Sewing a Pillow

• 1). Get a pillow form, which is a ready-to-use, inexpensive pillow-shaped stuffing or foam form. Measure your pillow form's width and length with a tape measure. Add 1-inch to each measurement to arrive at the width and length of the fabric size you need.
  
  
• 2). Choose a piece of fabric that doesn't stretch, such as cotton, flannel or velour. Mark the size according to your calculated measurements using a yardstick and a piece of fabric chalk or a pencil. You will need two pieces of the same size fabric. Cut them out.
  
  
• 3). Place the right sides of the two pieces of fabric together. The right sides are the sides you want to show when the pillow is finished.
  
  
• 4). Pin three sides of the fabrics together with straight pins so they stay together and their edges match up evenly. Use a sewing machine to sew a straight hem 1/2 inch from the edge on each of the three sides. If you don't have a sewing machine, hem it by hand with a needle and thread.
  
  
• 5). Remove the pins. Turn the pillow right-side out, so the sides you want showing are now facing outward. Put your pillow form into the casing. Make sure the corners go square into the casing's corners.
  
  
• 6). Fold the two open sides inward about 1/2 inch. Bring the folded sides together and pin across the pillow to make sure they stay straight and to hold them together. Sew them together to close the final side and remove the pins.
  
  

Sewing a Pillowcase

• 1). Measure your pillow's width and length. Add 2 inches to the width. Double the length, then add 4 more inches to the length. For example, if the pillow measures 6 inches wide and 12 inches long, you need fabric that measures 8 inches wide and 28 inches long. Measure and cut one piece of non-stretching fabric to the calculated size.
  
  
• 2). Lay your fabric on a table, right side down. Fold a 1/2 inch flap along each of the long edges and pin them. Hem along each long edge.
  
  
• 3). Turn a 1 1/2-inch flap over each short edge. Pin and hem them.
  
  
• 4). Fold the fabric in half, bringing the short side edges together to meet. The right sides of the fabrics should be facing inward and the wrong sides facing outward.
  
  
• 5). Line up all the edges as perfectly as possible. Put a row of pins down each of the long sides to hold them together evenly. Hem up each of the long sides. Leave the short sides open. Turn the pillowcase right-side out. Slide a pillow inside.