zippered keychain clutch

usually i don't mind doing laundry...but i hate having to trek around with all my stuff only to realize that i forgot quarters.  and i'm the only one with a key to the laundry area which means if i'm not home my boyfriend can't do laundry, not that he would anyway lol.  so i decided to make a little pouch to hold quarters that i could also keep on a keychain with the key to the laundry room.

Supplies:

-(2) 5"x4" pieces of outer fabric

-(2) 5"x4" pieces of lining fabric

-(1) 4" zipper

-interfacing

Optional: 3/4" D-ring and 1.5"x2" piece of lining fabric

attach/fuse interfacing to outer fabric as directed.  to attach the zipper, lay a piece of the lining right side up, line the zipper along the top 5" side right side up, and lay the outer fabric on top right side down.  pin and sew. 

    

 repeat for the other side of the zipper and press.  

if you want you can topstitch along the zipper and add the D-ring.  if you add topstitching pull the lining fabric to the opposite side so that you only catch the seams.  

stitch the D-ring in place 1/2-1" below the zipper.  

next flip it inside out by pulling the right sides of the lining together and the right sides of the outer fabric together.  make sure you pull the zipper toward the lining fabric.  pin and sew all the way around leaving a small 2-3" opening on the bottom of the lining fabric.  

flip it all right side out and press.  you can slip stitch the opening shut or just use your machine.  tuck the lining back inside and press again.  

and that's it!!  this little pouch is large enough to fit change and cash handy on quick outings.  it's a great way to use up scrap fabric and it comes together really quickly-it took me less than 30 minutes to make this one and i was fairly distracted by watching Bones.

i hope everyone had a good weekend!!

bird print cosmetic pouch

i used the pattern here and mostly followed the tutorial.  i made the larger one first following the instruction but i decided that i didn't like how the zipper went all the way down the bottom of the pouch.  there's not really a 'lip' to keep your stuff from falling out when you open it.  so when i made the smaller one i decided to cover the ends of the zipper forming a lip.  when you do this, you only need a 6" zipper for the small one (the instructions say a 14" for both sizes).  the downside to the covered zipper is that it becomes practically impossible to topstitch around the zipper.  if you cover the zipper, i'd recommend sewing one side and cutting the notches before moving on the other.

you don't really need to follow all the instructions when installing the zipper-i basically just sandwiched my zipper between the fabric, pinned the beginning, middle, end, and sewed it all together.  then i cut the notches.

enter the giveaway here for a chance to win one for yourself!!

bird print cosmetic pouch giveaway!!

yay my first giveaway!!

i'm giving away this gray/citron bird print pouch, you can find more about it here.

and some guidelines:  i am shipping the pouch for free via USPS so the giveaway is open to US residents only sorry!!  the giveaway will end June 9th and i will contact the winner by email.  the winner will have 48 hours to respond with a mailing address before i choose another winner.

good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ereader sleeve tutorial

a while back i convinced my boyfriend that ereaders would be a good investment (we both read a lot and while we also enjoy the feel of having a 'real' book it does add up).  i mean i still have shelves of books at my parents house...also some in storage...and some here.  so i figured with an ereader i could condense all of those books into one sleek little device.  so we did some research and decided to go with the sony ereader-mostly because of the open sourcing.  they're not as stringent as the other ereaders about where you get your ebooks from, in fact we've downloaded books from places other than the sony store and they still work.

on the downside, they're not as popular and it can be reeeally hard to find accessories.  if you can find a sony sleeve that fits they're awesome-the sleeves have these little prongs that fit perfectly into the these holes on the top and bottom of the device.  so you don't have to worry about the little corners like other ereader sleeves.  it's pretty convenient and very book-like, plus mine has a built in light.  but my boyfriend wasn't so lucky.  for whatever reason, sony discontinued the sleeve for his ereader so he's been trying to find one months.  so i decided to make him one.  bunny inspired of course.

 ignore the wrinkles i was waiting for the iron to heat up so i took photos instead...  so i left the loop off the top left corner because that's where the power switch is.  i also made the top right loop a bit 'lower' so that it'd be easier to get the stylus in/out.  and i added a pocket just for a dash of color.  ah the glory of making your own accessories-they're totally customizable.



if you're interested in making your own here's a brief tutorial-i'm not including measurements since there are so many different sizes of ereader.

okay so the photo on the left is the pattern:  the top 3 narrow pieces form the loops in each corner to secure your ereader (you can use 4 instead).  the next row of pieces forms the interior of the sleeve-the pocket is optional.  and the bottom row forms the exterior of the piece.  you could use one solid piece for the exterior but i added extra top stitching to the middle piece to emphasize the 'spine' of the sleeve.  i also added 3 rows of topstitching to the back of the sleeve just cause.  the photo on the right shows what the interior/exterior should look before sewing them together.  right sides together, sew around all the edges leaving a 3-4 inch opening on the bottom front edge.  flip right side out, press, and slip stitch shut.  i used interfacing on the exterior pieces and also some polyester batting.

if you plan on making your own i'd recommend making it a bit wider than you think you need-the first one i made was about an inch too short when closed:/

the front is looking a little plain so i may paint a white bunny in the corner...or as my boyfriend wants...a dragon bunny.  because that's exactly what the world needs...dragon bunnies...