Zip closure pillow case how-to

As I wrote in yesterday's post  I sewed some pillow cases over the weekend.

Felt is was time for some new ones as I found some cute fabrics at a fleamarket  (the tomatos) earlier this summer, some on etsy (the green ones) and also a bit of my favourite elephant print, in yellow this time, (from Svenskt Tenn).

As you can see I don't match the zipper or thread to the fabrics. I go with white. This way I can get a bunch of zippers and thread and just go for it when I feel the urge to sew.

I received some comments a while back asking about how I sew the covers so as I was making them I took some photos. Ran into a couple of problems along the way though. 1) The  pressure presser (thanks Anna for the correct word for it !) foot (hope that's what it's called in English) for zippers has gone missing. I searched everywhere but can't find it. Extremely odd! This means the zipper is more visible than it would be normally. 2) I made a mistake cutting the fabric so the pattern on the front and back don't match. Bummer!

Anyway, here we go.

Cut two pieces of the same size of the prewashed fabric. In my case the pillow will be 40x40 cm (16"x16"). Add a little bit more that 1/4 inch (1 cm) to each side for seam allowance. Always see to it that the right sides are facing each other.

Zig zag around the two pieces to prevent fraying.

Pin the zipper to the two pieces. Make sure all the good bits are against the table at this point, the zipper pull and the print.

Stitch the zipper to the pieces of fabric. When you get to the zipper pull, lift the lever at the back of the sewing machine and...

...pull the zipper pull backwards. Release the lever and continue sewing. 

This is what it should look like when you turn the fabric at this point. Here you can see both of my mistakes. If I had used the correct pressure presser foot the zipper would be less visible and if I had aligned my pattern the pillow would have looked better made... Well, well,  these things happen.

Now it's time to pin the right sides together. Make sure you've unzipped at this point or you'll have problems turning the cover right side out later.

Stitch the sides. Starting at the beginning of the zipper and ending  at the other end. This for me is the trickiest part. You sort of need to pull the ends of the zipper away from the fabric to be able to sew close enough to it so there's no hole at the end. If there still is a gap/hole/void I usually just ignore it because after putting the filler pillow inside, the zipper ends up downwards anyway and you won't notice.

For nice corners, cut them at a diagonal fairly close the the stitching. This makes the corners neater when turned inside out. If your fabric is very thin you don't need to do this but if its heavier it helps.

Turn your cover right side out and iron the edges for a neat look.

Tadaaaa!

Comments

[Martha]

Wow! Thanks so much for the great tutorial! Sounds easy...I may just have to start some new sewing projects soon!

[April in CT]

I'm in the market for a sewing machine and this tutorial is so exciting! We've just started looking for one, but I'm so lost as to what features I need to look for. I just want something basic for sewing patches on my hubbies uniform, making pillows, curtains, etc. so I don't want anything terribly fancy.

This post makes me even more anxious/excited to get one! I love your fabric choices. :)

[Lindzi]

Ååå tack tack! Jag som inte vågat sy med dragkedja. Mitt favvotyg från Michael Miller! :-D

[Anna @ D16]

Oh wow, thank you for this! I took sewing classes years ago and do alright with it, but I'm TERRIFIED of zippers! I always forget how to sew them in. I use buttons for everything out of fear, but zippers are so handy.

p.s. It's called a "presser foot" here, not pressure! :)

[Kristy]

Thanks for the tutorial.I need to make some sushions but zippers do worry me a little.There is another zipper tutorial by Erin that's a little different if you want to take a look http://houseonhillroad.typepad.com/photos/put_a_zipper_in_your_pill/
I like how your cushion doesn't have a specific front or back.

[amy*lou]

wow! you make it look so easy!

[lucy]

The pillows are so delightful and cheery!

[Zarah]

WOW! Jag är urusel på dragkedjor - men det där såg ju nästan enkelt ut! TACK! :D

[christopher]

Thank you so much for this! I had been wanting to make pillows for a while now and now I think I will finally do it! I didn't understand what you meant by "your fabric was not alligned" or something along those lines. how should it have looked?

I love your blog!

[Mona]

The tomato fabric is my favorite....awesome tutorial

[quinn]

Those new cases look so fresh! Lovely colors.

I am always afraid to cut the inside corner, because it seems the fabric may fray after wear, or laundering. Have you ever had that happen?

[Barb (Australia)]

This is great, thanks Benita! Like some of the others, I get scared of zippers having created some complete disasters in the past, but you make it sound so easy I'm going to give it another go.

[myamia]

Så tacksam för detta inlägg, nuu blir det mycket enklare för mig. annars hade jag kanske förstört mina nya fina tyger ;)

[lindenhaus]

Thanks for the tutorial! Your pillows look great!

[angelina]

Thanks. Just what I was looking for!

[Benita]

Anna, thanks for the proper word! Presser foot, presser, presser...

Christpopher, so glad you like my blog! What I mean by aligning the pattern is that you normally want the pattern on the fabric to look continous when sewn together. If you look at the photo where I'm pointing this out, the bottom piece of faric should have been moved slightly to the right before cutting so the pattern would be aligned with the top piece. It just looks better that way.

Quinn, I've sewn a lot of pillow cases and haven't had a problem with cutting the corners. I guess when you turn them right side ot there's not very much strain on the thread there.

[Teresia]

Tack! Detta var precis för vad jag behövde för att våga sy ett kuddfodral med dragkedja! :)

[Marianne]

Hi, I made my first cushion a few months ago. I had a hard time finding out how to sew in the zipper, untill it came to me in a flash. I have to move the presser foot. I did leave the zipper closed when I sewed the two halfs together. So I had a problem with that too. For the rest it was a breeze LOL.
I love your blog.

Bye,
Marianne.

[T O D A Y]

Tusen takk.... Jeg har kjøpt inn tyg...nåp skal jeg sy kuddar
PS LOVE YOUR BLOG

[Helga]

Takk!

This is wonderful, so easy and effortless.
I wonder from who you buy fabric from on Etsy?

I absolutely adore your blog! <3
With love from Iceland,
Helga

[Benita]

Thank you all so much for your comments!

Helga, I got mine at http://www.etsy.com/profile.php?user_id=5223659, http://www.etsy.com/profile.php?user_id=5444459, http://www.etsy.com/profile.php?user_id=5557181, http://www.etsy.com/profile.php?user_id=5352328
They all shipped superfast!

[Maureen]

Hi Benita-love the colors and patterns. I am adding some finishing touches on a living room redo and couldn't find the right color of pillows, so I'm making them. Actually I'm pulling the old covers off the feather pillow insert and the cost to re-purpose 3 pillows was just under $7! It's been awhile since I installed a zipper so, I needed a refresher course. I think I'm going to baste the two sides of the pillow fabric prior to installing the zipper. Once I have sewn the zipper, I can just trim out the basting stitches-I'm hoping for a clean look. I'll let you know how it goes! Maureen-in Stockton, CA-USA

[Sandra]

har ganska nyligen hittat till din sida, men måste säga att du är en OTROLIG inspirationskälla!! Kanske ska våga plocka upp min symaskin (som står i förrådet i orginalkartong - ouppackad) och sy mig en kudde! Måste bara hitta ngt fint tyg...

TACK iaf för superb tutorial!
//Sandra