It's All in the Details - Crochet Edge Pillowcase Tutorial

I don't know about you, but I find myself going through Pinterest often for inspiration.  Over time I have pinned many, many things.  One of the boards I have on Pinterest is called Things I Want to Make.  I have almost 300 pins on that board alone!  Today's project has been on my "to do" list for months.  I finally got around to trying it out this past weekend.

This project turned out to be easier than I had expected.  

Rather than yarn, this project calls for crochet thread.  I have never crocheted using this and picked up a smaller crochet hook to make sure I had the right tools to do the job right.  As it turns out, working with crochet thread is just as easy as working with yarn.  I had two solid pillowcases that matched the duvet in my guest room that had never been used.  They were perfect for this project.

I started by making a light mark, using a pencil,  every 1/2" on the inside of the pillowcase, about a 1/4" from the edge, all around.  Next I threaded a needle with the crochet thread.  I made the thread 5x the length of the width of the opening of the pillowcase, that way I could make it all the way around with the ladder stitch.  The ladder stitch serves as the base to crochet the shell edge.  After I sewed all the way around, I knotted off the end.  Next I crocheted a single crochet all the way around.
 For the shell, I used this basic shell pattern:

Ch1, SC in first st, *skip 1 st, 5 DC in next st, skip 1 st, 1 SC in next st; Rep from * to end, SC in last st.  Fasten off.

Adding this crochet edge made a plain jane pillowcase into something a bit more special.

These new pillowcases make a wonderful addition to my guest bedroom.

Can't wait to hear what you think.

-Judy