Are you feeling the holiday crunch?!? If you’re like me, you’ve got a mile long to-do list and a clock that keeps on ticking!
I have an ambitious goal of making several handcrafted gifts for teachers, friends and family.
I started by making pouches for a few people. I’m using the tutorial for the Noodlehead Open Wide Zippered Pouch. It comes in three sizes. I decided to make the medium size, not too small and not too big.
I made the first one with Riley Blake text fabric from the Cottage Garden collection by The Quilted Fish on the top and Essex linen on the bottom. I added a bit of red hand stitching in the middle and a red zipper.
The second one uses more Essex linen on the bottom and an Amy Butler Lotus print on the top.
The third pouch keeps the black, red, and white theme going. This time I used canvas on the bottom for an extra sturdy pouch.
I got a bit fancy with this one and added an inside pocket. It was super easy to make and a great place to tuck in a gift card.
And then just for fun – and for me! – I made a mini patchwork version of the pouch using 2.5″ squares of Anna Maria Horner’s True Colors collection and a denim weave from Moda. I have no idea what I’ll use it for, but I’m sure something will come along that will be just the right size.
As I’ve been making these pouches, I’ve been experimenting with the amount and kind of interfacing. I like a pouch that’s more sturdy than less. A combination of medium weight interfacing with a layer of canvas seems to work best for me.
The other thing that worked well for me as I made these pouches was using my walking foot to sew the entire pouch, even when putting on the zipper. I found that the walking foot helps to feed the layers through evenly.
Now to fill up these pouches with goodies! I’m thinking gift cards and chocolates.
How about you? What are you stitching up for the holidays?
14 comments
Any will be fine Nicole…I'm not picky 🙂 Happy Holidays to you and yours~
Thank you so much for the great tips. What medium weight interfacing do you use? I also love the red hand stitching. Lovely touch.
Love the fabric combos! I made a bunch of these for teacher gifts as well — totally agree that the even feed/walking foot for all steps is the way to go. Thanks for the details on interfacing, as I always wonder what others use. I settled on SF101 over pieced cotton+Essex for mine. It stands up or can be squished down without being too heavy.
These are all super cute! What lucky recipients!
beautiful pouches, love the hand quilting + linen combo.
Those are wonderful. I really like the big stitching on them too.
These are lovely! I really like your addition of some hand-stitching. As for me, there's been a few pillows, just finished several pouches, and next is an ipad cover….then just gift bags! You are right – the clock is ticking!
Lovely job. I made a couple of these too. It's a great pattern, isn't it? Instead of inner facing on a large one I made, I did straight line quilting with warm and natural batting for the outer fabric. Worked great.
Fun gifts…I love the pops if red:)
They look great Nicole! And they're such fun to make, aren't they? I've made three already with another four waiting in the wings.
Love these. It's such a great pouch. I'm sewing aprons and stockings ; )
These are so cute, Nicole! I really need to try these! I've sewn some holiday valances for my dining room & pillows for the living room but haven't taken the time to blog about them :/
Wonderful pouches-such great gifts! I need to just make some and put back for those times when I am in need of a quick gift! I am sure the recipients loved them!
These are fabulous! Thanks for sharing!
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