The Easiest Pillow Covers Ever as promised! The Envelope Pillow Cover

Well this is a little early...not quite Tutorial Thursday, but I'm going to be out of town tomorrow so I had to share tonight.  I'm headed to NYC to see my little sis...that's right, everyone...Playing House is heading to the big apple.  I hope I grab some inspiration while I'm there!  Keri is having a big weekend, too, but more about that on Friday.


So with three dolls and my husband in the house, I needed some pillow covers that where pretty (of course), but very easy to take off the pillows and CLEAN!  These covers had to stand up to some tough stuff...I mean from milk to late night snacks.  They also had to be easy and quick because that's how we roll around here these days between homework, soccer, football...you all have the same craziness at your house, you know.  So that being said...here you go...what most people call the Envelope Cover!

 Supplies:

Fabric

Pillow Insert

Thread

Pins

Sewing Machine

Scissors

1.  Measure your pillow inserts.  You want a piece of fabric that is the height of your pillow insert plus 1 inch and double the width of your pillow insert plus 7 inches.  I had a 16 inch pillow insert.  My fabric was 17 inches X 39 inches.  

2.  Hem both short sides by turning the fabric over 1/4 inch and ironing flat.  Turn over again 1/4 inch and iron flat.  Pin.  Then straight stitch the hem.  Do this on the other short side as well.

3.  Then lay fabric flat with right side of fabric towards you.  (right side just means the side that you want on the outside when finished.)  Then take the best looking short side to the middle first (this hem will show).

4.  Take the second hem towards the middle.  You should have about a 6 inch overlap in the middle of the pillowcase.  Check and make sure that by folding your sides in the width of the pillow cover is about the width of your pillow insert.  Pin!!!  It should look like this...

5.  Straight stitch on each side about 1/4 to 1/2 inch.  You can surge these or zig zag after straight stitching them for a "finished look."    

6.  Flip them right side out and you have a pillow cover.  Insert pillow cover and use them!!!  My kids have loved hanging out on these while reading books, wrestling, or watching TV!