Pillow Case Pattern

1. IMNSHO a "cheapy sewing machine from Target" is not going to be worth the powder to blow it up in many, if not most cases. Save your money and check local thrift stores, Craigslist, or your local classifieds and find an old 50s or 60s era machine -- they are generally under and often or less -- that was built to be handed down from generation to generation. Make sure the machine runs smoothly before purchase.
2. There is no need to purchase a pattern for a pillow case. Measure your existing pillowcase and use those dimensions.

You also might want to consider the time to money ratio involved. If you want to get a sewing machine just to make these pillowcases & a pillow, is it worth it? Even if you would get the sewing machine anyways, is it really worth your time to make the matching pillowcases, when they sell matching pillowcases so cheap? And store- bought pillows are much more comfortable to sleep on.

There are many uses for a flat sheet- it's just yardage, really. You can use it for curtains or something else, or you can Freecycle it. I'd save the yardage and the effort for something that isn't bought so easily, but that's just me.

You don't have to buy sets, you know. It would cost less to buy the fitted sheet and a pair of pillow cases. Then your problem would be solved, and you wouldn't have a cheapy sewing machine doorstop.

Pogonip wrote in news:460d56dc$ snipped-for-privacy@news.bnb-lp.com:

But then again, she might have a machine that she ends up liking to use and graduates to a better machine at a later date.

I'm going to go against the flow and say, yes, the machine might ba a good thing. Make sure it goes forward, backward, and does a zig-zag at a minimum and consider using it for other things. If pillowcases are all you're going to make, you can make them for holiday gifts out of fun fabrics.

I did a Google search on 'pillowcase patterns' and here it is:

you can do it yourself. I have a friend who makes pillowcases for her kids out of all sorts of whacky fabrics.

Oh, by the way, I personally have given away two perfectly good, functional, and not so cheapie sewing machines on our Freecycle list. Keep an eye out there. You never know what someone is going to give away.

And do consider sewing more than pillowcases.

Use your search function to jump down to "pillowcases". Don't overlook the paragraph on making pillowcases by hand -- but buy a pre-sixties sewing machine instead; a sewing machine is always coming in handy, and will pay for itself in clothes you don't have to throw out just for a ripped seam.

If that URL doesn't work, go to

,in the list of "Text Files", under "Other Projects", click on"household linens, scarves, handkerchiefs, flat things"Joy Beeson

I've seen over and over people on this group mention older machines -

50's and 60's. Help me out here - why do you suggest buying an older machine? I must admit I don't know much about sewing machines, although I've been sewing for years. My Mother recently gave me her old Singer 328K - can you tell me anything about it? I learned how to sew on it, making many doll clothes as a young girl and then clothes for myself as a teen. Now, when I travel with my job, I keep a 80's Kenmore in the trunk of my car - I probably drive my hotel room neighbors crazy!

Kristi

In general, older machines tend to be more durable than newer machines in the same price range. In other words, if you don't want to spend over $300 on a sewing machine, you'll get a much better machine if you buy an older machine than if you buy a new one.

jenn

-- Jenn Ridley : snipped-for-privacy@chartermi.net

Machines in that era were built to be used as tools.

Many low-end machines these days are built to be used as toys.

Would you rather have a toy power drill or a real tool to do a job? If you are only going to be dabbling around, the toy one might be okay, but if you are going to use it a lot, the tool will be better built and last longer.

The Kenmore Ultra MIni or whatever its name that is a knockoff of the Janome Gem is supposed to be a decent, albeit light- to medium-duty, machine. But of course, you can't sew upholstery, jeans, or tents with it (Okay, maybe nylon ripstop ones, but not canvas ones.) My 19YO son is using my Singer 401A this week to make himself a heavy canvas (old bank cash bag) duffle-style carryall for his Airsoft guns and equipment. That Kenmore Ultra Mini wouldn't last more than probably about 12 stitches sewing that before it would croak and need a tuneup to reset the timing if not an outright replacement.

The Singer Genie was another decent light-to-middle-duty machine from the 70s or 80s. Use it for what it was designed for, and it will be fine.

A good-quality low-end basic (read: probably no more than 6 stitches) mechanical machine cost $100-150 in the early 70s. Apply inflation to an item that has had no increase in technology and you come up with needing to spend $300-500 to get the same quality in a basic machine, and more than that for one with more stitches. Lots of people still only want to pay that $100, and so they end up getting an oriental sailing ship (read: Chinese junk) rather than a sewing machine.

Kristi, the 328 K is just about the best Singer since the Featherweight. It has a metal body, which means it can be fixed forever. It is so well balanced that even being dropped by moving men didn't harm it.The only thing that ever made it sew poorly was brownouts. You put cams in it to do fancy stitches.Most people only use the straight stitch, zig zag and blind hem.When my brother wanted a reliable machine,I found him a 328 K that had a zig zag cam, and photocopied my manual for him.

You don't have to have a 328K manual. It's just the regular oil anything that moves advice.

In general, machines from the 50 and 60s only need regular cleaning and oiling, and they will run forever.

Miz Spike

I actually have the original manual (all pictures - no words) and cams. My Mother bought the machine when my parents lived in Holland in the early 60's. Thanks for the information.

Kristi

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm going to go to the local sewing machine store and see if they have an older machine for sale.

I used to pay someone to make my extra sheets into pillowcases, but not I'm going to try to make them myself.

Much appreciated. This is a good group!

Win

It will be a piece of cake. Come back if you have questions. Welcome to the adventure of sewing!

Liz

Yes, that may be true, but those tend to be cotton/polyester blends. I've been sticking to the high thread count cottons, especially Egyptian cotton, and don't miss the patterns and colors one bit!

Funny how that works. In my childhood, the *only* "color" sheets came in was white (and of course the pillow cases were all embroidered by hand). In my early married years, there were explosions of colors and patterns, and I delighted in co-ordinating the sheets to decor/color schemes. Now I have also returned to white high thread-count sheets, and love them. I have donated *all* the colored sheets.

Beverly

Speaking for myself, and I am unanimous in this; bed linen like body linen should be white or pastel with perhaps coloured trim or embroidery. Much easier to launder and keep tidy when one does not have to worry about colours fading/running. Boggles my mind these days when one sees "wash in cold water" on labels for bed linen and undergarments. Give me vintage Pequot muslin, pure linen or percale (Wamsutta Supercale to be precise) any day over the stuff sold as "high thread count" linens any day. Vintage linens were designed and made for the way the average housewife laundered her linens, hot water and perhaps bleach; and still gave years of service.

As for running up pillow slips, have had that on my "to do" list for ages now, and hopefully will find some time to sit down and at least cut things out. Have that yardage of vintage Belfast Irish linen and some Pequot sheeting fabric as well; both should work up a treat into pillow slips. Can even do some fancy hemstitching with my Elna Supermatic, and probably will use the Bernina 335ds to serge up the cases.

Candide