I have been obsessed with stash-diving recently, probably from moving and trying to find room for everything in my 1930s house with no real closet space. Use some special small squares of fabric you might have laying round for the accents in this color blocked pillowcase and give yourself credit for lowering the stash pile, even a little bit!
This piece is another entry in the Little Gifts SAL sponsored by the lovely Marie at Underground Crafter. She had a terrific idea for making a pillow a “little gift” – she says she wraps up the pillow case and includes a gift card to a chain craft store so the recipient can pick out their own pillow form, which saves a bundle of space and cash when shipping presents!
Cut list:
I have labeled the front panels A, B, C, D and E, moving from left to right, just for ease in itemizing the cut list.
Back: 2 pieces, 16″ wide x 8 1/2″ tall (see last Notes about modifying for fit/zipper)
Front Accents: 5 accent colors, 4″ square each
Front Neutrals: 2 pieces 4″ wide x 13″ tall (panels A and E)
2 pieces 4″ square and 2 pieces 4″ wide x 10″ tall (panels B and D)
2 pieces 4″ wide x 6 1/2″ tall (panel C)
Other materials:
16″ zipper (see note)
16″ pillow form – I used PolyFil Premier Ultra Plush
Thread to coordinate with Back/zipper and Front
Notes: My back and front colors are different because I was stash diving – it’s perfectly fine for your back to be the same color as one of your front colors!
Also: I did a zipper because the one time I don’t is the time I spill on the pillow and wish I could take it off to wash it. If you would prefer to skip the zipper, simply cut a back piece that is 16″ square.
Also also: If you follow my cut list and use a 1/2″seam allowance your pillow cover will finish at 15″ square, for a fuller looking pillow when the form is inserted. I used a 3/8″ seam allowance in the model and cut the back to a 17″ square which is why my pillow looks a little floppy in the corners – it finished at 16″ when sewn.
Follow manufacturers instructions for installing zipper – briefly, with right sides together and the longest stitch length, baste the 2 Back pieces together along the 16″ width. Press seam allowance open. Baste zipper into place with the teeth under the basted seam, and topstitch into place with a normal stitch length. Remove basting thread.
Front Panels:
For panels A and E, with right sides facing, stitch one accent square to one side of the neutral strip. Press seam allowance open.
For panels B, C and D, with right sides facing, stitch one accent square between the two neutral strips. Press seam allowances open.
Assemble Front Panels:
Arranging the Front Panels A – B as shown in photo, with right sides together stitch along length of panels. It is most important to line up the seams of the accent squares to the panel before – if there is a little fudging to do on the neutral pieces it can be done at the end.
In the same manner, attach C to B, D to C, and E to D.
Press all seam allowances open, and square up the outer edges if you need to.
With right sides facing, sew front to back all the way around. Cheat the zipper open a small bit to make it easier to open when you’re done.
Clip the corners, and turn right side out. Insert your pillow and zip it up and you’re all finished! Here’s a speedy video on clipping corners –
Don’t forget to check out all the other terrific projects in the SAL and enter for some fabulous (really! 🙂 prizes!
How the Little Gifts Sew Along Works
Every other Tuesday from January 1 through December 3, 2019, we’ll share a free sewing project for a little gift! These gifts are small enough to be “stocking stuffers” if you’d like to get a head start on holiday crafting, or you can gift them for birthdays and other events throughout the year. Each little gift will be made from 1-4 fat quarters of cotton fabric (or a yard or less of fabric, if you don’t have precut fabric on hand).
And, because sew alongs are more fun with prizes, we’ve reached out to some of our favorite companies to get some amazing end-of-SAL prizes. You can find out more about the prizes and enter for your chance to win here on Underground Crafter!
How To Join the Little Gifts SAL
- You can join in by sewing the projects as you have time.
- Share your progress and post pictures of your finished projects. Tag your projects and posts #sewlittlegifts and #stockingstuffersal on all social media.
- If you’d like to chat with other sewists, join the Underground Crafters Facebook group.
- By the end of the SAL, you’ll have up to 25 handmade gifts.
Visit Underground Crafter to learn more about the prizes, enter the end-of-SAL giveaway, and to get links to each Little Gifts Sew Along project as it is released.
