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Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Napkins Turned Into No-Sew Pillowcases



2 CLOTH NAPKINS + 1 ZIPPER + NO SEW GLUE =
1 INEXPENSIVE PILLOWCASE





THE INSPIRATION

While at Ikea a few weeks ago, I bought two of these pillows for the family room sectional for only $12.99 a piece.  I really wanted two more pillows in a different pattern, but I didn't like any of the other options at Ikea.

 Both beautiful and comfortable, these pillows are down pillows with a zip-up velvet pillowcase.  The pillowcase was my real reason for the purchase; the price was just a bonus;)  I loved that the product was comfortable and easy to clean.  That was very important to me, since the pillows were going on the family room sectional, which is also where my husband and my dog spend most of thier time watching ESPN.   


Even though Ikea didn't have the pillow/pillowcase that I liked, they did sell the actual pillow separate from the case for only $6.99.  I bought two of them and planned to sew my own pillowcase from fabric purchased at my local craft store




THE IDEA

Then I got the idea to turn napkins into pillow cases when I was rummaging through the home decor section at Burlington Coat Factory.  I really liked the Waverly fabric that these napkins were made of, and I wanted to find a use for them....then it hit me.... PILLOWCASES!!!   I mean, after all, they are the perfect size, and they were definitely the perfect size for the down pillows that I bought from Ikea.  Not to mention, they weren't that expensive.  Four napkins only cost me $10.   When I got home from Burlington, I Googled my project idea only to discover that my idea was not original.  Apparently, it's been thought of .....by many other people......which makes sense.  If you are looking for creative uses for cloth napkins, pillows will soon come to mind.  Regardless of whose idea this project was, I went ahead and gave it a whirl...only I didn't use a sewing machine:)


Like my sheets turned into no-sew curtains, I opted to make my pillowcases a no-sew project. I already had the glue, and the hemlines on the napkins made it really easy to make it a no-sew project.




TURNING THE IDEA INTO A FINISHED PROJECT

For this project you will need: two napkins per pillow, one zipper per pillow and  no-sew adhesive


Glue along the hemlines. 


Pinch the glued sections together for a few seconds to make sure that the fabric doesn't come unglued. 

Glue three sides together, and then glue the zipper to the fourth side.

 
Once the pillowcase is dry, stuff the pillow in the case and zip it up.  This is what the finished product will look like.  I made two pillowcases to go with the two Ikea pillows that I had.


One pillowcase was $5.  Not bad, huh? It could have been cheaper to buy my own fabric, but this was Waverly home decor fabric.  Waverly fabric can get pricy, so I'm definitely happy with the look and price of this project.





12 comments:

  1. genius! i did the same thing with napkins, but with no zipper. not as easily changeable my way, now is it, lol. i like your way!

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  2. Does that "sewing glue" work well and hold tight? Adding a zipper it would need to hold well.

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  3. TFS!! Stopping by from Creation Corner Friday Link Party. I did almost the same thing with bandannas. I used them to make Christmas pillows.

    Have a great weekend!!

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  4. Thank you all for visiting my blog! To answer Terri's question, I haven't had any problems with the sewing glue. Just do a small section at a time and apply pressure to the glued areas. Since I don't do a lot of sewing, I haven't invested in a sewing machine. I'm limited to using no-sew adhesives, and sewing glue has always held up well for me. Heat activated adhesives work just as well and would have been my first choice for this project since it is less messy than glue. I had the glue on hand from a previous project, so I chose to use the glue instead.

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  5. This has been bookmarked for future use! Great idea! I love your curtains too! Visiting from Serenity Now.

    - Jenn @ Social Salutations

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  6. You did a great job!

    I have never tried no-sew options, but I admit that when I make pillows, I don't bother with a zipper. I just sew on three and a half sides, stuff, and stitch shut. But I'm lazy like that!

    Thanks for sharing your tutorial!

    Popping over from Amanda's weekend reading!

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  7. Genius! I love that you used napkins to make these.

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  8. I love the pillows! The fabric is fantastic! I've read a lot of tutorials on making a pillow case with a zipper and although I figure out how to sew EVERYTHING....I can't seem to conquer the zipper! Thanks for sharing this :)

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  9. I just scrolled to the bottom of your page and saw my favorite script...and (obviously) the inspiration of the name of my blog lol

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  10. I like this tutorial. You made this project seem so easy that Im willing to give it a try now. Have a great weekend:)

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