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The Sleepover Pillowcase: Tutorial

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The Sleepover Pillowcase Tutorial {a lemon squeezy home}

We visit family and friends often.  Sometimes we end up staying late and our kids start to get tired.  The Sleepover Pillowcase Tutorial {a lemon squeezy home}

If we pack this “sleepover pillowcase” before we leave, the kids can have their favorite  toy, and a soft place to lay their head down.  The Sleepover Pillowcase Tutorial {a lemon squeezy home}

It’s also a great item to bring in the car while traveling long distances close to bedtime.   The Sleepover Pillowcase Tutorial {a lemon squeezy home}

Or sometimes Grandma and Grandpa have them over for a sleepover.  They can stuff their pj’s and favorite blankie into the pillow portion.  The button closure will help these things stay in!  Let them pack their favorite stuffed animal or some books in the zippered pocket.  With the handle at the top, they are ready to go equipped with everything they need in case they get a little homesick.The Sleepover Pillowcase Tutorial {a lemon squeezy home}

(The dimensions used for this pillowcase with the contrasting band around the opening came from the wonderful Dana of MADE.  She has a wonderful, simple pillowcase tutorial you can find here.)
The Sleepover Pillowcase Tutorial {a lemon squeezy home}

What You’ll Need:
-Two 21” x 26” main fabric (mine is the green argyle)
-Two 21” x 11” coordinating fabric (for top border on pillowcase)
-Two 21” x 18” pieces of fabric (for zippered pocket)
-One 6” x 14” piece of fabric for the handle
-12” zipper
-Two 2” x 13” fusible interfacing
-1 LARGE button (optional—if you are worried about your child pulling it off and putting it in their mouth, skip this!  You can use velcro for a closure instead to be safer)DSCF4205

Take the 6” x 14” piece of fabric for the handle.  Fold in half and sew a 1/4” seam.  DSCF4206

Turn, moving the seam into the center of the back of the handle, and topstitch each side.DSCF4230

Fold the strap in half and baste onto the right side of one of the 21” x 26” pieces of fabric, along the 26″ side.  Baste it about 1.5” down from the top.
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Take the two 21” x 18” of pocket fabric.  Mark a line 3” down from the 21” top.  Center a piece of fusible interfacing on the line and in the middle of the fabric and iron, following the directions that come with the interfacing. DSCF4207DSCF4208

Place the two pieces of pocket fabric right sides together.  Pin around the interfacing. DSCF4209DSCF4211

Draw a box that measure 1/2” x 12” around the line you already marked 3” down. So the ends are marked in 4.75” from the sides and then 1/2” on either side of the line (the 3” down from the top line).DSCF4214

Sew all along the box you just drew, making sure that you backstitch at the corners.DSCF4216DSCF4218

Insert your seam ripper and cut inside the rectangle as pictured. DSCF4219

Make diagonal cuts at the end, making sure to cut all the way to, but not through, the corners. DSCF4220

Insert one layer of the pocket fabric into the slit, pulling all the way through so it’s on the other side.
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It will look like this:DSCF4222

Iron so it lays flat and is even all around the edges.DSCF4223

Place the zipper behind so that you see the top on the side of the pocket you want facing out.  You can use a glue stick to help hold it in place (I didn’t and I should have because mine ended up going in a little unevenly!). DSCF4225

Use your zipper foot to sew around the zipper.  DSCF4227
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Along the top of the pocket, iron down 1/2” towards the inside as pictured below.  Alternatively, you could zig-zag or serge the edges, then iron them down 1/4” towards the lining fabric of the pocket.  DSCF4233

Place the pocket piece evened up on the edges and bottom of the 21” x 26” with the strap.  Pin the pocket along the top and sides, tucking in the top portion of the pocket that you ironed down.  If you are worried about getting it even, mark a line onto the main pillowcase that you can follow while “top-stitching” the pocket on. DSCF4238

Topstitch the top of the pocket piece onto the 21” x 26” piece of fabric.DSCF4248

Baste the sides and bottom of the pocket onto the fabric.DSCF4241

Fold one of the 21” x 11” in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and iron.  Make sure that if you have directional fabric that it will be the right direction when you fold it back up).  Line up the unfinished edges along the top.  Sew with a 1/2” seam. DSCF4243DSCF4242
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Zig-zag stitch or serge the raw edge. Fold back up and topstitch along the seam.  Repeat with other 21” x 11” and 21” x 26” pieces of fabric.  Pin the handle down.DSCF4246

Place the two pieces of fabric right sides together.  Pin around sides and bottom, leaving the top band open for the pillow.   DSCF4247

Sew 1/2” seam around the sides and bottom.DSCF4249

Zig-zag stitch or serge all the raw seams. DSCF4252

If desired, find the center of the band and sew a buttonhole and button on where needed.  I wanted to do this so if my kids carried it around they could stuff pj’s, stuffed animals, etc. and they won’t fall out as easily if it was just the big opening.   DSCF4253DSCF4254
The Sleepover Pillowcase Tutorial {a lemon squeezy home}

Flip the pillow onto the non-zippered side (so hair will not get stuck in the zipper) and let your child rest his or her adorable little head.  The Sleepover Pillowcase Tutorial {a lemon squeezy home}

**Please be careful!  Contains small parts.  Be aware of the zipper pull and the button.  Little kids should not pull on them and kids under 3 or 4 should not sleep with these!**

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Eu adoro seu blog. Obrigada mais uma vez pelo tutorial. Como sempre suas criações são maravilhosas.
    bjs.

  6. Oh, I just love, love this!! I think the idea of having a pocket in the pillowcase is just genius! I don’t have boys, but I still love to use the Mod Wheels for boy gifts – just too cute :-)

    Have a great day,
    Linds

  8. What a great idea! Honestly my favorite part of this is the handle, I hate it when my kids drag their pillows around the house, or if we are heading out the door, on the ground on the way to the car. Genius!

  13. wonderful tutorial! I love this pillow case ~ unfortunately I don’t have many children in my life or I’d be making them all one! I do have 2 tho, so they will be getting their own over night pillowcase!
    thanks so much for sharing!

  14. I know I say this a lot, but you are so stinking ah-mazing. I LOVE this. This is going into an immediate bookmark. I really want to make this ASAP. hmmmm…I just need some fabric.

    Just Another Day in Paradise

  21. What a great tutorial! Although I don’t have any kiddos to give this to, when I do I may even make matching pjs to stick in the pouch.

  25. I made this today and am SO excited about it! Wonderful tutorial! And relatively easy project to undertake. I can’t wait to make more soon!

  26. I just made this for my daughter this morning, she is 14 and totally loved the pic. I added a small cotton lace to the top of the pocket and it is just so cute. the sizing of the pillow is perfect.
    thanks

  29. This looks so fun and cute! I want to make one real bad, but let’s just say I have never sewed anything in my entire life. I don’t suppose you have a video tutorial on this? I don’t understand all the terminology and never having sewn, I would love to see how it’s done in action. Let me know! Thanks so much! :-)