Sewing a Pillowcase for a Triangle/Arched/ V-Pillow
As someone with chronic illness, it’s worth assuming that as time goes on, I will slowly add things to my life and routine to help ease my pain and make me more comfortable. For the past year, I’ve had severe back and hip pain which meant sitting around has gotten to be very uncomfortable which lead me on a quest to get myself an arch/triangle/v pillow. A lot of effort went into finding the perfect arch pillow as I didn’t want anything with memory foam, polyfill or any form of nylon as stuffing so I decided to go with a natural wool pillow and I’m super happy with my choice. I managed to find the perfect pillow made from 100% pure Aussie wool from here whilst it was on sale. During my pillow shopping time, I noticed loads of differences between various arched pillows; some were taller, some had longer sides and some were very curvy which made me question, how do I get a pillowcase that fits? Oh yeah, I’ll just make one.
As I had never made a pillowcase for a v-pillow before, I knew it would be best to use some tester fabric to get an idea of the ins and out. I started by laying my tester fabric (this was just a very cheap fabric from KL that I use to test out patterns and ideas), laid it out on the floor and placed my arch pillow on top. My plan was to trace around the pillow to get the best shape and curve before adding some seam allowance and cutting it out. Having a fabric marker was really handy as very slowly, I marked the edge of the pillow before adding an extra inch for ease. With one side traced, I doubled up the fabric and cut out both pieces.
To test the fit, I sewed the two pillowcase pieces together, right sides together, whist also leaving space for a zip. Once sewn, I flipped the pillowcase inside out and put the pillowcase on my arch pillow. The first fit was pretty good and the only adjustments I had to make were to add a bit more curve around the top and shorten the sides. After taking the pillowcase off, I used it as a template on my good fabric and added all adjustments necessary.
For my pillowcase, I wanted to use some vintage bedsheets and chose some very fun floral ones that I had in my stash. These sheets came out during the 1970’s from Cannon Monticello and this particular pattern has always been very popular. These sheets do often come up on second hand selling website such as Etsy and eBay (can be slightly cheaper here) as well as Facebook selling groups. The sheets I used for this project had a few stains and holes in them that wouldn’t make them the best for making a bed but instead, their destiny is to become a cute arch pillowcase and hopefully something else fun in the future.
Once I had my two pillow pieces cut out, I did question whether I needed a ruffle but thought it might get a bit over sensory so I’ll leave it for this round (I want to make a few spare pillowcases for the future just incase). It was simple to add an invisible zip along the top side of the pillow but I do wish I added a slightly longer zip as wrestling the pillow into the case was a bit of a feat. Alas, once the zip was in, the rest of the pillow was made by simply sewing around the pillowcase edge.
Overall, this project took me about 45 minutes with most of the time deciding where to place the pattern piece onto the fabric, and then wrestly the pillow into the case through a small zip. This project was something I definitely overthought and it was a lot easier than I originally planned. Although my invisible zip is still not the most invisible zip I could possibly install, I really love how my pillow came out. The pattern on the pillowcase is really fun, soft and floral which makes it easy to integrate to any room of house and give me back the support it needs. I have found this pillow to be really comfortable and I am able to watch a movie with ease without having to readjust my hips constantly. I have also found myself cuddling this pillow which helps me settle my hips into a comfortable position and thus I am able to play video games and hang out on the couch for longer.
The next pillowcase for this arched pillow I want to make is perhaps a soft gingham pattern in maybe a yellow or green. This would be a great alternative for when this one is in the wash or for when I just want a change. I fully understand that there are heaps of places I could buy a new arched pillowcase from, but since I already had what I needed on hand, I figured this is what I have a fabric stash for. Plus I really wanted to keep practicing making pillows as it’s something I’ve only just started doing. This project was a lot of fun and a nice quick project to finish in an afternoon. It also brought me joy to make and use something constantly straight away as opposed o a dress where I can’t wear it everyday or use it as much.
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