We recently got a new couch and decided to cover some pillows to make it a little more comfortable. I bought two pillow forms from IKEA and decided to make some envelope pillow covers. Envelope pillow covers are my favorite - they fit well, look great, and sew up very quickly. :D

This is super easy and should take about a half hour per envelope pillow cover to sew once you get into the swing of things.

Plus, these envelope pillow covers are washable! Yay!

Want to make a zippered pillow cover? I have an instructable for that too!

Following this instructable and I'll teach you all about sewing your own DIY envelope pillow covers.

Step 1: Washing and Pressing Your Fabric

Some words of caution:
If you plan to wash this pillow cover, wash the fabric beforehand in the way you normally wash. Otherwise, the unwashed sewn fabric can shrink in a hot wash or dryer later and cause seam rippage.

If you're in a hurry to get started, make sure to at least steam press your fabric.

You'll just need to wash it normally and hang it out to dry later! This will keep your pillow cover in nice shape. :D

Step 2: Fabric + Tools Needed for an Envelope Pillow Cover

1/2-1 yard of fabric. (I am estimating because I don't know how big your pillow is. We'll talk about that on the next step!)
Matching thread
Scissors (pinking shears will work perfectly!)
Pen/pencil for marking
Ruler of some sort
Sewing machine
Clothin iron & ironingboard
Measuring tape
Sewing pins

And that's it! Pinking shears are awesome but not necessary.

Step 3: How to Measure for the Pillow Cover

This is dead easy if your pillow has a cover.

Covered pillow:

take cover off, measure across and down
add one inch to each of these measurements

Uncovered pillow or pillow form:

use your measuring tape to conform to the curve of the pillow and take the measurements from seam to seam
add one inch to each of these measurements!

In this instructable, I'm covering a 16x26 inch pillow, so I'd consider my measurements to be 17x27.

We'll be cutting out three pieces all together, one for the front and two for the back. Many other tutorials just have you cut one long piece, but the I believe the extra seams make for a better fitting pillow. :)

Step 4: Measuring and Cutting Out the Pillow Cover Pieces

Since my pillow is 16x26, I'm cutting out one piece that's 17x27.

The other two pieces, I'm taking ten inches off the length - so they're 17x17.

For long pillows:

cut one piece that is your length +1 and height +1
cut two pieces that are your length-10 and height +1

Taking 10 inches off could be too much for some pillows - just make sure you have at least 4 inches of overlap with the back panels.

For square pillows:

cut one piece that is your length+1 and height+1
cut two pieces that are your length-6 and height+1.

To measure and cut:

flip the fabric over so it's wrong side up
use your ruler and pen to mark out the panels - this way you'll know things are square
use pinking shears (or regular scissors if that's all you've got!) to cut the panels out

Step 5: Hemming the Back Panels of the Pillow Cover

Lay the fabric wrong side up on your ironing board. (If you're using a pattern, make sure you have it all lined up the right way!)

Go to the outside edge of one of the smaller panels and fold over 1/4 inch of the fabric. Press this down with your iron.

Now fold again by another 1/4 inch and press again.

Now you'll sew this hem down about an 1/8 inch from the inside edge. Backstitch at the beginning and end of your stitches!

Step 6: Sew the Back Panels and Main Panel of the Cover Together

We'll be using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. :D

Take your main panel and lay it flat right side up. Then, take one of the smaller panels and place it wrong side up at the edge of the main panel. Once your edges are aligned, pin it to the main panel. Now lay the second panel down and pin it in place too.

Make sure to put extra pins in where the two back panels overlap - you don't want them to shift!

Sew all around the edges, backstitching at the beginning and end.

Step 7: Clip the Corners and Turn the Pillowcase Right Side Out

Once the cover is all sewn up, press it well while it's still wrong side out.

Now you'll want to trim the corners! This will give you nice sharp corners when you turn the pillow cover right side out.

Now flip the cover right side out. Use a crochet hook, knitting needle or other pointed object to poke out the corners as well as you can.

Step 8: Stuff the Pillow in the Cover and Enjoy!

And there you go! I love the simplicity of these envelope pillowcases - they're so quick to make I've sewn more than I can count over the years.

You can even use this pillow cover style to cover regular bedding pillows and make them more decorative. Great for older pillows!

As you can see, my cat Big Dee approves. ^_^