DIY pillowcases

I don't usually post tutorials because I get way too antsy during projects and forget to take pics.  But this time I wanted to make sure I documented each step so I would remember it for the next time I do it.  Because there certainly will be a next time.  These are like the easiest pillowcases you will ever make and we have like a zillion ugly pillows hanging around that need a little facelift.

Lately, I've been focusing on the kids' room {It's still weird to say kids' room.}.  I've been thinking about how to make it cute, yet gender and age neutral.  It's been so fun to think about.

I knew that I wanted to have cute pillows on Jude's new bed, but of course didn't want to spend a fortune, and needed the pattern to be just right, matching the vision in my head {easier said than done.....sometimes the visions in my head are hard to find in reality, anyone else have that problem?}.

We got these super cute pillows at Target after Christmas for 70% off making them like $5.  I've loved them on the bed and was sad knowing that a penguin and reindeer wouldn't look as cute in July.  But I knew I could use them as inserts if I found the right fabric.

Which leads me to yesterday.  While browsing at the happiest place on earth, the Hobs Lobs {aka Hobby Lobby} I ran into this fabric and I swear to goodness it literally called my name.  I had never seen it there before, which is odd because I have that store memorized.  Anyway, I bought that ish as fast as I could {mostly because I had a hungry/frustrated toddler hanging from the cart......and the fact that it was perfect for the room}.

So last night I whipped up some pillowcases that ended up being so easy and fast.  I can't wait to make more!

Steps to easy pillowcase making

See the cute reindeer and penguin?  Yeah, not gonna cut it in the summer....

 Because the fabric was a bit see through, I needed to use two layers of fabric.  One was just a basic white cotton and the other was the green chevron.  When covering the pillow, lay the outside fabric face up so you will have it inside out.

 Fold down and pin the first flap.

 Do the same thing on the other side.

 Sew the edges so they will look nice and clean when the pillow is done.

 I sewed two straight lines on each hem just because I thought it would look nicer and hold up better.

 Cover your pillow again and pin one side of the pillow.  Take the pillow out and sew the side you just pinned.

Put the pillow back in the cover and eyeball {or measure, but who has time for that?} to see where to sew the other side.  After both sides are sewn, it will look like the picture below.  {just fyi: the pillowcase is just laying on top of the pillow at this point.  The pillow is not inside.}  

 It's now time to inside that sucker out {or inside out that sucker...whichever works}! Once the right side is showing, go ahead and shove the pillow in.

 Clean up the edges and smash the pillow so it is all evened-out.  {At this point you can check the baby monitor to make sure he is still soundly sleeping.  Then go ahead and freak out for a sec because you can't see him.  Once you find him and notice he might have a blanket on his face go ahead and decide whether you need to run up 2 flights of stairs to take it off.....}

 And TA-DA!  You have your first brand new pillow!

 You can continue to do the same thing with the second one.  For this one I ran out of white fabric for a liner, so I used some dropcloth I had on hand.  Not super soft, but did the job!

 I didn't take as many pics of this one, but you get the idea...

Um. HI. HELLO.  I'm in love with a pillow!

And a few pics in their home:

The backs, in case you were curious