Make a Shoulder Bag from a Pillowcase! (11064 Views)

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  Step 1 of 10

  Here is an easy project for just about everyone. Give a pillowcase a new life! Everyone has at least a few extra pillowcases hanging around the linen closet, so why not make two. You know at least one of your friends is going to want one once they see yours!

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  Step 2 of 10

  Find an old pillowcase. Smooth out any wrinkles with an iron. Lay flat like shown above.

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  Step 3 of 10

  Cut ¼” (6 mm) off of the closed end of the pillowcase.

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  Step 4 of 10

  Cut the case in half diagonally.

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  Step 5 of 10

  On each of the diagonal cut edges, fold inwards ¼” (6mm), twice, and press. These cut edges are on the bias and will stretch a lot so be careful! Sew along the folded edge of each.

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  Step 6 of 10

  Place one of the pillowcase halves inside the other half with bottom edges lining up. Pin on the front of the bag where the folded edge overlaps the other half and sew. Do this again for the other side.

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  Step 7 of 10

  Turn the case inside out. Sew along the entire bottom, making sure each layer is laying in the proper direction. (The inside ends up having two triangle shaped “pockets” due to the folded edges!)

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  Step 8 of 10

  Turn the case right side out and tie the top ends into a knot!

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  Step 9 of 10

  I started with a very boring pillowcase, so I chose to add some self-made appliqués and stitching details to make this bag less of a snore (haha get it?)! I cut out some leaf motifs of a fabric I liked, and leaf and elephant shapes out of another fabric. I put interfacing on the back of each of these shapes as well as on the inside of the bag, behind where I wanted to sew the appliqués.

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  Step 10 of 10

  I then used a regular straight stitch to sew down the shapes. I used some fancier stitches to give the appearance of stems. I used a matching thread, but this technique would look pretty rocking in a contrast thread too!