I know that you all thought this day would never come. That I had teased you and run away from the blogging world. Well. Maybe I came close. And school started back, which means my free time is close to zero right now. I have 27 fifth grade students who command my attention right now, which is a bit more pressing than sewing cute lil' owls. Maybe not as relaxing, but definitely more in-my-face.
So--On to the the tute! (I really am bothered by the addition of that "e". Anyone else? No? Just me then.)
Step the first: Gather the following materials:
- An old, crapped out tape measure
- A pair of scissors you aren't terribly partial to
- Scrap batting (you'll need a 7"x11" rectangle)
- Pouch fabric (fat quarters are great!)
- Scrappy fabric bits for the owl
- Some stabilizer if you have thin fabric or you are OCD about your applique
- Duct Tape--and don't waste your pretty stuff on this project!
Step the second: Lots of cutting!
- Using your scissors, cut two 6" long pieces of tape measure and round the ends.
- Next cut the following from your INTERIOR fabric:
- one 7"x14" rectangle
- two 4" squares
- one 2"x7" rectangle
- From your EXTERIOR fabric cut:
- one 7"x11" rectangle
- Cut a 7"x11" rectangle of batting
- The owl pieces:
- One owl body (I free-handed mine) about 2.5" tall
- Two tiny owl wings, using your owl as a template
- One owl tummy
- One owl beak, or you can embroider this piece. I cut mine later, so no pic now. Just a tiny triangle is fine.
Step the third: Some quiltin'
My machine has a free-motion quilting foot and allows me to lower the feed dogs (weird name, no?) so the fabric can glide about whilst I quilt any pattern I so desire. I thought I'd show you what this looked like on my machine so you'd have some idea of what to look for on yours-if you don't already know, of course!
You will need to layer your pop pouch as follows: the interior fabric face-down on your table, followed by centered-up batting, topped by the exterior fabric face-up. Pin all three layers together before quilting.
Fourth: Some ironing and prep work
You are going to make two Prairie Points for pull tabs and a strappy little handle for the pouch. I use my iron quite a bit for these two. The Prairie Points only require ironing before attaching, but the strap requires a bit more work.
Prairie Points:
- Iron your square in half, right sides out.
- With the fold at the bottom, pull one corner up to the top middle. Iron down.
- Repeat with other side.
Strappy Little Handle:
- Iron your 2"x7" strip in half longways, right sides out.
- Open it back up.
- Iron both outside edges in to the middle, right sides out.
- Fold closed along the center line. Iron one more time for good measure.
- Sew up the open side to create your strap.
- Be fancy and sew up the other side so it looks polished. Or be lazy and don't. It's your bag, after all.
Tape Measure:
Remember him? You need to cover the cut ends of the tape measure with duct tape so they don't poke through your fabric and make you sad. Feel free to do this however you please, but this is how I make it happen:
Fifth: Sew pockets for the tape measure and add your prairie points. Oh, and a tag if you want one.
Back to your quilted pouch body that has been languishing beside your sewing machine! Fold down each end that sticks out past your exterior fabric about 1-1/2". Then, fold in a hem. I give myself about a 1/4". Your final pocket should be about 1-1/4". If you have extra wide tape measures, you may need to adjust this. Place your prairie points in the center of each pocket. The tip of the point should be 3-1/2" from either edge.
Sixth: Switch thread color and sew your owl!
I sewed all the little bits and pieces to my owl before I sewed him down. I used pink thread for wings and belly. I switched to black thread for the beak. I hand-sewed the eyes on right before I put the owl onto the bag. You just have to play with where you want your feathered friend to live. I wanted one of the knots in the wood grain of my fabric to show, so I made sure I put my owl beside the knot, not on top. (yes, all puns are intended) Also make sure your applique won't be on the fold when you sew your bag up--you want all of the bird on one side of the pouch. *Don't forget to switch back to pink to sew the owl down!* If you do forget, your seam ripper will be your friend. :)
Seventh: Tape Measure
Put that tape measure in those pockets you made for it!
Be sure that your tape measure's back is to the front of your pouch. This creates the closure.
Center up the tape measure in the pocket. You should have about 1/2" on either side. This makes your seam allowance and room for the edge of the pouch.
Step Next-to-Last: Sew up your pouch!
Pin your strappy lil' handle right against your pocket, on the opposite side as your owl. The raw edges should all match up, both bag and strap.
Fold your bag in half, right sides in. You might want to pin this time so you don't wind up with the front of your bag sticking out over the back.
Sew a straight stitch up each side. Careful! Don't hit that tape measure with the needle. It WILL break. I promise. Also, you might want to press the tape measure as flat as possible when it gets under the presser foot. You will definitely want to back stitch at the beginning and end of this seam.
After you straight stitch, go back with a zig-zag stitch up both sides. I double up at the top where the tape measure is to reinforce it. If you are more awesome than I am and have a surger, you could use it here.
Carefully flip your pouch right-side out. I recommend removing the pin in your strap first.
Step the LAST!
Use some Fray Check on all those visible stitches where your tape measure is. Just to be safe.
Rock your awesome pouch!
I am going to link this up to some way-cool linky parties. I will add buttons as it is linked.
