Tuesday, February 10, 2009

A Tuesday Tutorial (On Wednesday.)

It's here! The very first of our monthly Tuesday Tutorials!
I know, you're reading this on Wednesday. It took me a bit longer than I had originally anticipated to get it all together. But, it's all here, ready for you to follow to create this cute little thing here:



A scrappy Embroidery Scissor Pocket.*


It is cute, simple and extremely functional. (In addition to making a sweet birthday or Christmas gift!) You may not be like me, but when I am embroidering or hand sewing, my tiny scissors have a tendency to wander. Anywhere but where I want them to be, like under me or what I am working on, caught in the folds of the bed clothes or slipped behind the TV remote on the table. To solve this problem, I made a little pocket that hangs about my neck and holds my scissors at the ready. Without the need to search high and low or receive an unwelcome poke in the bottom.
What you will need:
Various fabric scraps
Thread
Pins
Fabric glue
Embroidery floss
Buttons
Scraps of wool felt (or acrylic)

This is the template you will use to cut out your pocket pieces. Just right click and Save As "template". It will print as a photo and you will want to adjust it to a custom size- 6x8. This will give you the proper pattern size with 1/4 inch seam allowances.

The hardest part of this project is choosing your fabric.

I hope that you keep your tiny scraps, because that is all you will need for this project!



Choose five or six compatible scraps, about 1 inch wide and varying lengths (no smaller than 3 inches wide.) Strip piece these scraps together in two groups using a scant 1/4 inch seam. Spray with starch and press seams in one direction.



Pin template to each section and cut out on the solid lines to create the front and back.


Cut two pieces from a lining fabric. You will not see this as it will be enclosed in the pocket. But for photos, I had to use something pretty.



Lay your scrap pieces and linings WRONG sides together. Run a stitch line across the top of each section, to prevent the scissors from poking through.



You will have a little sandwich that will look like this. (Oops, I took this before I stitched across.)



Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, stitch around the sides and bottom of the pocket.




Cut 1 strip of fabric 1 1/2 inches wide by 14 inches long for binding. Fold in half, press, turn in sides and press. Stitch the binding by machine or by hand along the sides first, trimming at the ends. Stitch binding along the bottom, making certain to fold the fabric at the sides and stitching it together for a clean edge.


Your pocket will now look like this. Cute, huh?




To finish the top binding, unfold it and sew a 3/4 inch straight buttonhole, lengthwise, in the center. Repress the binding and attach to the top as you did on the bottom, being sure to fold in the sides. (If you are attaching the binding by machine, sew from the edge to the beginning of the buttonhole, stop, move the needle to the opposite side of the buttonhole and begin to stitch again.) The buttonhole is where the scissors will sit. Hand stitch the sides of the top binding to keep them sharp.

For the flower embellishments:

Cut three flower shapes from white wool felt.



Embroider a tiny blanket stitch around the outside edge, using two strands of embroidery floss and attach a button to the center of each flower. Cut three leaves from green wool felt and stitch on the flowers. Attach flowers and leaves in a group on one side of the pocket with fabric glue. Allow to dry.




To make the cording:

Measure the length that you would like your pocket to hang and cut two coordinating colors of baby ric-rac that length. (It will vary from person to person.) Keeping the ric-rac flat, begin weaving the two colors together, pressing flat as you go. Or, you could use a length of 1/4 inch grosgrain or satin ribbon.



Attach to the back of the pocket with a sturdy stitch and cover with a button, if desired. Buttons are always a welcome addition to any sewing project, I think.




And voila!! You are done. Wear your Embroidery Scissor Pocket the next time you start a project and you will never sit on or misplace your scissors again.
You may find you want to wear it all the time, it's that cute!

3 comments:

Colleen - the AmAzINg Mrs. B said...

This is adorable! I think it would also be cute a little bigger to hold my glasses..Hmm..what do you think??

PamKittyMorning said...

This is super duper cute. Love the fabrics.

Amy Ellen said...

This is cute. I like the idea. There are times I am sitting on the couch or in a chair and do not have somewhere to put scissors. Cute little idea!!