The Sleepover Pillowcase: Tutorial

We visit family and friends often.  Sometimes we end up staying late and our kids start to get tired. 

If we pack this “sleepover pillowcase” before we leave, the kids can have their favorite  toy, and a soft place to lay their head down. 

It’s also a great item to bring in the car while traveling long distances close to bedtime.  

Or sometimes Grandma and Grandpa have them over for a sleepover.  They can stuff their pj’s and favorite blankie into the pillow portion.  The button closure will help these things stay in!  Let them pack their favorite stuffed animal or some books in the zippered pocket.  With the handle at the top, they are ready to go equipped with everything they need in case they get a little homesick.

(The dimensions used for this pillowcase with the contrasting band around the opening came from the wonderful Dana of MADE.  She has a wonderful, simple pillowcase tutorial you can find here.)


What You’ll Need:
-Two 21” x 26” main fabric (mine is the green argyle)
-Two 21” x 11” coordinating fabric (for top border on pillowcase)
-Two 21” x 18” pieces of fabric (for zippered pocket)
-One 6” x 14” piece of fabric for the handle
-12” zipper
-Two 2” x 13” fusible interfacing
-1 LARGE button (optional—if you are worried about your child pulling it off and putting it in their mouth, skip this!  You can use velcro for a closure instead to be safer)

Take the 6” x 14” piece of fabric for the handle.  Fold in half and sew a 1/4” seam. 

Turn, moving the seam into the center of the back of the handle, and topstitch each side.

Fold the strap in half and baste onto the right side of one of the 21” x 26” pieces of fabric, along the 26" side.  Baste it about 1.5” down from the top.

Take the two 21” x 18” of pocket fabric.  Mark a line 3” down from the 21” top.  Center a piece of fusible interfacing on the line and in the middle of the fabric and iron, following the directions that come with the interfacing.

Place the two pieces of pocket fabric right sides together.  Pin around the interfacing.

Draw a box that measure 1/2” x 12” around the line you already marked 3” down. So the ends are marked in 4.75” from the sides and then 1/2” on either side of the line (the 3” down from the top line).

Sew all along the box you just drew, making sure that you backstitch at the corners.

Insert your seam ripper and cut inside the rectangle as pictured.

Make diagonal cuts at the end, making sure to cut all the way to, but not through, the corners.

Insert one layer of the pocket fabric into the slit, pulling all the way through so it’s on the other side.


It will look like this:

Iron so it lays flat and is even all around the edges.

Place the zipper behind so that you see the top on the side of the pocket you want facing out.  You can use a glue stick to help hold it in place (I didn’t and I should have because mine ended up going in a little unevenly!).

Use your zipper foot to sew around the zipper. 


Along the top of the pocket, iron down 1/2” towards the inside as pictured below.  Alternatively, you could zig-zag or serge the edges, then iron them down 1/4” towards the lining fabric of the pocket. 

Place the pocket piece evened up on the edges and bottom of the 21” x 26” with the strap.  Pin the pocket along the top and sides, tucking in the top portion of the pocket that you ironed down.  If you are worried about getting it even, mark a line onto the main pillowcase that you can follow while “top-stitching” the pocket on.

Topstitch the top of the pocket piece onto the 21” x 26” piece of fabric.

Baste the sides and bottom of the pocket onto the fabric.

Fold one of the 21” x 11” in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and iron.  Make sure that if you have directional fabric that it will be the right direction when you fold it back up).  Line up the unfinished edges along the top.  Sew with a 1/2” seam.


Zig-zag stitch or serge the raw edge. Fold back up and topstitch along the seam.  Repeat with other 21” x 11” and 21” x 26” pieces of fabric.  Pin the handle down.

Place the two pieces of fabric right sides together.  Pin around sides and bottom, leaving the top band open for the pillow.  

Sew 1/2” seam around the sides and bottom.

Zig-zag stitch or serge all the raw seams.

If desired, find the center of the band and sew a buttonhole and button on where needed.  I wanted to do this so if my kids carried it around they could stuff pj’s, stuffed animals, etc. and they won’t fall out as easily if it was just the big opening.  


Flip the pillow onto the non-zippered side (so hair will not get stuck in the zipper) and let your child rest his or her adorable little head. 

**Please be careful!  Contains small parts.  Be aware of the zipper pull and the button.  Little kids should not pull on them and kids under 3 or 4 should not sleep with these!**