Simple Sewing

 One day last week, Juliet came over to learn how to make a pillow case. She ended up making a gathered skirt also. The skirt turned out just fine, but I think she would look better in a different style. I told her to come over again sometime and we'll make an A-line skirt that could only look better. She did well on the on her first day of sewing!

Juliet pinning the "burrito" role

The  pillowcase is simple. Measure the main part of the pillow 40"* by 26"- cut and the pillowcase top 40" by 8 and a half or 9" and cut out. Place the pillowcase top right side up on the table, then add the pillowcase main right side to the bottom edge. Then roll the pillowcase main to about 2 inches to the main and top edges together and sandwich the roll by the other end of the pillowcase top in a "burrito" in which you will have three pieces of material to sew together. [two tops one main] Do not catch any of the rest of the pillowcase main roll in your seam. This is the first seam.

*Sometimes I'll leave it at 42 inches if that is the width of the material. Just make sure the pillowcase top is the same width. 

Pulling the right side out - one main piece with no raw edges of the top

With the right sides together sew the side seam and bottom seam of the pillowcase. This is the second and third seams.   Clip corners

Invert and presto! A pillowcase!!

Since we had time Juliet wanted to know how easy it would be to make a skirt. Well, a gathered skirt is the easiest and I happen to have brought some wide elastic in case I made a circle skirt for someone. Juliet sewed up the sides together and I stretched and sewed the elastic on and she hemmed it all up. 

Lots of hemming

Juliet turned it under a 1/4 inch and another turn 1/4 inch and sewed up her hem.

Another successful project - though I told her to come over and we'd do a similar skirt but in an A-line which I think would look better on her.