How to Sew Travel Sized Pillowcases
Travel-size pillows are typically smaller than standard bed pillows to make traveling with them easier. They are particularly useful on long car, bus or plane trips. Upon purchase, many of these pillows lack a pillow case. Pillowcases help keep the pillow itself safe from stains and also provide a more comfortable fabric on which to lay your head. For the thrifty traveler, sewing your own travel-sized pillowcases can be simple and cost-efficient. They also provide a little touch of home while traveling.
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Things You'll Need
- Standard-size pillowcase
- Thread
- Sewing needle
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Sewing pins
- Washable marker
Instructions
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1
Lay out your standard pillowcase on a flat surface and turn it inside out.
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2
Measure 15 inches from the sewn end of the pillowcase to the middle of the pillowcase.
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3
Mark where the 15 inches ends with a small mark on the side of the pillow.
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4
Place your ruler on top of the pillowcase even with the mark you just made.
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5
Mark a straight line from left to right at the 15-inch mark with your washable marker and ruler.
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6
Cut along the line as straight as possible.
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7
Turn your pillowcase to one of the ends that you would slide your pillow into and trim off the part that is sewn, leaving you with two open sides. Now you should have one wide-open side, which will be the side of the pillowcase, and one thinner side, which will be sewed into a hem to be the only open side of the pillowcase.
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8
Discard the excess pillowcase or save it for a later project.
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9
Leave the pillowcase inside out and, using sewing pins, pin the fabric from left to right on the side that is the widest, not the side that will be hemmed to slide your pillow into.
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10
Draw a line using your washable marker and ruler along the side of the fabric going left to right about 1-1/2 inches away from the edge of the fabric.
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11
Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end of the thread.
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12
Begin to sew from left to right along the line you just made, starting at the edge of the fabric on the left.
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13
Tie a knot at the end of the thread once you have made it all the way to the right side of the fabric.
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14
Take out your pins and turn the pillow to the only existing open side. This is the thinner side that will be hemmed for your pillow to slide into.
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15
Fold the fabric toward the other end of the pillowcase approximately 2 inches to make a hem.
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16
Pin the fabric in place and begin to sew around the of the raw edge of the fabric you cut earlier. Do not sew both sides of the pillowcase together. Sew around the rim of the pillowcase about 2 inches where you pinned the fabric and tie a knot once you are finished hemming the edge.
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17
Turn your finished travel pillowcase right-side out and place your pillow inside.
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Tips & Warnings
Be careful when pinning your pillowcase with sewing pins. They are very sharp and can hurt you if you are stuck by one.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Kissen image by Angelika Bentin from Fotolia.com
