Perfect Pillowcases: Learn the Tube Method

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Hi I'm Jennifer Keltner. Are you ready for another quarterly challenge? This time, we're making a pillow case, download our free pattern online, make your own pillow case by embellishing our basic pattern, then upload your photos for the chance to win some great prizes. I can't wait to see what you made. Hi, I'm Jennifer Keltner -and I'm Jill Mead and we're here in the Quilts and More Sewing Lab with another quick and easy project for you; A pillow case. All the instructions you need are in the download but we'd like to show you a couple specialty techniques today, that will help make your pillow case make an easier. The first is how to create your own stripe fabric using decorative stitches on your machine. It's a great way to showcase all those stitches, you might not otherwise use. The second technique is a raw construction method for applying the ban. With all the seams are enclosed and there are no raw edges showing. -it really does give you a professional finish. -I think you'll love the tube method. Let's get to work making the decorative band on your pillow case. You have all the instructions in your downloadable PDF, just keep in mind that we cut our band about an inch wider and longer than the instructions call for. So that it will allows for the extra take up of the fabric by adding all those embroidery stitches. -To add stability to the band. -For all those stitches, add some light weight [unk] interface in to the wrong side of the fabric then use your chalk marker to make nice straight lines. This will help you make straight lines of stitches. -Outstanding! -We're ready to move to the machine. This where those chuck lines really come in handy Jennifer. -It absolutely is, I have decided for the band that I wanted my colors to alternate every other row, so I can just switch from line to line, alternating, the chalk lines that I'm stitching on and that way I don't have to change thread more than once. I can do all my green rose and then go back and then stitch all my blue rows and I know that the spacing is gonna turn out perfectly. -What a great time saver -and I'm just aligning the center of the foot along with my chalk guideline and stitching along. This is also a great way to look at all the decorative stitches on your machine that you might not have an occasion to use otherwise or you don't know what they look like. I know I've sewn out stitch samples before but rather than wasting the thread and the time on that by using them on your band, you can pick your favorite stitches out and put them to good use all at the same time. -great idea! -the thread I've chosen today is a Madeira Rayon Thread and I like a little bit of shine that it gives the project, it's a great decorative thread that a lot of [unk] might not be familiar with using but it does add a nice finish to the project. -do you use the same thread on the Bob and Jennifer? -I do, you could also use a Bob and Wayne Thread but for today, I decided just to put the same thread in the Bob and even though it's Rayon and a little bit slicker thread, you can see it stitches out just beautifully. -Looks great! -You'll obviously finished stitching your band. -I have a completed band, now we'll show you the tube technique of constructing a pillow case. To assemble your pillow case, first start by placing your band face-up on the work surface -then place the pillow case by, right along the same edge, aligning those raw edges. The opposite end of the body start rolling the fabric up towards the top. This is where the roll technique comes in. -you're making a tube out of that pillow case body. About 2 to 3 inches from the top, stop rolling, pull the bend bottom over the entire roll and pin in place aligning all 3 pieces. The important thing is here when you're aligning those 3 edges, you don't wanna get the tube caught where you're pinning those 3 raw edges together. So that when you sew your seam, you won't catch that tube in the seam. -Edges are all pinned together, now we're ready to sew! -and this is such a great, easy way to put your pillow case together. I know you're gonna love it. Again the important thing to note here is that the roll is not caught in the seam allowance and you wanna make sure that you're tube stays out of that seam allowance or when we get ready to turn it, you'll have trouble. So we'll just place it underneath the presser foot and so one 1 long seam. So once you get to the end of that seam, pull it out and you have a tube that looks like this but how do you get the pillow case out Jill? -OK here's the magic. Reach inside the tube and gently pull out the pillow case and you're just pulling on the body there, correct? -I am. I'll have to give it a little tongue, keep working the tube down, pulling on the pillow case body and well it's beginning to turn itself right side out. So it sort of reminds me of turning a tube when you made a bell towards something like that. -Exactly. -All those seams are on the inside. Voila! -What do you think? -It looks awesome and again just to reiterate by doing this method. I have a finished seam on the front of the band And when you turn it over, there's a finished seam on the back as well. Before you sew the final seams on your pillow cases, now is the time to add any embellishments you want. To duplicate the look of our pillow case, we added Pompom French and Rickrack, place the Rickrack right on top of the Ball French or Pompom French, edging and stitch down the center with a straight stitch and you didn't cover the seam allowance on this, you just sewed right up next to it, right Jill? -That's right. -and also it's important if you're using something like the Ball French here, Jill has cut away one of the Pompoms, so it doesn't get caught in that seam allowance when you're ready to finish the pillow case body. After you finished embellishing your pillow case, it's time to sew that final L-shape seam, along one long edge and the short edge. Finished that edge by serging or make a French seam. Either way all your raw edges were being closed and you'll have a nice professional finish to your pillow case. I have you have fun trying out the decorative stitches on your machine to make the band. And I also enjoy the tube method, it is a super-easy way to make a pillow case. Have fun and sweet dreams.