Rectangular Redemption

Sorry for the corny title, but I just re-read Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. Good stuff, but the title stuck.

So anyhow, my hubby mentioned last night that we need new pillowcases. I'm not sure about everyone else, but our pillowcases get worn out faster than our sheets. I hate spending money on sheets and pillowcases. No one is going to see them but us anyway.

Luckily, my grandmother (wife of the PT rehab escapee) likes to buy random cheap sheets and give me the ones she bought in the wrong size. These are the kind you find for 10 bucks at street fairs and are undoubtedly ugly. That's my way of telling you to please excuse the ugly fabric you're about to see. It was free for me, therefore good enough for me.


Look how faded this one is.

Let's back track to hubby mentioning the pillowcases. I nodded my agreement and went to sleep. This morning, when I opened my eyes and looked at my very worn pillowcase, it occurred to me that I could make this. Its just a rectangle. A rectangle! No curves and no stuffing. I can't do curves and stuffing yet, but a rectangle? Oh yeah, bring it on!

I never use flat sheets. When I get a new set of sheets, the flat one gets stuffed into a closet, only to be used for Piper playing or as a picnic blanket. The flat sheet for this set was sitting in the closet and my scissors were itching to get at it.

I used my old worn pillowcase for measurements. I added 1/4" seams on the sides. For the open side, I added 2.5" to the seam. This was so I could hem the opening 1/2" and then turned the hemmed end under by 2" and sewed that into place. I guessed to do that by looking at the old one and it all seemed to work fine.

Here is the old pillowcase on the left and the new one I made on the right.


Yay, the one I made is bright!

A few hours and a few cups of coffee later, I had a new set of pillowcases. I used a zig-zag stitch for extra strength at the seams. Let's just hope they hold up in the wash.



For anyone who's interested, Grandpa is doing well. He refused to go to another PT place, but was able to arrange for in-home PT and an in-home nurse. He's able to do some walking on his own too, which is really great. My other grandfather is home from the hospital too. It looks like he won't need surgery after all. So its good news all around.