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Sew a Pillow Case with Me: A Simple DIY Project

After sewing a custom doona cover for my son, it quickly became clear that a matching pillowcase was also needed!


A custom made doona and pillow case with a design by Australian Surface Designer Tammy de Zilva of Loopla.

While most sheet sets come with a pillowcase, if you have more than one pillow, it’s a lovely touch to have a matching one sitting on top of the doona. So, using the leftover fabric from the doona project, I decided to tackle this simple project next.


What You’ll Need


  • Fabric: You will need a piece of fabric measuring 164cm x 51cm. I used the leftover wide cotton sateen from my doona cover project, but any standard cotton fabric will work.

  • Thread

  • Sewing machine

  • Scissors

  • Pins or Clips

  • Iron

  • Optional - Overlocker


Steps


  1. Prewash your fabric.

  2. Cut the fabric to 164cm x 51cm. Be sure to think about the direction of your fabric so your design isn't sideways! The 164cm side should be your horizontal length and the 51cm side should be your vertical height.

    Measuring the fabric to cut for a pillowcase.

  3. On one of the short edges, fold over a 1cm hem, then fold it over another 1cm. Press this fold with an iron and pin or clip it in place. I like to use a hot hemmer to get my hem straight and to the right size.

    Ironing down a 1cm seam using a hot hemmer, for a pillow case.

  4. On the other short edge, fold over a 1cm hem first, then fold it over another 2cm. Press this fold and pin or clip it in place.

    A second fold being ironed down at 2cm, as measured by a hot hemmer, for a pillow case sewing project.

  5. Stitch along the bottom of the fold on both of the short sides.

    Sewing down the folded seam for the pillow case.

  6. Take the side with the 1cm hem and fold it down by 15cm, with the right side of the fabric facing you.

    Folding down the internal flap for the pillow case to keep the pillow in the case.

  7. Open this fold. Bring the 2cm hem side up to meet the fold line.

    Bring up the other end to the fold mark to create the internal flap.

  8. Now, fold the 1cm hem side down over the 2cm hem side.

  9. With the right sides of the fabric together, sew a 1cm seam down both long sides. Then, overlock or zigzag stitch the raw edges to prevent fraying.

    Sewing the side seams of the pillowcase.

  10. Turn the pillowcase right-side out and press it to get all the seams crisp and neat.

  11. Insert your pillow, and you're done!

    A photo of the completed pillow case with a pillow inside and also a doona as made in another blog post.

And that's it! A simple and effective way to make a pillowcase that perfectly matches your doona cover. It's a small project, but the final result is so satisfying!


If you're interested in making the matching doona cover, you can find the step-by-step tutorial: Sew a Doona Cover with Me: A Simple DIY Project.


Happy sewing!

1 Comment

Harris
Oct 27, 2025

I’ve been wanting to try my hand at some sewing projects, and this pillowcase tutorial feels perfect for beginners. The step-by-step instructions are super clear and make it feel achievable even for someone who isn’t too crafty. I recently picked up a new sheet set, and making matching pillowcases would be such a fun weekend activity. It’s great how you’ve made something simple look so stylish. Definitely bookmarking this for my next DIY session!

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