How to Make A Hamper from A Pillowcase


A little while back Jaime spotted a totally adorable Pillowcase Hamper Tutorial made by Sarah from Emmyloubeedoo. It’s a vintage pillowcase turned into a gorg way to store laundry – obviously, we had to ask if she would please, please guest post this one-of-a-kind creation for us. Thankfully, Sarah agreed and is very excited to share her tutorial below.

Make sure to stop by her site, Emmyloubeedoo, to see many more creative tutorials such as the Foxy Pillow and the Sunshine Swimsuit. She even shows us that no spot is too small for a creative nook in her Sewing Room Re-Reveal post. Take it away Sarah…

Hello Prudent Baby readers! I’m Sarah and I’m crazy excited to be here today! I blog over at EmmylouBeeDoo where I share my sewing and crafty projects. Come over and say hey!

So do you want to make a hamper?! For like, less than 10 bucks with one of those vintage pillowcases you’ve been collecting fo-evah?!

Yay! Let’s, then! Get the full Pillowcase Hamper Tutorial after the jump…
How to Make a Hamper from a Pillowcase


I made this one when I was expecting Emmy, and it has withstood over 18 months of use! I love it so much… and it was a cinch to make. The room she is in now is super tiny, so I needed a hamper that didn’t take up a lot of space. So out of necessity, I made this contraption and hung it on the wall! Woot!

We’re in the process of moving her into a different room (if you can call Pinning ideas and daydreaming “the process of moving”), and the decor is going to be different from her current digs, so I am making a new hamper to match. Thought I’d take you guys along for the ride!

I hope you’ll give it a try! It’s crazy easy – except for the picking which pillowcase to use part. 😉
You will need:
* a delightful pillowcase
* an embroidery hoop
* grommets/grommet setting tool
* scissors
*  a hammer
*  a hook to hang your hamper on

-NOTE- When I made the first one, I actually took my pillowcase to the craft store with me (crazypregnantlady) to ensure the hoop I got wasn’t too big or too small. For reference, my new pillowcase measures 19 inches wide across the top when laying flat, and my hoop is 12 inches in diameter.

I got my grommets at Joanns – they are 3/8ths inch and antique brass. MAKE SURE you also purchase the grommet setting tool that corresponds with the size grommets you are using. The tool item number you need will be on the back of the grommet box. Easy peasy. Alternatively, Dritz now makes these plastic snap-on grommets that don’t require any tools. Haven’t tried them myself, but they come in a few more colors and might be a good option.

Also, the size of the grommet only really matters as it relates to the hook you will be using to hang your hamper. You want to make sure the grommet hole is large enough to get over and onto your hook. Also, scrawny grommet may not hold up as long as a bigger one. Go for bigger.

1. Lay out your pillowcase,nice and square and flat, with the side you want as the front facing up. Iron it if you need to.

2. Measure along the top opening and find the center. Mark where I have here… On the side of the pillowcase that’s furthest from you. Err… the inside. 😉

3. Measure down two inches or so from your center point & mark.

4. Place one of your two grommet pieces over your marked point, and trace the inside circle:

5. Cut out the circle you just traced. No need to be fancy here… just err on the side of a smaller hole. You want the grommet to fit nice and snugly.

6. Insert the male piece of the grommet into the hole you cut. This is the piece that’s not flat.

Above is how it’ll look from the right/front side (if you turned it over).

This is how the back looks. We’ll work from the back now.

7. Lay the female/flat grommet piece onto the male piece. You want the concave side facing up.

8. *Not pictured because I LOST MY GROMMET SETTING TOOL*, ugh. Don’t loose your grommet setting tool. I literally went out to my deck and hammered the whatfor out of this poor grommet, after like an hour of searching for my setting tool. Fail. Anyhow, set the grommet gracefully by following the tools instructions, and….

9. Now, grab your hoop. We’re going to work with the part of the hoop without the screw.

10. Pull your pillowcase up through the middle of your hoop.

11. Even out the pillowcase around the hoop. For this one, I folded the pillowcase over until I hit the edge of the… what do you call it? That 4-5 inch band at the top of a pillowcase? I went to the end of that. 🙂

12. Place the other hoop (with the screw) over top of it all and tighten her up!

13. Hang on a wall and enjoy your saved floor space!

Let me know if yall make one! Or two – I was thinking this would be SO cute for kiddos who share a room – you could make two and personalize them so easily!

Also, if anything was unclear or you have any questions, holler!

Cheers!
Sarah

Thanks so much Sarah! Don’t forget to stop by Emmyloubeedoo to check out more of Sarah’s fun and crafty tutorials.

Want more pillowcase ideas? No need to look much further. Check out our Pillowcase Baby Dress and Sham-Style Pillowcase tutorials – or go pillow mad and browse all of our pillow tutorials here.

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28 Comments

meg

Ohhh nelly. I've been looking for a space saving laundry solution for the baby's room & this is perfect!! Annnd if it's hanging up the dog can't get into it. Perrrrfect.

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astitchoflove

Such a cute idea! This would be a cute idea to make for keeping hand washable clothes separated regular washables too. Can't wait to try it–thanks so much for sharing!

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KatieKate

I used a smaller version of this for years in the bathroom as an undie holder for the toddlers. I just hang it from the towel rack… and fresh skivvies are always within reach for those (multiple) accidents throughout the day 🙂

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Brandi

Thank you so much for sharing your tutorial! Hopefully, this will encourage my daughter to keep her dirty clothes off the floor!!

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Mallorie

This is perfect for SO MANY things. Alternatively, you could sew in boning instead of the hoop, to make it flexible and portable (travel laundry hamper anyone?) Great project, Sarah 🙂

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Beth S

I just finished making one for my brand new granddaughter! I made my own pillowcase because I know I’d never find a print that I wanted to use. Easy, easy! Thanks for the great tutorial.

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Beth S

I just finished making one for my newborn granddaughter. I made my own pillowcase to start, though. Thank you for the great tutorial!

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JAN

I love this idea. We have a lakehouse, many visitors. Great to hang in a closet for their soiled clothes while they visit. Also a GREAT IDEA FOR TOYS IN A CHILDRENS ROOM. (CLOSET) Like the building blocks, or giant legos.

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Kimberly

Love it! Making it, as soon as I purchase a grommet, for my laundry room!
Will be so happy to have somewhere to put those dirty dish towels!!

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Ma.Luz R.Lebrudo

I was amazed by this wonderful idea of making a hamper out of a pillowcase.

Question only. Can i also use a hard wire instead of embroidery hoop? I’ll fold the end of the pillow case and insert the hard wire. Instead of attaching grommet i’ll just make a buttonhole stitch.

Your’re great

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Robyn

Just finished this- so much fun! Had my aunt make an extra large pillowcase since I couldn’t find anything in a material I liked. She works at a place that personalizes things, so I also had her stich a name on the middle of the pillow. This isn’t for a baby though. Thought it would be a great Christmas idea for my neice who is heading to college next year. Hoping it will be a great laundry bag to hang on the back of a door or in a closet :-)Thanks!!

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Erica

Just found this from pinterest and am so excited! I had been meaning to sit down and figure out a way to make a hamper from fabric somehow and saw this! yay! I have lots of pillowcases, so now I just have to go get the rest. Thanks!

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Naeemah

Hi, I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful idea. I don’t sew very well and was looking for an idea for my daughter’s room and I came across this. I don’t have any vintage pillowcases although I would love to get my hands on some because I do love all things vintage so I used a pillowcase that was my mother’s and since we don’t have her anymore this was the perfect! I did put a photo of mine on pinterest but in the link put your web address, I hope that was alright. Thanks again

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thejohnsonplusdog

Wow, amazing idea!! I would love to feature this on a blog post I’m planning on Small Bathroom Ideas. Would you mind if I used a photo and linked back to this blog post? Let me know.

Reply
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[…] I needed a laundry hamper solution that also helped me maximize space in my tiny apartment. Not only did I want to avoid buying a cheaply-made plastic hamper, but I didn’t have space for one anyway. The logical conclusion? Ask the internet. I queried “upcycle hanging laundry bag” so I could find something to hang away in my closet. Voila: enter the DIY upcycled pillowcase hanging laundry bag. […]

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