Quilted and Zippered Pillow Cover

I've designed a way to finish off your pillow cover with a zipper - I now prefer this way to the envelope method and it uses less fabric.  I also like to add some quilting to give my pillow covers durability and texture.

First, you'll need:

- Your pillow cover front (mine was roughly 17 inches square)

- Lining for the inside of the pillow cover (same size as front)

- A backing piece (same size as front)

- A piece of batting (same size as front)

- A zipper longer than the side you'll put the zipper on

Step 1: Lay your pieces of fabric in the following order and pin as you go (I staggered mine so you could see). 
a. Pillow front fabric face up 
b. Zipper face down 
c. Lining fabric face down 
d. Batting

 Here's a picture of mine all lined up to the left side.

 Step 2: Flip it over so the batting is face down and sew a 1/4 inch seam across the top.  You'll want to use a zipper foot (honestly...sometimes I don't, and sometimes I regret not switching).  Take your project off the machine and flip the pillow front over so the right side is out.  Now your pillow front will have a zipper across the opening, and lining on the back - nice and tidy.

 Step 3: If you want to do any quilting to your cover - now is the time.  Just quilt it like you would a mini quilt.  For my cover - I did vertical lines following the herringbone pattern (pictured above).  You can also skip the quilting if you prefer.  

 Step 4: Unzip your zipper halfway and lay the front face down on the backing.  Match the top of the zipper to the top of your backing fabric and pin.  Sew a 1/4 seam all the way around the entire square.  (If you forget to unzip your zipper halfway - you won't be able to turn it right sides out when you're done...so don't skip that part).

 Step 5: It will look like this - here you can do a zig-zag along the edges to add extra durability, but I usually only do if I'm selling the pillow cover.  Finish by turning right sides out and - ta da!

You can also see a similar tutorial for a lined zipper pouch here.

Also, if you'd like a tutorial for the pillow cover itself, head over to the Moda Bakeshop Blog.