Reuse & upcycle: pillowcase from...other pillowcases |Keeping it Real

Friday, February 20, 2015

Reuse & upcycle: pillowcase from...other pillowcases

As you've probably have heard before, I'm decluttering my house. Some weeks ago I went through my daughter's closet and found several small pillowcases from when she was a toddler.

None of the pillowcases fit any of the pillows we have in our house now, but the fabrics were cute, packed with memories and I clearly wasn't ready to part with them. But I'm committed to decluttering, so I had to find a solution: a new, larger pillowcase made with a mix of all the fabrics.


reuse, upclycle, pillowcase, pillowcover

This was my first attempt at something remotely quilt-looking, and while I like the outcome (even if some of the squares are not perfectly lined up), the whole process was too long and difficult for my taste. Or maybe I just need more practice.

Anyway, I started with a bunch of small pillowcases (not all pictured below but all in need of a good ironing)...

reuse, upclycle, pillowcase, pillowcover

...and began cutting squares. I love to see quilts made with lots of different shapes, but I decided to keep this as simple as possible and I figured squares would be the easiest to sew.

reuse, upclycle, pillowcase, pillowcover





Deciding where to place each square took some time...

reuse, upclycle, pillowcase, pillowcover




...and sewing them all up even took longer

reuse, upclycle, pillowcase, pillowcover




The back of the pillowcase is made with white fabric and a plain envelope closure. The white fabric was also reused, as it came from a crib sheet.

reuse, upclycle, pillowcase, pillowcover




Well, it may have not turned out exactly perfect, but has been in use several times since I finished it. And since I replaced several unused items piling in a closet by a functional pillowcase, I consider it a sucess.




Now I still have a bunch of crib sheets in need of some serious upclycling, so I must find inspiration and decide what to do with them...

Enjoy,


14 comments:

  1. Sewing teeny tiny squares together just seems to suck all the joy out of sewing for me, and it does take forever! I think your pillowcase turned out just lovely! Thanks for linking up to the pin party, Do you have a pinterest pin you can link?
    I totally agree that upcycling is a decluttering win!

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    1. Thank you Stella! Just added the pin to my Pinterest boards! It's here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/58969076347132952/

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  2. Excellent! Pinned!
    Come link up with us sometime on Wednesdays. Love to feature great ideas like this on our blog also. Have a happy day,
    Rose

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    1. Done! Thank you for inviting me, I love new parties! Following you via G+ too!

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  3. Such a great idea. I love the thought of reusing to make new. The pillow is so cute. Stopping by from the Let's Get Real Friday Party

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  4. ha i hear you on the squares not matching up - i have the same problem when i try to quilt. turns out squares are hard! I like doing the long rectangles in a row then folding back up and sewing again. let me find that link for you to check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bEJLnaZQOU - super fun way to quilt!

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    1. Thank you for the link! Although this is probably something I will not do very often, I always like to know how to do things well!

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  5. Being a quilter myself I know how much time things do take, but the results are well worth it. Turned out really cute! Thanks for sharing it with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. Thank you Jann! I liked the result, but I think it took too long for something so small. Or maybe I just need more practice...

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  6. Very awesome reuse of old pillowcases. Your friend, Linda

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  7. Thanks a bunch for these fine tips on how to make the most out of used stuff while making them fulfill a new purpose. That's also a very practical thing that you did, where you basically expanded the pillowcases that you have to fit new pillows. I hope the pillows are built from really fine material, to last you for a long time and keep those patterns intact. Good day!

    Melissa Robinson @ Pillow Perfect

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