Vandamme

Hi! I'm very artistic but know nothing or very little about sewing and have embarked on a project to make a whole bunch of patchwork pillowcases with beautiful coloured patterns! I'm very excited but feel like I'm making a mess of the entire project because of rookie mistakes and I need experienced guidance. Where I live there are no experience seamstresses/tailors with patchwork experience (I am in Central Africa) so no one to turn to.

<article class="gmail-forum-content-medium-font" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">I'm making 16-patch pillowcases for 16x16inch inserts.

One tutorial I read said cut 16-inch panels, because you want your pillowcases to be snug. So I went ahead and cut Hundreds of patchwork squares 4.5 inches square (losing 1/4 inch for the seam chain-sewing). Yes, I know. I jumped in with both feet, and eyes closed. I think I got really excited about learning to use the rotary cutter and self-healing mat.

Now, I'm really worried that once I sew the 16-inch panels together, I'll lose even more seam allowance and they'll be closer to 15-inches and will be too small for the inserts.

I'm having a very horrible moment of triple doubt...

1. Should I have planned for 16.5 or 17-inch inserts?

2. Should I have planned for bigger patchwork squares?

3. Should the patchwork squares that are on the edge, where there is a seam, have to be even bigger than the patchwork squares at the center of the pillow-case panel?

Sorry for all the newbie questions.

Looking at YouTube tutorials I realised there are even special patchwork rulers like 2.5x6 or 4.5x9 or even square ones!! If I had known!!

I really hope someone can help alleviate my anxiety at messing everything up before I even start. Someone I asked suggested to make a border like a log cabin quilt, and down the rabbit-hole of Google searches I went and I'm even more confused now.

I really appreciate any advice you can offer, dispense, inculcate.







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