I have an abundance of thrifted pillow cases.
No surprise, right? Most of us thrifty gals LOVE vintage sheets and pillowcases, and couldn't possibly pass one by at the thrift shop if our lives depended on it.
A few months ago, I purchased a grey and white striped one that caught my eye. Nothing particularly special about it, except that the light grey and white stripes looked summery and cool to me, and reminded me of the look of seersucker, although it did not have the seersucker puckers. I bought it.
Now, what to do? Of course, I thought of the obvious... pillows, tote bags, etc. But with the pattern looking so summery to me, I decided to make a little skirt out of it. I could never have too many little cotton skirts to go with my summer uniform of a tank top and sandals.
So off I went. It only took minutes, and although I know you very talented sewing girls need no instructions, I'll just quickly share my version of it.
Start, of course, with your pillow case. This one was a bit bigger than the standard one, and is probably a queen sized or king sized one. It measured 38 in. X 19 1/2 in.
First, start by cutting your pillow case on both LONG sides, all the way to the side that is sewn together.
When you are done cutting, you will have one long continuous piece of fabric sewn together at one end.
Next, I serged both the top and bottom raw edges. Then I sewed together the open end and made a big "tube" of fabric.
Cut your elastic the proper length for your waist, plus an extra inch for joining the elastic together. I used 3/4 in. non-roll elastic. I ironed down the top edge approx. 1 in. before sewing it.
Now you are ready to thread your elastic through the casing. Once it is through, sew it together and stitch your casing closed.
Now decide on your handy-dandy pocket. I like my pockets a little on the big side, so mine measures approx. 8 1/2 in. X 7 1/4 in. Decorate your pocket any way you like. I used a simple little length of vintage lace. Pin your pocket onto the skirt in the desired spot. I left my edges raw and only sewed a little hem on the top of my pocket.
I left the hem with a serged edge, as I like that look. If you want, you can sew a little hem and finish it off that way. At 5'4", the length came to right above my knee, but if you'd like it a bit longer, you can always add a contrasting strip of fabric along the bottom. I think that would look quite pretty!
And there you have it - a Little Pillow Case Skirt to keep you cool and pretty - and something to do with all those pillow cases you've collected.
(You know you have them...)
Much love,
Helena
