If you've got about 30 minutes, you can make 2 fitted, zippered pillowcases. It's a super fast and easy project that can spice up your couches and chairs. All you need is two standard size bed pillows, a yard of fabric, and 2 zippers. I highly recommend flannel fabric, especially since they come in about a million adorable Christmas prints. Although I am making Christmas pillows in this tutorial, you can switch up your fabric choice for any other holiday or occasion. I used suede fabric for my backing because I didn't buy enough flannel fabric (fail). Suede can be difficult to sew if you don't have a Roller Foot, Non-Stick Foot, or a Walking Foot.
I went with a standard-sized pillow for a few reasons. First, because I have an abundant amount of naked pillows. And, two, because the Mister constantly falls asleep on the couch using the regular bed pillows. It was driving me nuts seeing bed sheet pillowcases in the living room. This way, the Mister gets his big pillows, and I get a neater looking couch. Please, don't judge. Okay, go ahead, judge. I'm a dork.
I went with a zippered closure because I loathe seeing a naked pillow poke out of the pillowcase. Plus, I think the fitted look is nice and neat. Depending on the type of zipper you use, a 20-inch to 22-inch polyester zipper will work for a standard pillow.
First, measure the dimensions of your pillow and add 1/2 an inch to each seam allowance. Cut 2 rectangles per pillow at those dimensions. Before you sew any seams together, go ahead and finish those raw edges. I used a 3 thread overlock stitch on my serger, but you can mimic a serger with an overcast stitch on a home sewing machine.
If you've never inserted a zipper before, no worries. We have a video to show you how. I like to install the zipper before sewing any other seams. It makes the process so much easier for my brain.
Once you've installed the zipper, you can sew the remaining sides using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.
Turn right sides out, stuff in your pillow, zip it up, and you're finished! How is that for super fast and super easy?
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