to my favorite grand-girls and a few of their friends.  Her fabrics just speak to me.  And this line called Flower Market was absolutely perfect for these pillow cases.  

So with that said, let's get started!  

Gather Materials:

• four different fabrics of choice for each pillowcase (you will need yardage for this project)
• lace, ribbon, rick-rack, trim of choice
• matching yarn
• yarn needle with a sharp point
• crochet hook (size H) side note here:  do not worry if you don't crochet...there are workarounds!
• sewing machine
• sewing supplies
• rotary cutter and ruler 

Step One:  Gather your four fabrics.   Tips on your fabric selection:  they don't have to match or go together exactly.  I definitely did not want a "matchy-matchy" look.  However, using a "collection" of fabrics that are different but yet compliment each other is very nice.  

Step Two:  Use a ruler and rotary cutter to cut your four pieces of fabric to the following sizes:

• backing piece:  31" x 21.5" 
• piece A: 18" x 21.5"
• piece B:  9.5" x 21.5"
• piece C:  5" x 21.5"

Now, here's a really great thing about these pillow cases.  There are NO raw edges on the inside.  I love this part.  So we are going to sew French seams... if you've never done then before and have always wanted to learn then today is your day!!!  Follow my instructions carefully: 

Step Three:  Lets sew the three smaller fabric pieces together using a French seam.  Sew fabric piece A to fabric piece B.  Sew along the 21.5" edge, WRONG sides together.  (Did you catch that?  WRONG sides together!)  I sew with a scant 1/4" seam.  Which technically means LESS than a 1/4".  

Step Four:  Now, turn those two fabrics RIGHT sides together, fulling encasing that 1/4" seam.  I pressed the seam to make it nice and flat.  Now you will sew them together again but this time your seam will need to be at least 3/8, because you will want to make sure to completely enclose the first seam.   

Step Five:  Repeat the above steps but now attach fabric piece C to fabric piece B (which of course is already attached to fabric piece A).    Then lay it out on the ironing board and press those seams down very well.  Don't they look beautiful not having any raw edges showing?  

Step Six:  Gather all your lace, ribbon, and other trim.   Lay them out on your front panel and choose what you think you'd like to use.  

Step Seven:  I chose to sew the trim pieces along the seam where the fabrics A, B, C joined.  Obviously you can do it however you want.  I also kind of layered a few different trims... it gave it a real nice effect!

Step Eight:  Once you have completed sewing your trim pieces, press your front panel.  Lay it on your cutting mat and using a ruler and a rotary cutter, cut each long side until there are no pieces of trim hanging over the edge and it is nice and straight.  

Step Nine:  Now let's attach the back to the front panel.  Do this the same way you did steps 3 and 4.  Do the French seam on the bottom edges first and then complete the side edges.  I use sewing clips (or pens) to hold the two large pieces of fabric in place so that they didn't slip.  Sewing French seams does require good straight, smooth seams.   Once you've completed the French seam on the bottom of the pillow case, repeat the process on both sides.  

Step Ten:  You have a pillow case now!  Take it to your ironing board and on the top (opening) edge, iron the front side to the back about 1/4".  Press it well and then fold it over one more time and press again.  Use clips (or pins) to hold it in place.   Sew a stitch right along side that edge all the way around.  

Note:  Your pillowcase is technically complete at this time!  However, if you would like to add any trim to that final opening this is the time to do it!  I chose to crochet a scallop edge to mine and wow do I love it!  If you crochet, this will be a breeze for you!  If you are an "every now and then" crocheter (like me) you might need to watch a few YouTube videos to remember how to crochet a scallop!  And if you don't crochet at all, then sew on some other form of decorative trim!  

Here is how I added my crochet edging:  

I used a needle that had a large enough eye for yarn, but had a very sharp point and I sewed a blanket stitch along the entire edge.  I probably should've marked the distance between stitches, but I actually just kind of eyeballed a 1/4".  

Once I did that, then it was ready to crochet the scallop edge!  Like I said, I'm a total beginner at crochet and definitely cannot teach it!  But this at least shows you how I did it!  

Now that you've made one pillowcase... keep going!!!  

Happy sewing my friends!!!  Be sure to tag me on IG @redfeedsack if you use my tutorial to make your pillowcases!  I'd love to see them!  Thanks for following along.