What does GQ suggest for the best-dressed bed linens this season? Formal flannel of course! Welcome to our newest S4H Series: we're diving into the lush-est, plushest, most trendy fabrics for Fall and Winter. Sponsored by the friendly folks at Fabric.com, we have a range of projects, tips and product reviews to get you working like a pro with flannel, Minky, faux fur and faux leather. Today, we have the perfect gift for the guy on your list: our 'well-suited' pillowcases in Tailor Flannels by Timeless Treasures from Fabric.com. They're stylish yet soft, and are such a clever way to wake up the snappy dresser in your life.

Fabric.com has a wonderful selection of Tailor Flannel by Timeless Treasures. Follow our suggestions listed below or put together your own wardrobe. We always recommend pre-washing your fabric prior to starting any project, but when working with flannel it is particularly important. Flannel will shrink, sometimes quite a bit. It also sheds a lot during laundering, so wash it separately. Make sure to also pre-wash the fabric you use for the tuxedo placket. And, since the completed pillowcases themselves will be laundered often, we recommend finishing all the seams with your sewing machine, or with a serger if you have one.

Our thanks to Fabric.com for helping us bring this Series to you. If you've never visited their site, you're missing out! Their selection is endless: from the latest designer quilting cottons to heavy canvas, sheer organza to cushy fleece... and just about everything in between. They also carry thread, notions, patterns, machines and more. They've been a delight to work with, and have put together a super Great Giveaway package to round out the Series - be watching for that!

Sewing Tools You Need

• Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome Hello Kitty 15822... you HAVE to check out this new machine; it is cute-squared)

Fabric and Other Supplies

Amounts shown below on for ONE pillowcase.

• 1 yard of 44-45" wide fabric for the pillowcase body: we used Tailor Flannel in Window Plaid Gray by Timeless Treasures from Fabric.com and Tailor Flannel in Herringbone Cream by Timeless Treasures from Fabric.com
  NOTE: Our prints ran vertically so we could get away with one yard; if your print is horizontal get a bit extra, maybe 1¼ yards, to make it all work.
• ⅓ yard of of 44-45" wide coordinating fabric for the pillowcase trim: we used Tailor Flannel in Diagonal Stripe Gray by Timeless Treasures from Fabric.com and Tailor Flannel in Tiny Houndstooth Brown by Timeless Treasures from Fabric.com
  NOTE: The cut is 9" wide so you could get away with ¼ yard, but your cuts would have to be exact; you'll be safer at ⅓ yard
• Scrap or ⅛ yard of 44-45" wide coordinating fabric for the pillowcase flange accent: we used Tailor Flannel in Zebra Gray by Timeless Treasures from Fabric.com and Tailor Flannel in Cheetah Brown by Timeless Treasures from Fabric.com
• ⅓ yard of 44-45" wide white fabric for tuxedo shirt accent panel: we used Radiance Cotton/Silk in Poplin White from Fabric.com
• Three ¼" micro-mini doll buttons
• All purpose thread to match fabrics
• See-through ruler
• Iron and ironing board
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Fabric pen or pencil
• Straight pins
• Tape measure
• Seam gauge

Getting Started

1. From the fabric for the body of the pillowcase cut TWO 21" x 27" pieces.
2. From the fabric for the pillowcase trim cut ONE 9" x 41" piece.
3. From the fabric for the flange accent cut TWO strips 2" x 21".
4. From the tuxedo shirt fabric cut ONE 9" x 16" strip.

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

Create the tuxedo placket

1. Find the 9" x 16" strip of "shirt" fabric. Place it right side down on your work surface. Measure in 4" from the right raw edge. Place a pin or make a mark with your fabric pen at this point at both the top and bottom of the strip.
2. Fold the strip to the right at this point (in other words, you are folding the 12" end over the 4" end at the fold point. Press well.
   NOTE: In the photos below, we substituted a plain white woven fabric to best show the folding.
   
3. Measure from the fold to the right 1". Place a pin or make a mark with your fabric pen at this point at both the top and bottom of the strip.
4. Fold the strip to the left at this marked point, creating a "Z" fold. Press well.
   
5. With the long end of the strip still extending to the left, measure from the edge of the fold you just made to the left ½". Place a pin or make a mark with your fabric pen at this point at both the top and bottom of the strip.
6. Fold the strip to the right at this marked point. Press well.
   
7. With the long end of the strip now extending to the right, measure from the edge of the fold you just made to the right 1". Place a pin or make a mark with your fabric pen at this point at both the top and bottom of the strip.
8. Fold the strip to the left at this marked point. Press well.
   
9. With the long end of the strip now extending to the left, measure from the edge of the fold you just made to the left ½". Place a pin or make a mark with your fabric pen at this point at both the top and bottom of the strip.
10. Fold the strip to the right at this marked point. Press well. You should now have three little pleats, each ½".
    
11. Flip the half-pleated strip over, and open out the original 4" fold so it is out of the way and you can pleat the other side.
    
12. Lift up the inner rightmost pleat so you can see its crease line. Measure from this crease line 2" to the left and place a pin or make a mark with your fabric pen at this point at both the top and bottom of the strip.
    
13. Fold the strip over to the right at this marked point. Press well.
14. With the long end of the strip now extending to the right, measure from the edge of the fold you just made to the right ½". Place a pin or make a mark with your fabric pen at this point at both the top and bottom of the strip.
15. Fold the strip back to the left at this marked point. Press well.
    
16. With the long-ish (it is getting shorter!) end of the strip now extending to the left, measure from the edge of the fold you just made to the left 1". Place a pin or make a mark with your fabric pen at this point at both the top and bottom of the strip.
17. Fold the strip to the right at this marked point. Press well.
    
18. With the end of the strip now extending to the right, measure from the edge of the fold you just made to the right ½". Place a pin or make a mark with your fabric pen at this point at both the top and bottom of the strip.
19. Fold the strip to the left at this marked point. Press well. Your pleating is all done.
    
20. Fold the original 4" 'panel' back over to the left. If you measured correctly, it should cover up all the pleats and extend beyond the edge of the final fold you made by 1". Press in place.
    
21. Fold in the remaining left 'panel'. The fold should be exactly along the raw edge of the 4" panel. This final panel will overlap and extend about 1½" beyond center. Press well.
    
22. Flip the finished piece over to reveal a center 2" panel with two ½" pleats to each side of it.
    
23. Fold the finished placket in half and mark the position for the three shirt buttons as shown.
    NOTE: We're back to the real fabric in our photos now
    
24. Hand sew the three buttons in place
    
25. Set aside.

Attaching the flange and creating the pillowcase body

1. Press the two flange strips in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. Once pressed, each strip is now 1" wide.
2. Align the raw edges of the folded flange with the raw edge of each pillowcase body piece.
3. Using a ½" seam allowance, stitch each flange to each pillowcase body.
4. Place the two pillowcase body pieces (with the flanges sewn in place) right sides together.
5. Pin along both sides and across the bottom.
6. Stitch both sides and across the bottom, using a ½" seam allowance.
   
7. Zig zag, overcast or serge the raw edges of all the seam allowances so when the pillowcase is laundered these do not fray.
8. Turn the pillowcase right side out. Push out the trimmed corners from the inside to make nice, square corners on the outside. Use your finger or a blunt edge tool, like a large knitting needle or a chopstick. Press well.
   
   

Pillowcase trim

1. Press a double-fold hem along one long edge. To do this, turn up the edge ½" and press, then turn up another 4" and press again.
   NOTE: As an option, you can finish this edge with an overcast stitch, zig zag stitch or serger. We chose not to because we had thoroughly pre-washed our flannel and, with the folded-in edge in place, felt we had secured all the raw edges.
   
   
2. Unfold the pressed hem. Your fold lines will remain.
   
3. Fold the 9" x 41" trim piece in half, right sides together, so it is now: 9" x 20½".
4. Pin in place securely along a ½" seam allowance line.
5. Test to see if this 'trim circle' fits the pillowcase body by slipping the trim circle over the open end of the pillowcase. The open edge of the pillowcase body and the trim circle need to be a perfect match. If the trim circle seems a bit too big or too small, adjust your seam allowance accordingly.
6. Using the appropriate seam allowance you tested above, stitch along the 9" raw edge. Press the seam allowance open.
   
7. Find your pleated placket. center it over the seam of the trim piece. Pin in place.
   
8. Take the trim loop, with the placket pinned in place, to your sewing machine.
9. Lift up the first pleat to either side of the buttons, and run a seam along each side to secure the placket to the trim.
   
10. Lay the pleats back down into place and run a line of topstitching ¼" in from each folded edge.
    
11. Re-fold the ½" first fold of the bottom hem. Re-press and pin in place.
    
12. Edgestitch this part of the hem in place. It will become the finished edge inside your pillowcase.

Finish the pillowcase

1. Again, slip your trim circle over the open end of your pillowcase body, right sides together, matching the raw edge of the pillowcase opening with the raw edge of your trim piece. Pin all around.
   
   NOTE: This is another point to TEST your seam allowance. Place a few pins horizontally along the ½" seam line. Then, check from the right side to see if the flange reveal is really how you want it to be.
   
2. Once you've tested and insured you have the proper seam allowance to give you the correct flange reveal, stitch all around the pillowcase opening, using a ½" seam allowance.
3. Press the seam up towards the pillowcase trim.
   
4. Trim back the seam allowance to ¼". Again, as an option, you can finish this edge with an overcast stitch, zig zag stitch or serger. We chose not to.
   
5. 'Re-fold' the remaining 4" of the trim's hem, following the pre-pressed line. This will bring the folded edge of the trim around to the inside of the pillowcase. (This is shown in the photo above and in the diagrams below.)
6. The folded/edgestitched hem of the trim should neatly overlap the inside pillowcase/trim seam.
   
7. Pin in place.
   
   NOTE: We pinned in place from the inside to insure we fully covered the the inside seam all around. Then, we turned the pillowcase right side out, re-pinned from the front, and removed the pins from the inside.
8. As you look at your pillowcase from the front, you should have 4" of trim showing from seam to folded edge.
9. Topstitch ¼" in from the seam - on the trim side, to secure the trim's hem in place. Press well.

If you like these pillowcases, check out our other variations:

Teen Pretty Pack: Sleep-over Pillowcase

Fresh Linens: Restful Rose-Banded Pillowcases with Honey Bun Accents

Mother's Day: Charmeuse Satin Pillowcases with Velvet & Lace Trim

Visions of Sugarplums Christmas Pillowcases

Visions of Sugarplums Christmas Pillowcases for Kids

Contributors

Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation: Kathy Andrews, What Sew Ever