First Aid pouch FAL tutorial

As part of the 2014 Finish Along, Katy @ The Littlest Thistle hosts a week of tutorials and today on her blog I have one for a First Aid pouch.

 I used some low volume fabrics and scraps of red for the plus/red cross design.

So please pop on over to check it out - and I would love to see yours if you make one!
Kirsten.

First Aid Zip Pouch tutorial

The idea for this pouch came about as my daughter has just bought herself her first car and she wanted to have a basic first aid kit to keep in the glovebox. 

After seeing similar "Plus" blocks around recently, I thought that incorporating one into a block for a zipper pouch would be perfect for her.

Requirements:

Scraps of red for the Red Cross, and low volume/text fabrics for the background
Backing fabric - 7.5 x 7.5"
Lining fabric - (2)  7.5 x 7.5"
Batting piece - 8 x 8"
7" zip
Basic sewing supplies: Rotary cutter, quilting ruler, pins, thread.
Optional: light/medium-weight fusible interfacing 
(Note: I used a canvas fabric for the backing so didn't interface it but if using a quilting weight cotton, you may choose to use a fusible interfacing for the backing piece)

1. Cut the red scraps into (5) 2 x 2" squares, then cut the background fabrics into the following sizes: 
     (2) 2" sq
     (4) 2 x 3.5" strips
     (2) 2 x 7.5" strips

2. Lay all of the pieces out as below:

4. Pin and stitch the pieces together using a 1/4" seam.

5. Press the seams open, then sew the rows together as below.

6. Press the block again, lay it on a piece of batting and quilt as desired. - I just did some horizontal straight lines across the pouch about 1/2 inch apart . After quilting, trim the block back to 7.5 x 7.5".

7.Gather your quilted block, backing and lining pieces along with the zip. 

8. Lay the pieces down in the following order: quilted block right side up - zip (with zipper pull to the right) right side down  - then one peice of lining right side down.  

9. Pin across the top and stitch the layers together using a zipper foot. You may need to pull the zipper open about halfway, then lift the presser foot and finish stitching the seam if the zipper pull gets in the way.

10. Flip the lining back around the zip so that the fabrics are wrong sides together and press. For the other side of the zip, layer the pieces in the following order:  backing piece right side up - zipper (now with zipper pull to the left) right side down - second lining piece right side down. Pin and stitch along the seam again.

11. Flip the lining over again so both sides have the fabrics wrong sides together and press. Pin and top stitch along the zipper.

12.  At this point open the zipper at least halfway then flip the fabrics again so that the front/back are right sides together, and the 2 lining pieces are also right sides together. Pin the front/back and two lining pieces together, leaving a 3" gap for turning in the lining (inbetween the 2 green pins on my photo), and stitch around the outside of the rectangle.

13. Using your quilting ruler, mark a 1.5" square on the corner the lining and front/back pieces.

14. Then cut a 1.5" square out  rectangle.

15. Repeat this for each of the 4 corners.

16. Pinch the corners together, matching the side and bottom seams and being careful to nest the seams. Pin and sew about 1/4 inch from the open edge. Repeat this for the remaining 3 corners of the pouch.

 17. Now pull the pouch right side out through the opening you left in the lining. Press well and stitch the gap in the lining closed either by machine or hand.   

8. Finally, push the lining back inside the pouch and you are done!

 19. You should now have a nice flat bottom on your pouch so it can be stood up - you can also fit a little more into it this way.

20. I also made a slightly larger pouch to keep in our family car finishing at about 10" wide using 2.5" squares for  the red cross, with background fabrics in the following measurements:

     (2) 2.5 x 2.5"

     (4) 2.5 x 4.5"

     (2) 2.5 x 10.5" 

The backing and lining pieces for this larger pouch were cut to 10.5 x 10.5" square and I used a 10" zip.

Disclaimer: I realize there are a lot of plus blocks out there, if you happen to have seen this exact one before, please know that I did my best to create my own variation of this star and did not intentionally copy anyone.  Thanks!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial,

Kirsten.

Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop - Fabric Lanyard

Hi and welcome if you are visiting from the Let's Get Acquainted Blop Hop! Today I have a tutorial for a handy fabric lanyard that could be used to hang a number of things - keys, id tags, and thread snips to name a few.

You will need: Basic sewing equipment - cutting mat. rotary cutter, acrylic quilters ruler, sewing machine, pins.
At least 4 x 42 inches of fabric - I am using some cute elephant fabrics similar to the Daiwabo ones, in a white on navy, and a red on white.

And some key ring hardware - such as a large lobster clasp key ring, a swivel or a snap hook, or a split key ring. I found the ones I have used in the bag making section at the craft store.

1. Start by squaring up the edge of your fabric by lining it up with the selvedge and repeatedly folding up the flat bottom edge to meet up with the selvedge until it is wide enough for you to be able to lay it on your cutting mat with one of the marked lines on your quilters ruler lined up with the lower straight edge of the fabric.

2. Cut a width of fabric (WOF) strip about 2.5 - 3 inches wide. Trim off the selvedges so that you end up with a strip about 3 x 42 " wide.

3. Fold the trip in half lengthways and iron flat.

4. Open the strip out again and fold one side so that the raw edge meets the crease in the centre, and press.

5. Repeat for the other side.

6. Fold over so that the raw edges are enclosed in the fold. 

7.Press and pin along the length of the fold. 

8. Lay the folded strip out flat and slide your key ring or clasp onto it, moving it a little way along.

 9. Open out the two ends of the folded strip and pin them right sides together without twisting the strip of fabric.

10. Pin and stitch the ends closed with a half inch seam - you should now have a joined loop/ circle of fabric.

11 . Press the seam open and fold raw edges back in. Press again and repin.

12. You should have a loop about 42 inches long and 1/2 inch wide.

13. Stitch along each side of the lanyard close to the edges, moving the clasp along the strip as you sew so that it isn't in the way.

14. Press again if needed, and your lanyard is ready to use!

15. I made another patchwork version by cutting some 2.5 inch pieces of fabric,

and joining them together with a half inch seam to make a strip approximately 2.5 x 40", then proceeding from step 3 above.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial! These would make great gifts for teachers, party favours, stocking stuffers, and even for school fetes or stalls.
Kirsten.

Lets Get Acquainted Blog Hop

Hi and welcome if you are visiting from the Let's Get Acquainted! Blog Hop organised by Beth from Plum and June. Today it is my turn to introduce myself - my name is Kirsten and live in the beautiful Northern Rivers regions of NSW, Australia, not far from Byron Bay. I have 3 teenage children who are at high school, and a grey tabby cat named Simba who can't keep himself out of trouble. I work part time as a Medical Scientist in a pathology laboratory which still leaves me a few days each week for sewing.

Here are my answers to a few questions from Beth so that you may find out a bit more about me.  

- How long have you been quilting -  about 3 years now.The first quilt I made was a "Stack and Slash" style quilt using some fabrics I bought from a craft fair, but I like making quilts in a more modern style now.

- Favorite quilting tip: I have really enjoyed participating in flickr swaps and quilt-alongs which are a great way to get to try out new techniques, so if you haven't been in any of them yet I can thoroughly recommend jumping in and joining one as they are a lot of fun.

- Favorite blogging tip: K.I.S.S - Keep It Short (and) Simple, and I also prefer to mainly blog about crafty matters, and only occasionally deviate from that.

- Favorite fabric: Echo by Lotta Jansdotter - I have just used it recently for a little project........

- Favorite craft book: Elizabeth Hartmann's "The Practical Guide To Patchwork". 

- Favorite book: "Outlander" (released as Cross Stitch in the UK) which is the first book in The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. 

- Favorite quilting tool: Walking foot  as I like to do straight line quilting.

- Favorite music to listen to while quilting: Glee soundtracks - I love the remakes of some old favourites.

- Favorite TV show while hand stitching: Revenge, or an Aussie show called Offspring.

- Binding - by hand or by machine? Usually by machine but I have recently done some by hand and I really enjoyed it so maybe I will do it this way from now on.

- If I'd only known - what you wish you knew about blogging before you started your blog: 
How lovely the online quilting/blogging community is. I have "met" so many nice and generous people from all over the world via blogs.
I have a tutorial to make a fabric lanyard which you can find over here, and please pop over and visit Stephanie who is also on the Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop today.
Kirsten.

Lets Get Acquainted Blog Hop - Tabbed Tea Towel tutorial

I have quite a few plain tea towels at home, and wanted to make them more pretty and practical by using patterned fabric to spruce them up a bit. You may have seen tea towels done this way before with a crocheted top, so that they be attached to kitchen cupboard handles.

Supplies:
One plain cotton tea towel (one tea towel will make 2 tabbed tea towels) - I have based this tutorial on a tea towel measuring 18x 28" before washing.
One button
Two small pieces of fabric - at least 8x8"
Template for patterned fabric top piece
Basic sewing equipment - rotary cutters, mat, fabric scissors, measuring tape, pins

1. Wash tea towels first (as they may shrink if made from 100% cotton) and iron. 

2. Fold tea towel in half lengthways (along the longer side - about 28") and cut in half. You should now have 2 pieces approximately 14x 18 "

3. Taking one of the two pieces that have just been cut, fold in the raw edge and press, then fold in again - press and pin.

4. Stitch this edge with matching thread to your tea towel.

5. Mark the centre of the shorter side (about 12" wide) with a pin.  

6. Then place a pin about 1/4 and 3/4 of the way along the top, so it is divided into about 4 even sections. My tea towel was a bit over 12" wide so I placed pins at 3,6 and 9 " .

7. Fold in from an outside pin to the middle pin creating a pleat, and pin in place.

8. Repeat for the other side - the width across the top of the tea towel should now be about 6". If you have a wider tea towel, you may need to adjust the width accordingly by making extra or wider pleats.

9. Sew along the top edge to hold the pleats in place. Remove pins and place the tea towel aside for now.



10.  Using the template, cut out the pattern for the patterned fabric piece, and pin to fabric. Cut out and repeat so that you have 2 identical pieces of fabric for the top.

11. Mark each piece about 1/2 and inch up from the bottom flat edge. Then with right sides together, pin together. Starting from the 2 marks 1/2 inch from the bottom edge (where blue pins are on my fabric), stitch together with a 1/4" seam. 

11. Turn up the bottom edge (about 1/2" wide) then pin and press. Repeat for other side.


12. Clip the curves and turn right side out. Push out the corners and press, keeping the bottom edges that were pressed in the last step folded up inside.


13. Mark where the button hole will be sewn - about  the middle of the tab part of the top piece. (Rather than doing a buttonhole and a button, you could also use a bit of velcro for the closure if you wished )

14. Sew the button hole and using thread snips, cut it open. 

15. Gathering the tea towel and the top fabric together, place the top piece over the top edge of the tea towel where the pleat is, so that it is encased in the patterned fabric. Pin together, checking that the tea towel is also encased on the other side.

16. Stitch along the edge of the patterned fabric - I used a walking foot for this as the tea towel was a bit bulky where the pleats were.


17. Fold the top piece down so that you can use the buttonhole to mark where the button will be sewn. 


18. Stitch a button on so you can hang your tabbed tea towel off a handle in your kitchen. You could also do this with hand towels in the bathroom so that they don't fall on the floor.


Hope you enjoyed this tutorial. 
Kirsten.