Tutorial: Pillowcase summer skirt
The Goodwill in Virginia, which just happened to be right across the street from our hotel on vacation, supplied me with an embarrassment of riches. It looks all small and piddly from the front, which is why I never stopped in before, even though we've driven past it multiple times, but it's truly hiding a treasure trove of thrift. It was massive. Rows and rows of clothes and linens and purses and fabric waiting to be fashioned and refashioned. Really, I was only in there for 10 minutes (the first time, I mean), and I found several things to feed my sewing addiction. I'll touch on all of them later, but let me introduce you to the first one:
An unassuming, jersey-knit sock monkey pillowcase, right?
Wrong.
As of last night, it became a summer skirt for Kate:
It was such a simple refashion! Here's what I did:
Materials needed:
- pillowcase (mine was a jersey knit, thrifted for 39 cents)
- 3/4" elastic (I used natural, unbleached elastic, just because that's what I had, and I love the soft ease it adds)
- sewing machine, thread
1. Cut the pillowcase apart so that you essentially have two rectangles of fabric. Also, cut off the edges so that the hemmed edges are gone on the sides, and you have clean lines at the top and bottom.
2. Sew the short edges, right sides together, so you have one wide tube of fabric.
3. Turn the tube right side out and serge the top and bottom edges (not entirely necessary, especially on this jersey-knit pillowcase, but since my serger and I are still in the midst of a hot and heavy infatuation, I used it. And I loved it).
4. Fold down the top edge about 1" and sew to make a casing for the elastic. Leave a 2" opening to insert the elastic.
5. Using a big safety pin, insert the elastic (measured to fit your intended wearer's waist), and sew up the opening.
That's it!
This skirt is so soft, Kate would wear it to bed if she could. It hangs perfectly, it's easy to wash and it's cool. It's summer.
An unassuming, jersey-knit sock monkey pillowcase, right?Wrong.
As of last night, it became a summer skirt for Kate:
It was such a simple refashion! Here's what I did:Materials needed:
- pillowcase (mine was a jersey knit, thrifted for 39 cents)
- 3/4" elastic (I used natural, unbleached elastic, just because that's what I had, and I love the soft ease it adds)
- sewing machine, thread
1. Cut the pillowcase apart so that you essentially have two rectangles of fabric. Also, cut off the edges so that the hemmed edges are gone on the sides, and you have clean lines at the top and bottom.
2. Sew the short edges, right sides together, so you have one wide tube of fabric.
3. Turn the tube right side out and serge the top and bottom edges (not entirely necessary, especially on this jersey-knit pillowcase, but since my serger and I are still in the midst of a hot and heavy infatuation, I used it. And I loved it).
4. Fold down the top edge about 1" and sew to make a casing for the elastic. Leave a 2" opening to insert the elastic.
5. Using a big safety pin, insert the elastic (measured to fit your intended wearer's waist), and sew up the opening.
That's it!
This skirt is so soft, Kate would wear it to bed if she could. It hangs perfectly, it's easy to wash and it's cool. It's summer.
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