Sewing: French Seam Pillow Cover
Tool Needed:
Sewing Machine (or you can hand sew)
Fabric of your choice
Matching Thread
Clips or Pins
The euro sham or french seam pillow case is a classic design that can be customized to fit a lot of different home styles. You can customize how thick the boarder is to fit your homes style. The thicker the boarder the more floppy and feminine. Or a smaller boarder for a modern clean look. If you are a visual learner here is a video of me making this pillow case and two others!
To start you can use a pillow case you already have or measure your pillow insert. For the maximum fullness out of your insert make your case a size down. For example a 22x22 pillow insert should have a 20x20 pillow case. You can also make your case the exact same size as your insert for a less full look.
Start Cutting
I used one of my other pillow covers to cut my fabric, adding an extra 1/2 seam allowance all the way around. Your boarder will be a separate piece so when cutting this section keep in mind it is only covering the body of the pillow. You will need two matching pieces for the front and back of your pillow case.
Making the Boarder
The boarder can be whatever size you want it to be. For me I wanted a more modern, smaller, boarder so I cut my fabric into four 3inch strips. That will make a 1 and half inch boarder with a half inch seam allowance. Your strips will be longer then the body fabric piece. Cut the ends of each side of your strips making two points at each end. These points will help make the 90 degree angle for the corners. Head over the the iron and iron down your strips in half.
Once your strips are ironed it time to sew the boarder together. Right sides together you sew the end points together all the way around. You will have all four corners sewn and ready to attach to the body of your pillow. Grabbing your pillow body you will sandwich the boarder between your front and back with the right sides together.
Attaching Back and Tie Closer
Once your boarder is to the front fabric piece its time to connect the back and make your closer. The boarder helps cover the closer which is why it is connected to the front piece. For this pillowcase I decided to use a tie closer instead of a zipper but you can defiantly use a zipper if your prefer. The make the three tie closers I used scrap of my pillow fabric. Sewing inside out and then clipping a pin to one in to pull the tie right side out. Sew the ties on the front and back seam allowances to connect. Now you have a finished pillowcase with a Euro Sham design.