IKEA Pillowcase to Skirt Upcycle

 Hello Readers. It's going to sound weird but I turned an IKEA pillow cover into a skirt. The linen fabric was really nice and the color was so perfect for fall. I Wasn't sure if I could make it work but I really thought I could do it. And I thought it would go with this shirt so well.

Before and after.

It just seemed like the right size and shape for a straight simple skirt.

My daughter got this big square pillowcase/ pillow cover from IKEA a few years ago. She didn't want it anymore so it made it's way to my house.
 

The pillowcase/cover opened on one side with a zipper. I cut the edge with the zipper off, then I unpicked the 2 stitched top and bottom edges of the pillow.

 I opened it up and I had a big rectangle.

I ironed the fabric to make it smooth and easier to sew. 

 

I sewed the rectangle into a tube, then i hemmed the bottom by turning the edge under twice and stitching it down. 

 

I made a casing for and elastic waistband. I also stitched along the top of the waistband to make it look like a paper bag waist.

 

I loved how it turned out. It is very simple so it would go with a bunch of different tops. I always forget to make solid color or neutral colored clothes. Sometimes you really need them to go with the patterned clothes.

 

The fit of the skirt turned out great and this outfit has a nice fall vibe. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- Pillowcase as a skirt? I am glad I made this. I love it.

 

 

 

A Dress-Extender From A Pillowcase?

Hello Readers. Have you ever had a dress that was a little too short?

This light blue shirt dress was great but it was a little too short on my tall daughter. I usually need to shorten clothes because I am so short. My daughter has the opposite problem. She is tall and clothes can be too short on her. She needed a quick and easy dress extender/under skirt to wear with this blue dress.

This dress is a bit shorter on the sides, just like a typical men's shirt. That made it even shorter on my tall daughter. That's is where the dress extender comes in. It would add a little coverage for this short dress.

We were discussing the dress and I came across this pillowcase. (I was folding laundry.) It is a standard size case but it is made of knit material, like a T-shirt. The soft material got me thinking. It would make a soft skirt. Would it work under the blue shirt dress?

I cut off the closed end of the pillowcase. I was going to keep the open end of the case and use the finished edge as my hem. That would save time and effort. (I should call this blog "The Lazy Seamstress", because that's what I am.) I did some measuring so it would fit my daughter and work for the blue dress. It couldn't be too long or too short.

I folded the cut edge in and under to make a casing for an elastic waistband. It was an easy way to make a skirt and it would be comfortable to wear.  I cut a length of elastic that fit around my daughter's waist. I fit the elastic through the casing, connected the ends, and stitched the casing shut.

Here is a look at this simple white skirt. I could have added something to make the actual dress longer but decided to make this because it could be used with and under other things. 

This skirt fit well and it just peeks out from the blue dress and it adds a little coverage on the sides. That was just what my daughter wanted.  We didn't add trim or anything that would distract from the blue dress. It would be easy to add some lace or something like that to dress it up if you wanted to.

Thanks for reading this blog, I love all my readers. Now, go make something fun for yourself.

*Year end update- My daughter cleaned out her closet and gave this outfit back to me. It was nice to wear in the heat of summer.