Sew Practical: Quilted Water Bottle Carrier

Knowing how to sew means you can create those little items you can use everyday out of fabric you like and in sizes that work best for you.  Here is another one of those little items that I learned to make and now I can whip one up in a half hour or so (which is great if you lose water bottles like I do).  This same idea can work with a lot of sizes of bottles and have shorter straps for kids.  This bottle carrier will hold many standard size manufactured bottles, but if you want one to fit a specific bottle, you can alter the pattern by using the circumference of the bottom of the bottle and its height as a guide.  Here is the pattern I used to make mine.  I borrowed heavily from this pattern from ilovefabric.com.

You need:

2 pieces of fabric 12" x 10.5" (I use home decorating fabric.)

1 piece of batting 10.5" x 9.5"

2 fabric circles 4" in diameter

1 batting circle 3" in diameter

1 strip of fabric 3.5" x 50" for adult size strap (Use 42" long for child)

The 2 main pieces of fabric can be the same design or if you want to have a coordinating fabric as a liner, you can use 2 different fabric designs (which is what I did on this bottle carrier). 

As a cheat, you can use a roll of duct tape or other circle to get that circle pattern. 

You can use twill tape or heavy ribbon for the strap.  I chose to use the coordinating fabric because I think the straps hold up better.  If your strap fabric isn't 50" long, don't worry - here's how to piece strips.  Take two pieces of fabric and lay them perpendicular with right sides together.  Sew a line diagonal across the area where the pieces intersect and then cut the selvage.

Taking your new 50" strip, sew the ends under and then fold the long side in half, right sides of fabric facing each other.  Sew a seam with a 1/4" seam allowance from end to end, leaving the ends open on either end of the strap. 

Using a safety pin attached to one end of the strap as a guide, turn the inside of the strap out so the right side of the fabric is showing.  Iron the seam.  At this point you can topstitch the lengths of the strap if you wish.  That gives the strap a flat look.

Next, lay the 2 main fabric pieces, right sides together and sew a 5/8" seam along the top (one of the 12" sides).  Iron the seam open.  (This would have been an ideal place to sew the strap onto the main fabric by placing either end of the strap between the outer and lining fabrics with about 1-2" of strap sticking out when you put the outer and lining fabrics right sides together.  The ends of the straps should be about 2" from either side of the fabrics.  You would then sew the ends of the straps to the wrong side of the liner fabric.  I didn't so it that way, so I'll continue with instructions for the straps sewn on top of the liner fabric.)

Pin the batting to the wrong side of the outer fabric.  This will hold it temporarily as you get started on quilting.  If you didn't already sew the straps onto the fabric, sew them onto the right side of the lining fabric, about 1-2" from the edges.  Be sure you are only sewing onto the lining fabric so the seams don't show through on the outer fabric.

Fold the lining fabric over the batting so the right side of the liner fabric is showing.  Topstitch along the top, right next to the seam you sewed to join the outer and inner fabrics.

Starting at the topstitch line, sew straight lines (about 1.5" apart) to the open bottom so the batting is evenly quilted.  Don't worry if you are sewing over the portions of the strap that are already sewn on.  I wish I knew the name of the tool, but see the metal doohickey in the picture to the right of the presser foot?  It has a bar that attaches to the machine and acts as a guide for sewing straight lines equidistant from each other.  You can also draw lines using a fabric marking pen (ink disappears).  Once you finish, if your batting is sticking out at the bottom, trim it back and sew the bottom closed. (Don't worry that the wrong sides are together and the seam shows.)

Take the circle pieces, right sides together, and sew around the circumference, leaving a 2" opening.  Turn inside out:

Gently insert the circle batting into the opening.  Hand sew the opening closed and then sew the circle with seams like a pie - 4 seams in all.

Take the main bottle piece and fold it in half WRONG sides together.  You will use a French seam to make the circular shape, and that is a two-step process.  First sew a narrow (1/4") seam along the raw edges to join the sides.

Now turn the tube inside out and sew another seam on the same edge, this time using a 5/8" seam allowance.  That will have the effect of "capturing" the first seam in a way that looks really clean.

Now you're ready for the hardest part - sewing the circular bottom on the open end of the tube.  Carefully pin the circle onto the bottom of the inside-out tube (striped side in the pictures).  Slowly sew it onto the bottom of the tube.  You can also hand sew it on if that is easier for you.

This is what it looks like when it's done.  It's not pretty, but it's the inside of the bottle carrier.

Turn your bottle carrier inside out and you're done!

cindy

Sew Practical: Drawstring Backpack

This pattern can now be found in my Etsy store, Pretty Home Threads.  Just click Drawstring Bag Sewing Pattern to go directly to the post.

Be sure to check out all kinds of items for home and baby at Pretty Home Threads on Etsy!  Thanks for your support of small handmade businesses!

Sew Practical - Essential Oil Sachets

Did you know I sell Scentsy products?  I have my own website at www.straddlingthegap.scentsy.us so you can order for delivery to your house anywhere - no need to have a local party.  If you are a Scentsy user without a local consultant, it's a great option. Anyway, I'm always looking for ways to extend good smells wherever I am, including places where melted wax and electrical outlets might not be practical.  Today I'm combining my favorite smells through Scentsy with a little practical sewing to make sachets scented with Scentsy essential oils.  Oh, you didn't know Scentsy sells oils and diffusers?  Get over to my Scentsy website and check it out!

These sachets are so easy to make.  You just need some scrap fabric, a bit of ribbon, uncooked rice, scented oil and a plastic bag or bowl to mix.  I used Scentsy Lavender Orange Blossom.  Mix about 1 cup of rice to 6-8 drops of oil.

   

To make the heart sachets, you just need two pieces of cotton fabric about 3" x 5".  My hearts are the same fabric on both sides, but you can use different fabrics.  Because you will be cutting these without a pattern, it also doesn't matter the exact size.  Fold each piece of fabric in half with the right side showing.

 

Slide one of the pieces inside the other, and using pinking shears, start from the bottom left (folded) side and cut to the right on a diagonal until you get near the top right and then curve back around to make the middle of the heart.  When you finish and pull the fabric pieces apart, it will look like this.  Unfold to reveal two identical hearts.

Every heart looks a little different (which is why you cut two pieces simultaneously) and you can practice with paper to get it just the way you want.  Using the pinking shears gets you that jagged edge look, but if you don't have any, just use regular scissors and you will have ragged edges.  Place the hearts on top of each other, wrong sides together, and cut a piece of ribbon about 14".  There is nothing special about this length, other than if you want to hang one of these from your car mirror, you will need that length or more.  You also don't need a ribbon if you don't want to hang the sachet.  Pin the ends of the ribbon inside the heart.

Now you're ready to sew.  You will be sewing on the right side and need to leave a hole to fill the heart.  I've found it easiest to begin sewing from the left top corner, so when you come around and leave the top of the left "hump," it's easy to open and fill.

As you come down to the center where your ribbon is pinned, go about 3 stitches past the center and stop.

Backstitch 3 stitches to the center again, lift the presser foot and pivot the heart so your presser foot will be facing the upper right portion of the heart.  Now backstitch 3 stitches and then stitch forward around the right side of the heart all the way to the other side, leaving about a 2 inch opening.

If you're wondering why you did all that backstitching stuff where the ribbon goes into the heart, this secures the ribbon with several stitches and allows you to pivot with a little decorative X.  Now you are ready to put the scented rice in the heart.  Don't fill it too much or you won't be able to use the sewing machine to close the heart.  Sew the gap closed and you're done!

These little sachets are great in clothes drawers, hanging in the car, on door knobs or closets.  They also make nice gifts.  As a Scentsy consultant, they are a great way to "sample" the oils for customers.

cindy

Sew Practical - Decorator Dishtowels

About a week ago I told you about the terrycloth I bought that just didn't make the grade for my baby burp cloths in my Etsy store.  I already made some simple dish cloths, but I really wanted to try some dish towels.  You can find plenty of DIYs on dishtowels, but I had only a few simple requirements - a generous size of about 15" x 26"; and because of the quality of the terrycloth, finished edges to prevent fraying.

For each towel you will need:

Terrycloth  15" x 26"
Cotton Fabric  6" x 18"
Contrasting fabric for bias tape.  I used a home decorator fabric, which is slightly heavier weight.

Position the cotton fabric on top of the terrycloth about 4" from the bottom.  The cotton piece should extend beyond the edges of the terrycloth 1 1/2" on each side.  Fold the long edges of the cotton piece under 1/2".  Press and pin down.  Topstitch in a contrasting color thread, or use a piece of ric-rac or other trim over the edge or peeking out from under the cotton fabric.

On the short sides of the cotton piece, fold 1/2" under, and then fold a 1" hem to the other side of the terrycloth and sew on the opposite side.  

Next, create the 2 1/2" wide bias tape.  There are many tutorials on creating bias tape, but the main thing you need to know is that cutting fabric on the bias is just cutting on the diagonal.

To combine the bias strips, sew at right angles and then trim:

Apply the bias tape around the perimeter of the dish towel, including over the areas of the cotton fabric.

And there you have it - pretty decorator dish towels!

cindy

Sew Practical - (Very) Simple Dishcloths

One of my favorite fabric places is SAS Fabrics in Phoenix.  I call it the "warehouse o'fabric." It is not much to look at as a store, but the fabrics (and every notion you can imagine) is there.  Recently, I dropped by hoping to find some white terrycloth for the baby burp cloths and wash cloths I make and sell in my Etsy store, Pretty Pretty Cindy.  I did find some terrycloth, but when I brought it home, it just wasn't a high enough quality for my burp cloths.  With several yards of this terrycloth, I decided to make some dish cloths and dish towels.  These aren't fancy, but certainly prettier than rags, right?

I started by cutting the terrycloth in 9" squares.  Because of the quality of the terrycloth, any finished item will require some type of binding along the edges.  I picked a blanket stitch and lengthened and widened the stitch.  If this sounds unfamiliar, this is typically an adjustment you make on your sewing machine.  Play around with the stitch size on scrap fabric until you get what you want.  Using the blanket stitch and some colorful thread, I stitched around the perimeter of the square 5/8" from the edge.

Once you have stitched all the way around, trim the excess right up to the stitch.

And that's it!  If you want more color on each cloth, you can use a different color in the bobbin.  I used this opportunity to finish some thread I had leftover on bobbins from different projects.

They aren't fancy, but I really like the cute pop of color on these little dish cloths.  I still have more terrycloth, so next I'm turning my attention to some dish towels.

cindy

Sew Practical - Quilted Glasses Case

One of the best things about sewing is being able to make little items for yourself and your friends.  Here's the sunglasses case I made last weekend:

Materials:

2 pieces  10" x 10" fabric (outside and lining)

1 piece 9" x 9" polyester batting or fusible fleece

1-2" sew on Velcro

This is a simple project and the perfect opportunity to try some simple quilting.  For my fabric I used a light blue linen for the inside lining and a Waverly home decorating fabric which holds up well for the outside.  Home decorating fabric isn't cheap, but you can find plenty of remnants at JoAnns or Hobby Lobby for a dollar or two for projects of this size.  I also used a 9 x 9" piece of batting, although it would have been fine at 8" square.  You can also use fusible fleece if you don't want the bulk.

Pin the fabrics right sides together and center the batting on top of them.  Using a zig-zag stitch, sew around the perimeter, leaving a 2-inch opening to turn the piece inside out.

Cut the seam allowances close, clip the corners and turn inside out.  Close the opening with hand stitching.  This is the outside fabric.  The lining fabric is on the other side.

I decided to quilt diagonal lines, so measuring from corner to corner, I marked dots every 1.5" with a fabric pen (disappearing ink).  

 Using a walking foot and a quilting guide (that little bar thing that sticks into the walking foot), I used a "quilting" stitch on my machine and sewed mostly straight lines diagonally every 1.5" inches.  If you can get the first line across the center diagonal straight, you can use it and the metal guide to sew the subsequent lines the same distance and angle.  

Once the lines in one direction are completed, turn the piece and sew the other lines diagonally across the lines you just sewed.  Use the bar as a guide.  See how I ran the metal guide over the previous stitch to get the right placement for the next stitch?

Once you finish the quilting, turn the piece over so the lining is facing up.  Fold the fabric as shown below and note the location of the fold.  Separate the Velcro (one side is hook, the other is eye).  each Velcro side 1" to the right and left of the fold respectively, and hand sew the Velcro in place about 1/4 - 1/2" from the top of the fabric.

Fold the piece back so the outside fabric faces inside.  Sew around two sides, clip the corners, and turn inside out.  It will be bulky and your stitches may get strained, so be sure to use a thread that has a nice contrast like the blue I used.

And there you have it!  I'm looking forward to trying this again and being a little more precise perfect.  The best part of doing this type of project is that it takes very little fabric or time and gets better every time the basic pattern is repeated.  If you are one of those perfectionist types, make several of these and give them away - they make great little personal gifts.

cindy