Pillowcase Pattern Maker
A pillowcase is a bag that fits a pillow with a little room to spare. Type the pillow’s size, set the room you want round it, and the front and back are worked out, joined on three sides.
Choose an open hemmed end, a zip or buttons for the short end.
Make this pattern in your size →When to choose this one
Choose the pillowcase for a bed pillow. It is a bag joined on three sides, with an open hemmed end or a zip or buttons on the short end, and it is sized with room round the pillow rather than a snug fit.
For a decorative cushion cover with piping or an envelope back, use the cushion cover.
What you can change
Size
- Insert length / width: 18–100 cm (7⅛–39⅜″). Across the cushion, or along the pillow from closed end to opening.
- Insert height: 18–70 cm (7⅛–27½″). Across the other side of the cushion or pillow.
Sizes are typed in centimetres, millimetres or inches. The starting size is Insert length / width 75 cm (29½″), Insert height 50 cm (19⅝″).
Options
- Make: cushion cover or pillowcase
- End opening: open hemmed end, zip or buttons
- Measurements and counts: Room around pillow, Buttons, Button diameter, Zip tape width
Starting points
These are sizes and settings to begin from, and every one stays fully editable. Type your own measurements, or start from the nearest one.
| Starting point | Finished size, cm | Same starting point in round inches |
|---|---|---|
| Bed pillowcase | 75 × 50 cm pillow insert · open end | 30 × 20″ pillow insert · open end |
The cushion / pillowcase pattern has 5 starting points in all; the other 4 are in the maker.
Cutting list
At the starting size (Insert length / width 75 cm (29½″), Insert height 50 cm (19⅝″)) the pattern has these pieces. Fabric sizes include seam allowance, interfacing is cut to the stitching line, and pieces cut on the fold are shown opened out. Each size is the width and height of the piece as cut.
| Piece | Fabric | Cut | Size to cut | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pillowcase front | Main fabric | 1 | 80 × 54 cm (31½ × ≈21¼″) | Rectangle: cut by measurement or from the print |
| Pillowcase back | Main fabric | 1 | 80 × 54 cm (31½ × ≈21¼″) | Rectangle: cut by measurement or from the print |
You will also need: Thread. The cover page and materials list give the amounts for your size.
The maker’s fabric estimate at this size: Main fabric about 1.2 m of 112 cm fabric.
How it goes together
These are the maker’s own instructions at the starting size. They change with the options you pick, and the PDF carries the full set with the cover, cutting list and materials list.
- Cut both rectangles to the cutting-list sizes. The short-end hems or zip seams and the three outside seams are already included. Transfer any button marks.
- The insert measures 75 × 50 cm. The finished pillowcase space is 77 × 52 cm, giving 2 cm ease in each dimension. Test the fit with the actual pillow before cutting the final fabric.
- On each short opening edge, turn 1 cm to the wrong side twice. Press and stitch close to the inner fold. Keep the two finished edges separate; this is where the pillow goes in.
- Place the front and back right sides together with their finished opening edges aligned. Sew the top, closed short end and bottom at 1 cm, leaving the opening edge unsewn.
- Finish the three sewn seam allowances with a zigzag or overlocker. Trim the closed corners without cutting the stitching, turn through the opening, and press the edges flat.
Fabric suggestions
Outer: Stable woven cotton, linen or upholstery-weight cloth. Choose a softer, washable fabric for a sleeping pillowcase.
Lining: The cushion has an unlined front and two finished back panels. The pillowcase has a front and back joined on three sides.
Interfacing, padding or other layers: Light interfacing on a cushion front is optional. Keep it out of the seam allowances; pillowcases do not need it.
How each fabric family suits it
- Stable woven: great choice. Stable woven fabric holds a predictable cover size.
- Heavy or stiff: great choice. Use a suitable needle and grade the bulky corner seams.
- Stretchy knit: possible, with care. The cover may grow in use; stabilise the opening and test the fit.
- Slippery or fine: possible, with care. Baste the opening and use plenty of clips so the back panels stay even.
The maker’s advice adjusts to the fabric family you pick in the Fabric tab.
Printing it
At the starting size the printed pieces take 18 A4 pages, taped together using the page labels, alignment marks and page map. For a print shop, choose a sheet from A0 to a 36″ roll: the pieces are packed onto as few sheets as they will fit on, and if one is too big for the sheet the maker says so. Every piece here is a rectangle or a strip, so the cutting list above is enough and you can skip printing. How printing, tiling and the test square work.
Frequently asked questions
What size can I make?
The pillowcase pattern takes insert length / width from 18–100 cm (7⅛–39⅜″); insert height from 18–70 cm (7⅛–27½″). It starts at Insert length / width 75 cm (29½″), Insert height 50 cm (19⅝″), and you can work in centimetres, millimetres or inches. This page starts from Bed pillowcase. Every starting point stays fully editable.
Which fabric suits the pillowcase pattern?
Stable woven cotton, linen or upholstery-weight cloth. Choose a softer, washable fabric for a sleeping pillowcase. In the maker’s fabric advice, stable woven and heavy or stiff are a great choice; stretchy knit and slippery or fine are possible with care.