Hope you are all staying safe and healthy! Because it’s getting closer to Back to School time (even though it’s looking a lot different this year for all) I’ve had requests for my Binder Pouch Tutorial that was formerly published on the Sew, Mama, Sew! website back in August of 2010. Yes! I’ve been blogging more than 10 years and am still at it! I honestly cannot believe it! Because Sew, Mama, Sew! is no longer in business, their website (along with the Binder Pouch Tutorial) is no longer available. The tutorial was published only on their site (not on my blog), so I’m bringing it back home to share with you.

Funny enough, I was able to track down my own instructions that were on an aggregate site, and decided to make a new pouch to make sure everything was okay and to take some new pictures along the way! I hope you’ll enjoy this tutorial. Even if many of us are not going to be in a traditional school setting this fall, it’s still fun to have this pouch to keep organized! Hey – you don’t even have to use it for school stuff!

Binder Pouch for Sew Mama Sew

I had this project saved on my to-do list for a looong time… I’m so glad Sew,Mama,Sew! is doing a Back to School month! I love this project because of course I love zippers, but I think this will be a great project to send to school with your kids. You can even make it super-personalized by having your kids pick out the fabrics, or adding an initial, or you could even embroider a favorite animal– Go crazy! Extra bonus: when you make it yourself you know it’ll hold up to a lot of wear and tear.

Materials:

• Scraps of fabric (or 1/4 yard or fat quarter of the main print will work)

• 10″ zipper 

• Scrap of see-through vinyl approx 7″x 3.5″ (see final cut measurement below), find some at your local quilt shop, or grab some awesome transparent vinyl at Sew Hungry Hippie, or glitter vinyl

• 3 (3/8″) Grommets (Dritz are my favorite, they install easily and come with the setting tools you’ll need)

• Scrap of interfacing cut to 3.5″ tall by 11″ wide (this will reinforce where the grommets are installed)

• Optional: Binding tape to cover the seams 1/2″-wide (store bought or make your own)

• Sewing machine, thread, etc. 

• zipper pull (here and here)
  {All seam allowances 1/2″ unless otherwise noted.}

  

Cut Fabrics:

• cut (2) 6.5″ tall by 4″ wide Pouch Front (left)

• cut (2) 6.5″ squares Pouch Front (right)

• cut (1) 6.5″ tall by 11.5″ wide Pouch Back

• From the vinyl cut one piece 6.5″ tall by 3″ wide.

• cut (1) 3.5″ tall by 11″ wide Grommet Tab (fuse the interfacing to the wrong side)
  {Just a note: sewing through the vinyl might not be your thing! If you don’t feel up to it, skip the vinyl, and cut that piece from fabric. It’ll still turn out super cool.}

{All seam allowances 1/2″ unless otherwise noted.}

Make Front Exterior of Pouch:

Place the Pouch Front Left pieces right sides together with vinyl in between the fabrics, matching/aligning the 6.5″ sides.  

Sew using a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Press fabrics away from vinyl being sure not to touch the hot iron to the vinyl.

Place the Pouch Front Right fabrics, right sides together with the vinyl in between the fabrics, matching the 6.5″ sides of the opposite side of the vinyl.

Sew and press fabrics away from vinyl. Your front pouch will measure 6.5″ tall by 11.5″ wide.

Topstitch on either side of the vinyl (on the fabric through both layers).

(Optional) Baste fabric layers together along perimeter.

Assemble the Grommet Tab:

Fold the Grommet Tab in half the long way, right sides together.

Sew using a 5/8″ seam allowance on both of the short edges. Clip corners. Turn right side out and press.

(optional) Topstitch along both short edges and the sewn long edge (the open edge of the grommet tab will be enclosed once you sew the pouch together). Set aside.

Assemble Pouch:

Because this is an unlined pouch, we’ll assemble it just a bit differently than a lined pouch. This next step is where a Teflon foot would come in handy, otherwise you can make do with a piece of scotch tape placed on the bottom side of your sewing machine’s foot. The tape will help the zipper foot slide across the vinyl section of the pouch front.

Fold one front pouch 11.5″ edge to the wrong side by 1/2″ and press. The vinyl won’t fold as well, but finger press it well (and a hair dryer on a low setting will help make it more pliable), do the best you can especially if it’s your first time using vinyl. Do the same for the back pouch fabric, folding one 11.5″ edge to the wrong side by 1/2″.

Center raw edge of Grommet Tab along (unfolded) 11.5″ edge of the back pouch piece, right sides together and baste (stitch length of 4-5mm) in place using a 1/4″ seam allowance.

With the zipper right side facing up (zipper pull at the left) place the pouch assembled front’s folded edge in place along the zipper teeth (approx. 1/8″ away from the zipper teeth) and pin in place. Topstitch in place close to the fold (1/8″ away from fold).

Pin the back exterior’s folded edge in place along the zipper teeth on opposite edge. Topstitch in place close to the fold.

Now take the pouch and fold it so the RIGHT sides are together, be sure to keep the grommet tab tucked in between the front/back layers.

Pin along both sides and bottom edge. Make sure the zipper is open about half way. Sew along both sides and bottom edge.

Finishing Seams:

You could just leave the pouch as is at this point, zig-zag, or serge the edges. As another option, you could use binding to cover up the raw edges.

I left my seams as is and then clipped the corners with my pinking shears.

Turn right side out and press! (Again, be careful around the vinyl!)

Insert Grommets:

Using a water soluble pen, make a dot on the grommet tab in the center of the tab, measuring .5″, 4.75″, and 9″ from one grommet tab edge. I’d recommend having the binder you’ll be using with the pouch to make sure everything aligns before you install the grommets. It’ll be much easier to make adjustments now rather than have a non-functioning pencil pouch just because the grommets don’t align with the binder rings.

Install the grommets using the directions on the packaging. Here are a few photos, too. I use the grommet to trace the inner circle (centered on my dot marking) and then with a sharp scissors I cut the circle out. 

Fill with some pencils and pens or markers, snap it into your binder and you’re all set! Water lily fabric is from my Driftless fabric collection.

The post Binder Pouch Tutorial appeared first on Noodlehead.

Another free pattern for you! I’m excited to finally share about the Forage Bag pattern I designed to go with my new fabric collection, Forage. I should have shared it a few weeks back, but better late than never, right?! I hope. After finalizing Forage, it was time to dedicate my efforts to designing this new pattern. I had so many ideas for different designs that it was hard to nail down just one. I guess that’s a good problem! Although, sometimes I wish I could make up my mind a little easier!

This is a sweet little set of bags with a zippered opening. It’s kind of like having an extra pocket instead of carrying a whole purse full of things you rarely use. Not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m heavily on the side of not carrying a lot of things with me. I like to travel light and not feel encumbered by a large bag or purse. Of course there can be exceptions to my own rule, especially for road trips and weekend getaways — so the Forage Bag is an ode to traveling light! It’s a fairly straightforward pattern that uses small amounts of fabric – which is always fun. It’s also perfect for mixing and matching your favorites. I love that! I think it’ll look amazing in so many fabric combos. I love that quality because sometimes you just want to sew! Agonizing over fabric selection isn’t what it’s all about anyway.

So be sure to stop over to the Robert Kaufman site to pick up your free copy of the pattern. It comes in two sizes, regular and mini. The regular size has a slip pocket inside, and the mini is perfect for a small wallet/phone and keys! Make sure to whip one up! Or two! I think they’d make a great present or treat yourself and make one for you!

As always, thank you for supporting my work. I could not do what I do without the support of all of you. Thank you!

Pattern: Forage Bag Pattern (thanks for your patience while the file was being updated, the file is now available for download)
Fabric: Forage fabric collection by me for Robert Kaufman Fabrics
Grommets: I highly recommend the Dritz brand grommets, pick them up at your local quilt shop or local craft supply store.
Zippers: 8″ zipper here, 6″ zipper here, Leather zipper pulls here

The post Forage Bag – Free Pattern! appeared first on Noodlehead.

Finally, right?! Eeek! I hope you find this tutorial fun and helpful!

Quite a few months ago I made these pencil pouches from the canvas fabrics in my collection for Cloud9 Fabrics, Rain Walk. So today I’m sharing the how-to and pattern template as a way of saying thank you to all who stop by my website, leave kind note, and are excited about sewing! I’m grateful for the community and fun and sharing!

Materials:

• 10″ zipper

• templates CLICK TO DOWNLOAD (print at 100%, no scaling)

• fat quarter – 18″ x 22″ cotton canvas for lining (I use an unbleached 9 oz. weight cotton canvas from my local Joanns, it’s perfect for showcasing all your pretty pencils and pens!)

• 6″ x 18″ main print (canvas/denim/twill)

• 6″ x 12″ accent fabric (canvas/denim/twill)

• 1/4 yard fusible woven interfacing (I prefer Pellon SF101 which is 20″ wide)

• zipper pull (optional) available here and here

Note about materials: If you choose to substitute a different fabric type than suggested, you may need additional interfacing for desired structure. Just sayin’.

All seam allowances 1/2″ unless otherwise noted. Seam allowance included in template.
RST=Right Sides Together, WST=Wrong Sides Together

Approx. finished size: 3 1/4″ tall x 10 1/2″ wide x 1 1/2″ deep

Cut:

(1) Main, (1 Main reversed)
(1) Accent, (1 Accent reversed)
(2) lining
(2) fusible woven interfacing – using lining template

A note on cutting: Because you’ll want the color blocking to reflect on each side of the zipper, make sure you cut the exterior pieces accordingly (reversed as directed), they’ll look like this:

*my exterior pieces in the following steps are shown without interfacing so as to hopefully better show the process.

Piece the exterior

1. Start by sewing the exterior together by placing the main print and accent fabric RST and sewing using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Press seam to one side and topstitch. Fuse woven interfacing to wrong side.
   

   
2. 

   Repeat to assemble remaining exterior panel.

   

Prepare the zipper

1. Bend zipper ends in place and sew (at both the pull side and end stop side).
   

   

   View from wrong side of zipper.

   

   View from right side of zipper.

Attach zipper

1. With assembled exterior panel right side up, center zipper right side facing down (zipper pull at left) along top edge. Pin in place.

   

2. Place one lining piece, right side down on top. Pin in place. Using your zipper foot, sew along top edge using a 1/4″ seam allowance.

   

3. Press exterior panel away from zipper and topstitch along zipper using an 1/8″ seam allowance.

   

4. Position exterior panel and lining panel WST. Press away from zipper.

   

5. Repeat 1-4 to attach remaining exterior panel and lining panel to remaining zipper side. This time placing zipper pull at right. Make sure your exterior panel seams match up at the same location as best you can.

   
   
   

Complete Pouch

1. Open zipper halfway!!!

2. Position exterior panels RST and pin along sides and bottom. Position lining pieces RST and pin along sides and bottom. Be sure that you place pins at the intersections of where the lining meets the exterior on each side of the pouch.

   

3. Sew around perimeter of exterior and lining leaving a 4″ opening at the bottom of the lining.

4. Press seam allowance open. If desired, trim lining seam allowance to 1/4″ except at opening.

   

5. Reach inside the pouch and wiggle the zipper open fully.

6. Box corners by pinching one bottom seam to match its corresponding side seam. Sew. Repeat for remaining 3 corners.

   
   
   

7. Turn pouch right side out through opening in lining.

8. Sew opening in lining closed (by machine or by hand)

9. Push lining into exterior and press along zipper edge. Tip: To get the pouch corners crisp, use your fingers to squeeze the seam allowance together at the side seam when the zipper is fully open. Use a chop stick or other dull instrument to poke out the corner on the metal end stop side. 

   

I hope you enjoy making some pencil pouches! They make such fun teacher gifts and of course my kids love theirs. If you want extra credit these would be an awesome companion to a Wool + Wax Tote. I also wanted to point out that this is just one way to install a zipper or make a pouch, believe me when I say there are many many more options! Check out my other tutorials and patterns if you’re interested in working with zippers or love to make pouches.

The post Canvas Pencil Pouch Tutorial appeared first on Noodlehead.

Yayyyyy! I’m sharing this fun (and free!) basket and tray pattern that I made up using Carolyn Friedlander’s new fabric collection for Robert Kaufman Fabrics – Euclid. It’s printed on gorgeous essex linen and I think it might be my favorite collection of hers yet.

I was dreaming up what project to make using Euclid and a basket kept coming to mind. The Euclid designs are perfect for home dec items, have you seen these gorgeous napkins? I definitely need some of those in my life. I think the basket and tray are so useful and you can never have too many places to hold all your favorite things, right?! Plus, this set is perfect for pairing up and displaying on your coffee table, dresser, or even in your sewing space. They’re so great for collecting and displaying small treasures. I especially like to think that the basket is perfect for yarn whereas the tray fits a small scissors, thread, and notions so nicely.

They’re a fun almost origami-like shape and the leather handles and rivets look so amazing. You could definitely sew fabric handles or get creative using thick wool felt and hand stitch them on. Either way, I hope you’ll use this free pattern and have some fun with it! I can’t wait to see what you make.

Pattern: Tiny Treasures Basket & Tray Pattern
Fabric: Euclid by Carolyn Friedlander (coming to shops in August!)

Let me know in the comments if you’d be interested in being able to purchase sets of leather for the basket or tray from my shop. Handles for the basket are now in my shop!

Have a great weekend!

The post Tiny Treasures Basket & Tray Free Pattern appeared first on Noodlehead.

Hope you had a great weekend! It’s definitely starting to feel like fall here and I couldn’t be more excited for all the fall activities.

I thought I’d share a quick how-to on making the baby quilt I made a few weeks ago. You can find the original post here. I do want to point out that there are probably many ways to make this quilt. I don’t believe one way is more correct than another, so if you’ve found something that works better for you, go for it. I wanted to make the best use of this 10-square (some manufacturers call this a layer cake, either way, it’s a grouping of 10″ squares) with minimal leftovers and without a lot of planning. Again, this 10-square is by Jennifer Sampou and it’s her Shimmer Coordinates 10-Square.What that means for me is that I made the quilt in a somewhat unconventional way in order to have the most variety among the blocks. Using what I believe to be a more a traditional method, you would have duplicate blocks, but with the small number of full squares in the 10-square, I knew I’d have to do some mixing and matching.

Start by making half square triangles (HSTs). Place two full squares right sides together. Using a ruler and pencil, mark a line diagonally across the top square.

Sew 1/4″ on both sides of the line. Cut on marked line.

Without picking up block, cut on the diagonal in the other direction. Press seams open. I didn’t plan out how many I made, instead I made 5-6 at a time (chain piecing) until I ran out of full squares to match them up with later on.

Now you’ll have units that look like this:

Place right sides together with a full square, being sure to grab two different HSTs (this is the key to getting the most variety). Align the cut HST to the outer edges of the full square. There will be about a 1″ gap between the two HSTs. Carefully pin the HSTs to the full square along the cut edge. Please note that where you are sewing the HSTs to the full square will be on the bias. Carefully pin and take your time to avoid stretching. Trim into two blocks using the HSTs raw edge as a guide for a 1/4″ seam allowance. Press seam open.

Keep going until you can’t make any more blocks. I had 3 blocks and maybe 4 HSTs leftover from my 10-pack after I finished my layout. Trim blocks to 9″ square aligning diagonal seam lines to ruler markings.

Lay out blocks in 6 rows of 6. Sew the blocks into rows. Press seams open. Sew rows together pressing seams open.

That’s it, your quilt top is finished! Hope this helps a bit for anyone who was curious. Let me know if you have questions, or if I’ve left anything out!

It’s a pretty quick quilt top! Finishes at approximately 51″ square.

The post ten-square quilt mini tutorial appeared first on Noodlehead.

I’m sharing a tutorial for the pincushions I featured a few weeks ago. My inspiration came from a classic quilt design, the Wagon Wheel and by the quilt pattern in Denyse Schmidt’s Modern Quilts Traditional Inspiration. I hope you’ll enjoy this tutorial and make a few for you and your friends!

Materials:

• scraps of quilting cotton

• polyester stuffing

• DOWNLOAD Template

From scraps, cut:

• (1) 1 1/4″ square

• (4) 1 1/4″ x 2 1/2″ rectangles

• (4) 2 1/2″ squares

• (1) 2″ tall x 13″ wide band

• (1) circle for bottom using template (not pictured below)

1/4″ seam allowance unless otherwise noted.

Instructions:

1. Fold band in half widthwise right sides together. Sew. Press seam open.

   

2. Mark band into quarters by first aligning seam and marking opposite folded edge within seam allowance on both top and bottom edges. Then open band and align previous markings and mark folded edges as before.

   

3. Sew patchwork top together, sewing right sides together into rows. Press seams open.

   

4. Sew rows together matching seams. Press seams open.

   
5. 

   Trim patchwork top to a circle by using template. Use markings as a guide to align to patchwork strips.

   
   

6. With right sides together, pin band to patchwork top aligning quarter markings. Add additional pins between quarter markings if desired. Sew around perimeter with band facing up.

   
   

7. Mark bottom piece into quarters by folding in half and marking at fold line. Open and refold in half the opposite direction aligning markings and mark at fold line.

   

8. Repeat Step 4 to attach bottom piece.

   

9. With a seam ripper, carefully open up seam in band. You’ll need to open the seam almost to the seam of the top and bottom circles.

   

10. Turn pincushion right side out.

11. Stuff with polyester stuffing (or combination filling of your choice – rice/beans/crush walnut shells add nice weight).

    

12. Sew opening in band closed by hand using a ladder stitch.

    
    

13. Press entire top and bottom of pincushion and shape pincushion by placing under a book overnight for a nice even pincushion.

Fabrics: Rain Walk (by me!), Curiosities by Jeni Baker,
Cotton + Steel Basics, Carolyn Friedlander (Architextures and Doe)

You can find Rain Walk at these fine shops!

Enjoy!

The post Wagon Wheel Pincushion Tutorial appeared first on Noodlehead.

A new free pattern, the Snappy Manicure Wallet!  I joined with Robert Kaufman fabrics again to produce a new free pattern for you! These showcase Ann Kelle‘s cute and fun prints! [This n That and Remix] It’s a little wallet specially designed for nail polish and a few manicure essentials. And it’s a snap to make!

I had a blast making a ton of these. One even made it’s way as a birthday party gift already. I think these would be perfect to pass along to your best friend or even your mom for Mother’s Day! They’d make awesome bridesmaids gifts, too. Can’t wait to make a few more!  Wouldn’t it be fun to make the exterior patchwork? so fun!

Visit Robert Kaufman to download the full pattern.

Enjoy!

The post snappy manicure wallet – free pattern appeared first on Noodlehead.

I am bursting at the seams happy about this new duffle pattern: the Cargo Duffle (click the link to be taken to the download page)!  The lovely folks at Robert Kaufman asked me to come up with a pattern that they could post on their website.  You know what that means, right?  It’s for YOU and it’s FREE!  I can see this pattern working with so many fabrics and it’s just the perfect size (if you ask me) for an overnight bag or carry on.

And those cute front pockets?!  Aren’t they awesome?!  I want to squish them.  So are you ready to make a Cargo Duffle?  It’s available now!  There is a downloadable PDF on the Robert Kaufman website and you can get busy and make your own!  Just in time for all the Holiday fun, too!

This duffle was made with the awesome new line by Carolyn Friedlander called Botanics.  I feel genuinely giddy over how awesome they are and couldn’t be happier with being able to sew with them.  Carolyn has this beautiful way with design and color, to me it’s pure heaven (on fabric that is).

I have a few more to show you, so stay tuned! Hurrah!

PS. in the pattern I call for a 26″ coverall zipper, they’re lovely because they zip from both ends.  I found the Coats & Clark ones at my local Hancock Fabrics.  I also use a YKK brand, Coverall 26″ Zipper.  The snaps are available in my shop,  size 24.  Oh, and I would be thrilled to see any you make!  You can add them to the Noodlehead flickr group or the Robert Kaufman flickr group or both!

The post Cargo Duffle Pattern for Robert Kaufman appeared first on Noodlehead.

I am in love with so many design blogs. I spotted Fellow Fellow making some paper versions of the classic strawberry basket, and I immediately wanted to make some. However, I’m a little lacking in the awesome paper department. But I do know where I’ve got a great selection of fabric! So I thought I’d share a tutorial for making a fabric berry basket. Now before you get all “You can’t put berries in there! Are you crazy?!” on me, just step back and think of all the storage possibilities!!! And don’t stop at my few size suggestions, play and make your own…lots!

Materials:

• 2 fat quarters (18″x 22″ pieces) or scraps

• one yard 1/2″ double fold bias tape (can be bias cut or straight on grain)- handmade or storebought

• *1/2 yard double sided fusible heavyweight interfacing (Pellon 72F is my top choice and works great)

• Large & Small Basket Pattern Piece [PDF Download] 

*if you don’t have any Pellon on hand try out another heavy weight fusible or use a combination of interfacings you prefer!

Instructions:
{1/4″ seam allowance used throughout}

From fabric:

• Cut two pieces, one from exterior fabric, one from lining.

From double sided fusible interfacing: Sizes noted on pattern sheet.

Place lining and exterior right sides facing. Sew pieces together along these lines:

Fuse on interfacing to center part only, fusing to only the exterior fabric.

Clip into inside corners corners.

Turn right side out.  Press!  Slip each of the remaining interfacing pieces into the 4 exterior sides. Press from both sides.  Topstitch along these lines:

Apply bias tape to top edges leaving a slight gap between each side section, if you want to be very precise you can do some measuring (a 1/2″ space between exterior sides looks nice), otherwise just eyeball it!

• Open up raw edges of binding tape

• Align with top raw edge of binding on the exterior of the basket. Fold edge of binding tape in by 1/2″.

• Sew along first fold line.  Overlapping at the beginning/end.

• Flip binding tape up and over to conceal top raw edge of the basket.  Topstitch binding in place.

I do recommend the larger size for someone who hasn’t had a great deal of experience applying binding.

That’s all, now make more.  Repeat until your entire house is filled then proceed to give as gifts.  If you make any fabric Berry Baskets, I’d love it if you would show them off in the flickr group!

The post fabric berry basket: DIY tutorial appeared first on Noodlehead.

Hi there!  Today I’m joining in the fun for Sewing Summit’s Travel Handmade series.  I’m really excited about getting to travel on my own, it’s been a while!  I hate to admit it, but usually for day trips and over-nighters I put my things in a plastic shopping bag.  So sad.  This little toothbrush/toothpaste case will be perfect though.  No more messy, wet or slimy tooth brushing equipment floating around my bag anymore!  It’s quick, easy, and cute!

Materials needed:

• bathroom hand towel, new or up-cycled (it would be so cute with a vintage printed towel!) you’ll have enough for at least 2 cases or more!

• 1/2″ double fold bias tape, store bought or handmade (I made mine by cutting bias strips 2.25″ wide), a yard will be more than plenty

• small scrap of fabric for button reinforcement

• button

• small length of ribbon

• walking foot is recommended!

Cut the pieces, you’ll need one case back and one pocket front as indicated:

Round the top two corners of the case back.
Make bias tape (unless using store bought).

Apply bias tape to top edge of front pocket. Open up bias tape.  Align raw edge of bias tape to raw edge of the front pocket.  Pin in place.  Sew along the first fold.  Flip bias tape around the back of the pocket covering the raw edge.  Stitch in place close to the inside fold.  Trim edges as necessary.

Lay front pocket on top of back case piece.  Sew a dividing line down the front (through both layers) if you wish to make a divided pocket (great for stashing a flossing stick or your toothbrush.  Place the length of ribbon at the top of the flap, sew in place.

Open up bias tape. Fold short edge of bias tape to the wrong side.  Pin in place.  Sew along the first fold around entire case, overlapping when the bias tape ends meet up.

Fold bias tape over, wrapping the raw edge, mitering the corners.  Stitch close to the inside fold of the bias tape around case.

Take a small scrap of fabric and tuck it behind where you’ll be sewing the button.  Hand sew button in place.  And that’s it!  To close the case, simply fold over the flap and wind the ribbon around the button.

Travel happy!

The post travel handmade: toothbrush & toothpaste case DIY tutorial appeared first on Noodlehead.

Please refer to the full tutorial HERE for step-by-step instructions and pictures. 

For the contrast bottom style pouches, simply cut two pieces of each measurement listed in the chart (right column) and sew together using a 1/2″ seam allowance.
So for the medium size pouch:
– Cut two pieces 4.5″ tall by 12″ wide and two pieces 5.5″ tall (the contrast bottom) by 12″ wide.
– Place one pouch top fabric right sides together with one contrast bottom fabric piece and sew along 12″ length using a 1/2″ seam allowance, thus making one exterior.
– Repeat with remaining fabrics to complete the back exterior.

– Cut 2 lining pieces as listed in second column.

Approximate Finished Dimensions (width and depth measured at base):
Small // 4.5″ H x 5″ W x 3.5″ D
Medium // 6″ H x 6.5″ W x 4″ D
Large // 8.5″ H x 8″ W x 4.5″ D

Fabrics: The Hello Kitty fabrics from the first post were purchased at fabric.com, seems like Hello Kitty is popping up a lot, so keep your eye open if you’re a fan (yip yip!)

The medium size pouch is patchwork using an Umbrella Prints Trimmings pack, if you’ve never seen their fabrics I suggest you check them out, all handprinted in Australia.  Love their basecloth and style.

The small pouch main fabric is handprinted by my friend Leslie who runs Maze & Vale, where she sells her handprinted fabric and goodies.  She’s hosting a handprinted fabric swap now which is really cool.

The bottom contrast band to all the pouches is Robert Kaufman cotton linen in denim purchased at Pink Chalk Fabrics.  Love this stuff, it’s like a favorite pair of jeans.

The yellow fabric (large pouch) is Pure Elements in Empire Yellow by Art Gallery Fabrics, believe me, you need every color.

Check out my shop for zippers:
10″ zipper available here

12″ zipper available here

14″ zipper available here

Happy sewing everyone!!!

If you’ve enjoyed this free tutorial, please stop by my pattern shop for lots of other projects to sew!

The post open wide zippered pouch tutorial size chart appeared first on Noodlehead.

Doesn’t it ever get annoying digging through a zippered pouch?  I love being able to see what’s inside and what I’m searching for.  I spotted this little pouch the other day and had to make something similar.

I also made a bunch of sizes, but today I’ll show you the small size, next time, I’ll share the medium and large sizes (not pictured) so you can make all three!

Materials:

• fabric, 1/4 yard would be plenty

• zipper, at least 10″ long or longer

• thread

• interfacing of your choice, I used Pellon 101SF, or skip it all together

• scrap for zipper end pull (leather pull available here, waxed cord pull available here)

** Update: three sizes chart post here. 

Directions:
(1/2″ seam allowance, unless otherwise noted)

(Optional) Fuse on or baste on interfacing of your choice to main exterior pieces.

Lay one exterior piece right side up, lay zipper (right side down) on top with the zipper pull at the left – aligning zipper tape edge to the raw edges of the top of the exterior piece.  Tuck in pull side zipper end, just bend it 90 degrees.  You may choose to sew it down, or just pin it in place like I did.  Make sure the metal bit of the zipper is just about 3/4″ away from the left edge.  Layer lining piece on top, right side down on top of zipper.  Pin and sew (using a zipper foot and a 1/4″ seam allowance), but not all the way to the end.

At about 1″ before the edge of the fabric, stop, backstitch, and then pull the zipper away from the seam, bending it down gradually out of the way, in toward the fabric.  The whole point is to pull it out of the way so it doesn’t get caught in the seam.  Continue stitching along the fabrics until the edge.

Flip so that the fabrics are wrong sides facing and press. Don’t topstitch this seam yet, we’ll be doing that later!

Lay the remaining exterior piece right side up, lay zipper (with fabrics attached) on top – right side down with the zipper pull at the right. Tuck in pull side zipper end, just bend it 90 degrees, just like before, making sure the metal bit of the zipper is just over 3/4″ away from the right edge this time. Lay lining piece right side down on top.  Pin.  Using the zipper foot and a 1/4″ seam allowance sew, but not all the way to the end just like before. 

Again, about 1″ before the edge of the fabric, stop, backstitch, and then pull the zipper away from the seam, bending it down, in toward the fabric.  Continue stitching along the fabrics until the edge.  Flip so that the fabrics are wrong sides facing and press. Do NOT topstitch along either side of the zipper at this point, we’ll be doing that in another step towards the end. This is what you’ve got so far:

Next. flip so that the exterior fabrics are right sides together and the lining pieces are right sides together (with the zipper hidden in the middle). 

Open the zipper at least half way at this point!  

Pin and sew around all edges leaving approximately a 4″ opening in the bottom (or side) of the lining.  You’ll be using a 1/2″ seam allowance.  Be sure to get close to the metal zipper ends on one side, and bending the zipper end down into the pouch on the other side making sure it doesn’t get caught in the seam.  

Box the corners by pinching each corner together and aligning each corresponding side/bottom seam, one corner at a time.  Use a ruler and water soluble marker to mark a line perpendicular to the side seam 3.5″ long.

Sew along that line, trim the seam allowance.  Do this for all four corners (two exterior, two lining).

Pull pouch right side out through the opening you left in the lining.  Tuck in raw edges of opening. Sew opening in lining closed using a small seam allowance by machine (sewing close to the fold as in the above picture) or hand stitch the opening closed.  Push lining into exterior.  Press around entire opening and carefully along the zipper.

Topstitch using a slightly longer stitch length (and taking your time) around the entire opening of the pouch.

Trim the zipper tail so that you have about 1″ of space past the pouch’s side (be careful not to accidentally slide the zipper pull off the zipper!).

For making the zipper pull tab, take a 2″x3″ piece of fabric.

Press all edges in by 1/2″, slip over zipper end.

Fold in half, sew around all four edges of the tab.

That’s it!  Enjoy your super functional pouch and have fun being able to find the things you need easily!!!

Ta-da!

The post open wide zippered pouch: DIY tutorial appeared first on Noodlehead.

This project is really fun because you can make it as simple or complex as you’d like and there’s really no rules, love that.  So for making a really fun customizable fabric tray read on…

I had made a tray earlier this year for my dad and I figured this would be a simple project to share!
This is a great project to make to combine with a few other goodies for a hostess gift, a gift for your not-so-organized husband as a place for him to set his glasses and wallet and spare change, or for a special friend.  Fill it with treats, magazines, recipes, anything works!  I’ve included dimensions to make three different sized fabric trays: pencil size (small), spare change size (medium), and magazine size (large).  This is also a great scrap busting project, so dig into your scrap bin and pull out your favs.  Enjoy!

Materials:
For small fabric pencil tray:

• 2 pieces of fabric 10″Wx6″T (this is where you can get as fancy or simple as you’d like, think of patchwork, quilt blocks, anything goes – just trim it down to this size)

• one piece cotton batting or fusible fleece 10″Wx6″T

• one piece peltex 7″Wx3″T stiff double side fusible interfacing (I used Peltex 72F, found at Walmart/joanns, etc.)

For medium fabric spare change tray:

• 2 pieces of fabric 12″Wx10″T

• one piece cotton batting or fusible fleece 12″Wx10″T

• one piece peltex 9″Wx7″T stiff double side fusible interfacing (I used Peltex 72F, found at Walmart/joanns, etc.)

For large fabric magazine tray:

• 2 pieces of fabric 16×15

• one piece cotton batting or fusible fleece 16×15

• one piece peltex 12×11 stiff double side fusible interfacing (I used Peltex 72F, found at Walmart/joanns, etc.)

Directions:
Fuse fleece to one of the main fabric piece (if using fusible fleece), fuse peltex centered onto the fabric you’ve selected for the bottom of your tray.

Layer batting (no need if you’ve already used fusible fleece), fabric for inside of tray RIGHT side up, fabric for bottom of tray RIGHT side down (see picture, the peltex is fused center, leaving the plastic layer on for now).

Pin.  Sew along all four edges using a 1/4″ seam allowance, but leaving a 3-4″ opening for turning (5″ opening for the large tray).  Clip corners.  Remove plastic film from peltex. Turn right side out, push out corners with a chopstick or other dull instrument.  Press, tucking the raw edges of the opening inside. Also press the peltex rectangle to fuse it to the tray interior.

Topstitch along all edges, thus closing the opening you left for turning.

Sew a rectangle along the edges of the peltex rectangle.  You’ll be able to feel the edge of it through the fabric, if not, sewing through it isn’t a big deal.  A water soluble pen might come in handy to keep your rectangle looking like a rectangle! You can even do more quilting at this point if you wish.

Pinch each corner at the edge of the peltex, bending the fabric up to meet at the edges.

Here you can either use floss (or even thread) and sew a few stitches through the two edges to hold them together.

Or you can pin them together and stitch straight up the corner you pinched (remembering to backstitch).  Repeat for the remaining 3 corners and you’re set!

Fill with whatever your heart desires and give that gift!!

I’d also like to note that there are a lot of similar projects out there, so if this isn’t your cup of tea, try one of these fab tutorials:

• fabric tray by chic chic sewing

• trinket tray by heather bailey

• fabric scrap basket by The Sometimes Crafter

• happy hostess gift box by Jennifer Casa for Sew Mama Sew

Or better yet, stop by my blog and check out all my tutorials and patterns, maybe you’ll find something else you just HAVE to make!  Thanks for having me Cindy!

[fabrics: linen, lizzy house 1001 peeps (blue), tula pink parisville (yellow), greenfield hill denyse schmidt (green)]

The post fabric tray tutorial appeared first on Noodlehead.

A few days ago I made a lovely little stack of diaper keepers.  I really wasn’t going to blog about it because I’ve made some before and of course I also made my own version with my diaper pouch tutorial a couple times, too:

But when as I was making them it made me realize that I can take a few scraps of fabric, sew them together, and make something that will be useful to 5 mothers (and possibly the dads too) for a long time to come.  Isn’t that great to think of sewing that way?

Before the fabric was just sitting on my shelf and now it’s a stack of diaper keepers that are so handy for anyone’s diaper bag.  Quick, easy, and fun project, oh and for these I used Diary of a Quilter‘s tutorial here.  Love them!  See?  Sewing doesn’t have to be fancy or artsy or whatever, it can be what you want it to be.  And these are a mom’s necessity in my world.

Fabrics: Amy Butler Lotus, Cloud 9 My Happy Nursery and Cut Out & Keep, Alexander Henry Farmdale

Little wood toy cars blogged here.

The post sewing is great appeared first on Noodlehead.

Okay, I had a few requests for more information on my quilt that I made for my own bed.  It’s a pretty awesome use of fabric – there’s virtually no remaining scraps and you’ve got yourself a queen sized quilt when you’re finished.  It’s actually just a few inches shy of a standard size queen quilt (which is 86″ x 93″), but I just layer my quilt on top of our existing duvet, so for me it doesn’t have to be exact.

The quilt measures 85″ wide by 87″ tall.  You’ll need the following cuts of fabric to make the quilt top:

2.5 yard cut for center panel – labeled #1
1/2 yard cut for small borders (blue fabric in my quilt) – labeled #2
2 yards for large outside border (yellow fabric in my quilt) – labeled #3

Cutting:

• For the center panel simply trim off the selvage edges.

• Cut 4 small border print pieces 4.5″ wide by width of fabric (about 44″), depending how your fabric shop cuts fabric, you may or may not have enough, so either adjust it to 4″ wide or get 5/8 yard

• Cut 4 large outside border cut 18″ wide by width of fabric

I should note that you probably won’t want to use fabric that has a directional print (that is a specific upward facing pattern) for the borders just because of the way they’re cut (your print would be facing sideways if you did).

Sew border strips together using 1/4″ seam, then sew the borders to the center panel.  That’s all!  And sorry if this is insulting to all the fabulous quilters out there.  I just hope this might encourage those who wanted to give a large quilt a try!

Here’s a little roundup of some great quilting tutorials*, and mostly how I learned what I know about quilting:

• Crazy Mom Quilts – Binding Tutorial

• Red Pepper Quilts – Machine Binding Tutorial

• Oh, Fransson! – Making a Quilt Sandwich Tutorial

• Tallgrass Prairie Studio – Straight Line Quilting Hints and Tips

So thank you ladies for sharing your wealth of knowledge with us, I truly appreciate it!
*oh, and definitely feel free to share any other quilting tutorials/tips in the comments.

Have a great weekend everyone!

The post the inside scoop – my quilt appeared first on Noodlehead.

So honored that Kathleen asked me to join in on the fun of free pattern month.  There has been so many awesome patterns already, and hopefully you’ll find this one handy for summer.

I scored lots of madras last week for $2 a yard and couldn’t think of a better project than a fun and functional summer tote.

There’s always room in your collection for another bag, right?!  I hope so.

The best part is that the exterior and lining of the bag is made with 1/2 yard cuts, so I think in total my bag cost me around $8, not to shabby.  Plus I won’t feel bad kicking it around at the library, ice cream shop, and around town.

With two exterior front pockets my super important stuff won’t ever get lost at the bottom of the bag, and this tote is a big one.

Materials:

• 1/2 yard exterior

• 1/2 yard lining

• 1/2 yard cotton canvas – used as interfacing

• cotton webbing for handles, I have 1.5″-wide available in my shop, or 1″-wide webbing (both widths available natural and black by-the-yard)

• small strip of straight grain double fold bias tape, you can make it yourself with a piece of scrap!

• size 14 needle

Cut:
2 pieces of each exterior, lining, and canvas to 17″ wide by 16.5″ tall.
1 piece of each exterior, lining, and canvas to 17″ wide by 9″ tall
1 piece for the bias tape 17″ wide by 2.5″ tall
2 – 24″ pieces of cotton webbing

[1/2″ seam allowance included unless otherwise noted]

Prepping the exterior pocket:

Start by making the bias tape strip.  You’ll need to fold it in half lengthwise WRONG sides facing, open up, turn raw edges to pressed line and press again.

Take the three pocket pieces (exterior, lining, and canvas) and place them WRONG sides facing with the canvas in the middle.

Open up the bias tape, pin along top edge of pocket. Sew along first crease line.

Fold the bias tape over to the back (lining) side of the pocket and sew again close to the edge.

Baste along remaining edges of pocket piece.  Set aside.

Assembling exterior:

Place one piece of exterior fabric on top of one piece of canvas.  Then place the assembled pocket piece exterior facing up on top.

Sew down the middle of the pocket piece, marking a line with a water soluble pen if desired.  This creates your divided pocket.  You might also want to do a few stitches across the top just to reinforce the pocket.

Now place the remaining exterior piece RIGHT side down, then the remaining canvas piece of top of that.  Pin along both sides and bottom edge.  Sew along all three edges.

Now stick your hand inside the bag and pinch the bottom corner so that the side and bottom seams are aligned.  With your water soluble pen mark a line that is 2″ from the tip of the corner, perpendicular to the seam.  Sew along that line.

Clip corner.  Repeat for remaining corner.

Assemble lining:

Place lining pieces RIGHT sides together.  Pin.  Sew along both sides and bottom leaving a 5″ opening along the bottom edge for turning. Again as with the exterior, stick your hand inside the bag and pinch the bottom corner so that the side and bottom seams are aligned.  With your water soluble pen mark a line that is 2″ from the tip of the corner, perpendicular to the seam.  Sew along that line.  Clip corner.  Repeat for remaining corner.

Handles:

Align the raw edges of each handle with the raw edges of the top of the tote.  Baste in place so that the handles are 5″ apart.

Finishing the tote:

Slip the exterior into the lining piece RIGHT sides facing.  Sew around top opening of the tote.  Turn right side out through the opening you left in the lining.  Tuck in raw edges of lining and sew shut using a small seam allowance.  Push lining into the exterior and press along the top edge.

Sew two rows of top stitching along the top edge.  I suggest using a slightly larger stitch length for top stitching.

Sling it on your shoulder and you’re ready for a fun summer!  Thanks so much for having me Kathleen.

The post summer madras tote pattern appeared first on Noodlehead.

So honored to join in on the fun of free pattern month today at Grosgrain.  There has been so many awesome patterns already, and hopefully you’ll find this one handy for summer.

I scored lots of madras last week for $2 a yard and couldn’t think of a better project than a fun and functional summer tote.

There’s always room in your collection for another bag, right?!  I hope so.

The best part is that the exterior and lining of the bag is made with 1/2 yard cuts, so I think in total my bag cost me around $8, not to shabby.  Plus I won’t feel bad kicking it around at the library, ice cream shop, and around town.

With two exterior front pockets my super important stuff won’t ever get lost at the bottom of the bag, and this tote is a big one.

Find the full pattern and how-to on Grosgrain HERE!

The post summer madras tote pattern appeared first on Noodlehead.

I first want to say thank you to Dana and Rae for hosting such an awesome event.  If you haven’t been indulging in all the fun already, go check out both of their blogs for lots of great inspiration.  There has already been so many great ideas!

Today I’m sharing a basic boys wallet tutorial because…

every boy

needs a place

to keep his stuff!

So I know, you’re probably thinking, ‘What? She has two girls, how’d she get in the mix?!’  Well, I pretty much slipped Dana a twenty and told her I just had to join in on the fun.  But really, I think there’s a part of me that really clicks with all things boy. So here I am, onward with the tutorial…

It’s a great time of year to make these wallets.  All the fall suiting fabrics are on sale this time of year, and you’ll only need a 1/4 yard of your main fabric (and have plenty leftover to make more).

Materials:

• 1/4 yard fall suiting fabric (tweed, plaids, etc., usually made from wool and/or synthetic materials)

• 1/4 yard lining fabric

• scrap of leather (optional)

• rivets, grommet (optional)

• scrap of medium weight fusible interfacing

{1/4″ seam allowance throughout unless otherwise noted}

Cutting the pieces:
From the exterior fabric:
– cut one piece 8.5″ wide by 4″ tall
From lining fabric:
– cut 1 piece 8.5″ wide by 4″ tall (this is the wallet lining piece)
– cut 1 piece 8.5″ wide by 3.75″ (this is the card holder lining piece)
– cut 1 piece 8.5″ wide by 9.75″ tall (this is for the card holder slots)

Assembling lining:

To create the card holder pockets, take the 9.75″ tall lining piece:

Fold it like an accordion (as you can see in the side view of the above picture). Measuring starting from the top, fold the fabric up at the 2.25″ mark, fold fabric down 1.5″ (from the previous fold), up 2″(from the previous fold), down 1.5″ (from the previous fold).  The finished piece will measure 3.75″ tall by 8.5″ wide. Press.

Next, sew 2 rows of stitching down either side of the middle of the card holder fabric spaced approximately 3/4″ apart.

Align top edges of  one 8.5″ by 3.75″  piece with top edge of card holder piece, right sides facing. Sew.

Position fabrics WRONG sides facing, press.

Topstitch along top edge. You should now have four card slots.

Baste this assembled piece to the RIGHT side of the wallet lining piece (4″ tall piece) with the card slots facing you, aligning raw edges at bottom.

Assembling wallet:

Fuse interfacing to WRONG side of exterior fabric.

Place lining assembly and exterior piece RIGHT sides facing.

Sew around all edges using 1/4″ seam allowance leaving a 3″ opening for turning.  Clip corners.  Press.

Topstitch around entire wallet, I use a chopstick to get really close around the corners, it helps grab onto the feed dogs of your sewing machine.  You’ll be sewing close to the top of the pocket, but be sure not to catch the pocket (with wallet slots) when topstitching. Press.

Add any embellishment, grommets, leather, rivets. Follow my pictorial grommet directions:

That’s it.  It’s a pretty basic wallet, so mix up your fabrics, try something new, and get creative!  Enjoy.

The post celebrate the boy tutorial: basic boys wallet appeared first on Noodlehead.

valentine window garland | vintage hankie pillow covers | love mail valentines

The post last minute valentine projects appeared first on Noodlehead.

I’m super excited to be guest blogging over at Elsie Marley today!

Please jump on over and check out the full tutorial here. 

Tell Meg I said hi!

The post vintage hankie pillow cover tutorial appeared first on Noodlehead.