This Dress Is the Best Way to Upcycle a Pillowcase

Sometimes a DIY comes together after lots of research, mood-boarding and testing. And sometimes a DIY just happens. Like today! Here’s how it went down. A few weeks ago, I purchased some grid-patterned bed sheets with no real purpose in mind other than to use the fabric for something. Then yesterday it came to me — a pillowcase is basically a dress with no arm or head holes. So why not simply cut those pieces out? That’s what I did, and it worked like a charm. Introducing my new favorite sewing hack — the pillowcase dress. Read on to see how I made this beauty.

Materials and Tools:

— sewing machine

— pins

— fabric scissors

— pillowcase

— tape measure

— iron

Instructions:

1. Measure and cut out your neckline.

2. Take note of the distance from the top of your shoulder to the bottom of your armpit. Then cut out an armhole that is at least an inch longer if not more.

3. Fold, iron and pin the cut edges. Sew your hem in place.

First things first, measure your neckline. I went for a boat neck, but you can cut this into any shape you want. My other idea was to cut out a long, wide rectangle to add some interest and stick with the geo theme.

Cut out your head hole!

For the arms, I measured from the top of my shoulder to about three inches below my armpit. I wanted the holes to be quite a bit bigger than my arms, but you can adjust to your liking.

Cut ’em out!

Pin, pin, pin.

Sew, sew, sew.

Ta-da! I decided to go with the loose-fitting shift dress look, but you could easily add a few darts to give it more shape.

Who knew pillowcases were so versatile?! Other ideas include a tote, a dirty laundry bag (especially when traveling) or fabric to use for DIY napkins. Rusty on your sewing skills? No worries. Take my Sewing 101 Online Class and you’ll be a pro in no time.

Eye love it! Now to make 100 more. If you need me, I’ll be organizing all of my new pillowcase dresses in my closet.

What other pillowcase hacks have you tried? Show us your project by tagging us on Instagram + using the hashtag #iamcreative!