TEA WALLET

I was gifted the open tea wallet some time ago, but never got around to making another. You can buy them readily enough on Etsy, but they look too easy. I had wanted to find a read-made pattern, but all the links to them in Pinterest led nowhere. So, he's my version.

Materials: fabric, thread, snaps or velcro, sewing machine, small bit of iron-on interfacing 

Cut 1 piece of cotton fabric 18.5" long and 9.5" wide for the body of the wallet.

Cut 1 piece of cotton fabric 4.5 x 9.5" wide for the top pocket.

Cut 2 pieces of fabric 3.5 x 3.5" square for the flap.

I used a plastic snap for a closure, but the original tea wallet had a velcro closure.

Unless stated, the seams are 1/4".

Directions:

Using the 3.5" square, round off the top edge. If you use a plastic snap closure, fuse a small piece of interfacing to the wrong side of either piece. With right sides together, sew 1/4" seam on 3 sides, leaving the bottom edge open. Clip the curves. Turn right side out. Press.

Mark the center of the flap. Mark the center of the body fabric in half along the 9.5" side. Place the tab on the right side of the body fabric, matching center lines and raw edges. Stitch the tab to the body fabric. (The rounded edge of the tab will be facing the inside of the rectangle.)

Fold the body fabric in half, right sides together, to make a rectangle 8.25 x 9.5. The tab will be inside the rectangle. Stitch around the rectangle leaving an opening to turn. Trim corners. Turn right side out. Press. 

On the folded edge of the body section, mark a spot 3" from the bottom and centered on the 9" side. This is for the snap placement. It's easier to put 1/2 of the snap on now rather than after the bottom edge is turned up to make the bottom pocket. The round 1/2 of the snap will go on the inside of the body fabric. The female or male section of the snap goes on the outside of the body fabric. Test that you have the snap sections going on the correct side by folding up the bottom 2". The snap will be inside the fold.

Once you have the snap attached, fold up the bottom edge 2". This will form the bottom pocket. Pin or clip in place.

*Make the top pocket before securing the bottom pocket.

With right sides together, stitch around the top pocket fabric leaving an opening to turn. Clip corners. Turn right side out. Press, folding in the opening. Stitch across the side of the pocket that had the opening as close to the edge as possible.

Place the top pocket along the top edge of the wallet, matching the edges of the pocket to the edges of the body. Clip or pin in place.

Stitch around the entire wallet securing the turned up edges of the bottom that forms the bottom pocket and the top pocket. Stitch as close to the edges as you can.

Fold the wallet, left side in, right side in, and bottom up. Carefully press to form the lines to make the lines to separate the pockets into 3 sections. 

Open the wallet, and stitch along the press lines through the wallet and pockets.

Fold the wallet up again, and mark where to place the second half of the snap on the flap. Secure the snap on the flap and you are ready to fill your wallet with your favorite tea bags.

Snap Bag 

Materials:

Co-ordinating fabrics (scraps are great)  ½ inch longer and wider than the finished bag

Metal retractable ruler for cutting into sections

Interfacing or Floriani no show mesh…or something comparable for a pocket

Sewing machine, thread

Crafting scissors to cut the metal ruler, masking tape

optional: 2- 4 inch square for pull tab (not shown)

Directions:

Cut 4 rectangles the same size – 2 for outside and 2 for the lining. These should be about 1/2 inch bigger than the finished bag. Scraps of fabric could be sewn together to make your rectangles.

Cut 2 rectangles the width of your rectangles x 3.25 inches (we’ll call this the band)

OPTION: Cut 2- 4 inch squares for pull tabs. Fold each square into triangles by folding 2 opposite corners together and then fold the 2 layer triangle again to make a 4 layer triangle. Place the raw edge along the top of each outside rectangle, overlapping the edge a bit so it gets caught into the seam between the outside and the band.

With right sides together, sew 1 outside rectangle to 1 band, matching the widths.

Sew 1 lining to the opposite end of that same band, right sides together.

You now have a large rectangle that includes a lining, a band, and an outside.

Repeat this for the other side.

    (If you are adding a pull tab, top-stitch the tab along the seam between the outside and the band.)

Matching seams and with right sides together, sew together the two sections along one long side. Open flat.

Cut a piece of interfacing or I used Floriani no-show mesh to hold the ruler in place. This will be called the pocket. The pocket should be 1 ¼ wide and the same width of the bag, but check the width of the ruler to make sure it’s wide enough with at least 1/8 inch leeway to easily slide the ruler inside.

Working on the wrong side of the bag, place the pocket edge next to the seam where the band is stitched to the outside sections.  Do not sew the short edges of the pocket closed. Sew the pocket along the seam where the lining pieces are stitched to the band. Then stitch again to close the opposite side of the pocket. You now have a pocket into which the ruler will slide to keep the ruler inside the band section.  If you want the ruler to be along the top of the bag, mark the band with a line that divides the band in half from one side to the other and place the edge of the pocket fabric closer to that line. Stitch both long sides, but not the short sides.

Use your crafting scissors or a metal cutter to cut two pieces of the metal ruler. Both pieces will be 1 inch shorter than the width of one side of the bag. Round off the edges of both rulers. Wrap masking tape or painter’s tape around the cut edges for safety.

Slide rulers into the band making sure that the rounded side of each ruler faces the outside sections and are away from the open edges of the pocket. You can fold the bag in half, wrong sides together to make sure that they are facing the right direction to pop out to open the bag.

Place the right sides of the bag together, match seams and sew around the bag leaving a large opening in the bottom of the lining section. Clip corners to reduce bulk. Be sure to push the rulers toward the other side of the bag while sewing.

Turn the bag right side out through the opening in the lining.

Fold the lining opening in and sew or hand stitch the opening closed. Tuck the lining inside the bag.

   I’ve made snap bags before, but the ruler was added from the open edge of the band and then stitched closed.  This makes the bag easier to sew and cleaner on the outside. I used 3 different fabrics, but I was just trying to make use of scraps and an applique design I had created.

When my original ruler was used up I bought a narrower ruler. It doesn't seem to have the same "snap" as the regular width ruler if your snap bag is larger.

Glow in the Dark Covid Mask

 If you have to wear a mask, then you might as well make it fun.

I used a pleated mask pattern as my base. Find one that you like.  I used Floriani no show mesh for the stabilizer and stitched a design from Urban Threads, #UT6840, onto only the top layer. All my masks are 3-layer masks because that's the requirement my sister-in-laws medical office required and I've just stuck with that.  The glow-in-the-dark thread just made the mask awesome.

Tie W collar for Dogs

Tie and Collar for Dogs

This is for a dog of about 18 inches in height.

Cut 4 of the collar from white fabric

Cut 2 rectangles from the white fabric 2”x 45 ” long for the collar band. (If you already know how big the dog's neck is, you may not need the full width of the fabric.)

Cut 2 of the tie and the tie tail from tie fabric on the bias.

I did not use any interfacing.

Tie:

Put the tie sections, right sides together, and using 1/4 inch seam, stitch around 3 sides leaving the narrow end open for turning. Turn right side out making sure the points are pushed out well. (I use a wooden skewer.)

Match the two tie tail pieces, right sides together, and sew ¼ inch seam on the long sides. Turn right side out. Press the seam to the back center of the tail. The seam side will be the wrong side.

Sew one short end of tie tail to the small end of the tie, right sides together.  This makes enough length to form a proper Windsor knot. You may need to play with it a bit to get it the way you want. I used the neck of a small glue bottle to form the “neck” to tie the fabric into a knot. This gives you a bit of a loop at the top of the tie. This loop is used to attach the tie to the top of the collar band.

Collar

Match two sections of the collar. Using ¼ inch seam allowance, stitch around the collar, leaving the top of the collar open for turning. Stitch the 2nd set the same.

Turn right side out making sure the corners are pushed out. Press.

Find the center of the collar band. Pin the open collar ends to the right side of one of the long white bands, over lapping the collar points about 1 inch. Match the second band on top of the first and sew the bands and collar together.

Fold the collar tips inside the collar band, and stitch the other side of the band together.

Using a turning tool, turn the collar band right side out. Push out the seams and press.

Fold the collar down so that the seam where they are attached is at the top of the band.

Using the loop that was formed when tieing the fabric into the tie, stitch the loop to the backside of the collar band. The knot should fit between the collar points.

The end of the tie can be tacked down on the backside of the tie.

The collar band can either be tied around the dog's neck, or you can measure the size of the dog's neck and use snaps or a fastener to close the collar band.

Other Uses for Window Screening

Window screening (plastic) makes great bags for travel or sewing notions. Just take two rectangles, sew a zipper between then, and stitch close the bottom and sides. Just make sure you open the zipper before closing the bottom and sides or you won't be able to open the bag. Screening can be embroidered on as well. 

Cell Phone Pocket Holder

Newest Cell Phone Pocket

I've added a couple of additions to my cell phone pocket. The measurements are the same, but I now added a flap to keep the strap from pulling out of the zipper pocket when I reach for my phone.  This one is for a friend for her birthday. Colors are a little off. That plaid actually is red. Use only plastic zippers since you will be sewing over the end of a cut zipper.

CREAT

The measurements are as follows:

1. Solid blue fabric for base - 5.75 x 16  (5.75 by 8 rectangle) folded in half  one for outside and one for lining (Use a light-weight iron-on interfacing on the lining piece)
2. Yellow fabric - base for pockets  22 x 5 (rectangle 11 x 5 ) folded in half 
3. Red - pocket - 11 x 5  (hidden pocket)
4. plaid pocket - 9 x 5 (bottom pocket)
5. 2 x 2 inch square of outside fabric to add to bottom of zipper 2 if you are doing the top and bottom
6. 4.5 x 2.5 inch fabric for tab to keep cord down 
7. 2 x 8 inch fabric to make side loops.
8. 10 inch non-metal zipper
9. ________________________________
10. MAKING THE OUTSIDE POCKETS:
11. Decorate the flap and the plaid pocket first or leave it plain. I use cutaway stabilizer when doing the embroidery and find that it helps make the pockets a little more sturdy.
12. Open the yellow pocket to it's full length and stitch each of the smaller pockets, one at a time,  to the yellow pocket with a 1/2 inch seam. Trim the seam on the first pocket to keep the bulk down when stitching closed the yellow pocket. This way each pocket will have a bottom seam, and won't shift when the yellow pocket is sewn together.
13. Fold the yellow pocket, right sides together, over the top of the smaller pockets, matching bottom edge to yellow pocket. 
14. Stitch around the yellow pocket, 1/2 inch seam. Start at one side, and continue around the yellow pocket, leaving an opening to turn it right side out.  Check the pocket to make sure that it isn't more than 1.5 inch wider than your phone. If it's too wide, it won't fit on the outside base fabric when you add the zipper.
15. Trim the corners. You can also trim some of the layers of the bottom to reduce bulk. Turn right-side out and use the less pointy end of a chop-stick to poke out the corners.
16. Top-stitch the sides of the yellow pocket to close the turn opening. To make each side look the same, start at the top of each side and stitch only to the top of the red pocket. Set aside.
17. ________________________________________
18. CREATING THE ZIPPER POCKET 
19. Place the outside and lining, wrong sides together, and zig-zag or serge sides to reduce fraying.
20. Fold this section of fabric in half and make the placement for the grommets or add buttonholes. They should be about 2 inches from each edge.
21. Attach grommets or stitch buttonholes. I recommend adding cutaway stabilizer on the lining side for either technique.
22. Cut a 2 x 8 inch wide piece of fabric for the loops. Fold the strip in half (the long way) to find the center. Then fold each side to the center and fold it in half to make a strip 1/2 inch by 8. Stitch the strip closed and then stitch along the folded edge. Cut the strip into 2 pieces.
23. Attach each loop on the back sides of the outside fabric, just below the fold. Place the tab fold to the inside and let the raw edge of the loop go beyond the edge of the blue fabric so the loop is attached well. Double stitch just to the outside of the first stitching.
24. TAB TO HOLD DOWN STRAP WHEN NOT IN USE: Sew the 5 x 2.5 inch piece of fabric in half, right sides together, to make a tab 1 inch wide and 5 inches long. Sew along the sides and one end. Turn right side out, and top-stitch on 3 sides. A chopstick comes in handy to turn and get the corners pushed out.
25. Find the center of the blue fabric and place the tab on the front of the pocket, about 1.5 inches from the fold. The raw edge of the tab should be nearer the fold. Stitch the tab in place.
26. Fold tab UP, and stitch again so that the raw edge is now encased in the second stitching line. The outside pockets (yellow pocket) will hide where the tab was attached to the front.
27. Put a piece of the cording you intend to use under the tab and mark placement for cam snaps.
28. Attach cam snaps. (It's a lot easier to do it while the outside pocket is still flat.
29. Place the outside pockets (yellow pocket) on top of the blue fabric, so that the top of the yellow pocket is about 1/4 below the fold of the blue fabric. Using clear thread (looks best, but not totally necessary) stitch the outside pockets (yellow pocket) to the front of the blue fabric close to the edge of the yellow pocket. Start just below the fold on the flap of the yellow pocket and end just below the flap fold on the other side. Make sure the stitching begins below the fold on the pockets you are adding to the base fabric so the pocket doesn't droop. It's difficult to fix the problem once the whole thing is closed up.
30. ADDING THE ZIPPER: Measure the zipper to know where it will need to be cut. You want the zipper to be about 5/8 shorter than the side of the outside pocket when folded in half. By adding fabric at each end of the zipper, when the bottom is stitched together, the zipper teeth are not in the seam and the ends are smoother.
31. Place the zipper on the side of the blue piece that is closest to the front. I'm right handed, so the pocket is worn on my right and the zipper went on the right side of the pocket. It was put on the left side on the demo pocket (as you look at the front) which is actually wrong.
32. Mark the zipper 5/8 shorter than the blue fabric, but DON'T CUT it yet.
33. Using a scrap of fabric about 2 inch square, lay the square across the zipper so the edge of the square is just below the cutting mark on the zipper.  SLOWING Stitch the square to the zipper just above where the zipper will be cut. Fold the square down, over the stitching line you just completed, and stitch across the square and zipper again. Now snip the zipper where it was marked.
34. Line up the top of the zipper to the top of the fold line on the blue fabric.
35. Stitch zipper to the right side of the blue fabric. The zipper will be longer than the blue fabric, but you will be trimming off the bottom of the zipper/fabric to match the bottom of the blue fabric.
36. Do the same for the 2nd side of the zipper. Make sure you don't sew the side tabs into the zipper. You can tape them to the inside to prevent stitching them in with the zipper. The zipper won't be in the seam at the top and bottom, but the fabric tab that was added WILL be in the seam.
37. Open the zipper at least 1/2 way and put right sides of the base together.
38.  Matching the side and bottom edges of the blue fabric (base fabric), stitch 1/2 inch seam on the side and bottom.
39. Trim corners.
40. Turn right side out.
41. CREATING THE CORD: Measure the length of a 3/16 inch home decor polyester cord to go over the shoulder or across the body (however you plan to wear it). My cord is about 51 inches. DOUBLE THAT LENGTH.  
42. Cut a piece of fabric 1 3/4 wide by the length of your strap (before doubling).
43. Find the center of your cord
44. Matching the narrow edge of the fabric to the middle of your cord, fold the fabric over the cord, right sides together. Stitch across the cord, and then using a zipper foot, sew the fabric strip around the cord, encasing it.  One half of the cord will not have fabric on it.
45. Trim the seam, but don't trim the open end of the cord since extra fabric on the end can be used to finish the cord once it's inserted into the pocket and is stitched together.
46. Begin pushing the fabric down toward the center of the cord while holding the end of the cord that has fabric stitch around it. Depending on how closely you stitched and how much seam is let, turning the cord right side out will either be fairly easy or a little time consuming. This is still the best method I've found for making a covered cord.
47. Feed the cord through the grommets starting from inside the pocket to outside and then back inside. Stitch together the ends however you like. The cord can stay inside the zipper pocket when using carabiners to hook onto pant loops. No pant loops, pull the strap from inside the zipper pocket.

Add a couple of carabiner clips to the loops to hook onto belt loops and you're done!

A quick list of the order to assemble:

Front Pocket
decorate outside flap and lower pocket (if desired)
stitch pockets to largest pocket
flip the outside pocket over to enclose the rest of the pockets and sew all around leaving an opening    to turn right side out
top stitch flap

add cam snap to flap and the lower pocket.
set aside

Outside
interfacing to lining
attach lining to outside, wrong sides together using a zig-zag or serger along longest sides 

add grommets or buttonholes at the top fold

add side tabs and tab for strap

add strap to hold down cord

add cam snap to tab
attach pocket to front
add tabs to top and or bottom of zipper

add zipper to outside

open zipper, and sew around other side and bottom with right sides together

turn right side out

Foldable Tote Bag   These are my written directions from Youtube Owl Sew by Heather Heilbronner

1 piece  - 16 wide x 30 long body of bag

2 - 21 x 4 (2) straps

2 piece - 8.5 x 16 border

2 - 6 x 14 (2) pockets 1 for outside, 1 for lining

Iron straps in half, long sides together. Open back up, and  fold each long edge to the middle where you just ironed in the crease.  Fold the strap one more time to create a 1 inch wide strap. Stitch along the open side.

Along the 16 inch side, find the center of the border. Mark four inches from the center  and pin the straps on the inside of 4 inches on either side of the center, matching raw edges. Stitch across each strap to attach to the border.

Place the border, right side up on a flat surface. Place the 16 inch edge of the bag on top of the border. - right side down . Roll the bag up so that the other edge of the border can meet the first side of the border.  In other words, you make  a burrito of all the layers, with the bag section inside the border section and stitch along the open edge.

Pull bag and straps from inside the border burrito.

Sew the border, straps and bag on the other end.

Put the pocket sections, right sides together, and round off the corners at one of the short side. This will be the top end of the pocket.

Stitch around the pocket leaving a small area on one long side, near the bottom, to turn right side out.

Lay the pocket, right side up, the straight edge,1 inch from the bottom of the border, rounded edge toward the bottom of the bag. Mark a line across the pocket, 4 inches from the rounded edge of the pocket.

Stitch a “U” shape to attach the pocket to the bag. Start at the straight edge of the pocket, go up to the 4 inch line mark, stitch across the line, and back down to the bottom of the pocket.

Sew the bag together using french seams. (Sew right sides together with a narrow seam, turn the bag wrong side out, and stitch again to contain the raw edges on the first seam)

Attach a fastener to hold bag closed when folded. I like cam snaps for this.

To fold, lay bag pocket side down. Bring each side of the bag to the center. Fold each end of the bag to the pocket (still on the bottom). Now roll or fold the bottom section up to the top of the pocket and secure the pocket flap to the rolled section.  Use snaps or hook and loop tape to close. You could even just use a hair rubber band to keep closed.