Amy Butler's In Stitches: More Than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects (30 page)
Read Amy Butler's In Stitches: More Than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects Online
Authors: Amy Butler
CD HOLDER
FINISHED SIZE: 6
1
/
4
″ WIDE × 6
1
/
4
″ LONG × 6
1
/
4
″ DEEP
Keep your clutter under control—and do it with style! Here are two beautiful and useful baskets (see photo,
page 117
) that you can use as a CD Holder and a
DESKTOP ORGANIZER
(
page 122
) to hold notepads, pens and pencils, and other office supplies. Of course, they can easily be shifted to the bath, bedroom, or pantry. Feel free to make multiples! You’ll want to have these all over your home.
CD HOLDER AND DESKTOP ORGANIZER
FABRICS
•
1
/
4
yard (54″-wide) home-decor-weight cotton print for the exterior
•
1
/
4
yard (54″-wide) coordinating heavyweight cotton for the lining
•
3
/
4
yard (13″-wide) Timtex
*
or similar extra-heavy interfacing
*
See page 172
for an explanation of Timtex.
OTHER SUPPLIES
• Coordinating thread
• Yardstick
• Chalk pencil or fabric marker
• Scissors
• Straight pins
• Turning tool (such as a closed pair of scissors)
• Hand sewing needle
NOTES
• All seams are
1
/
2
″ unless otherwise stated. (The
1
/
2
″ seam allowance is included in all cutting measurements.)
• Preshrink your fabric by washing, drying, and pressing it before starting your project. To wash Timtex after completing your project, machine wash warm, then reshape your project and air dry. Your project will press back into shape with a steam iron. Once you steam the project, support it with wadded-up tissue paper or a folded towel while air drying in order to keep the shape that you want.
Step 1. Cut out all pieces from the fabric.
Simply measure and mark the dimensions below directly onto the
Wrong
side of the fabric, using a yardstick and a chalk pencil. Then, using your scissors, cut out each panel following the marked lines.
FROM THE FABRIC FOR THE EXTERIOR
• Cut 1 side panel: 26″ wide × 7
1
/
4
″ long
• Cut 1 bottom panel: 7
1
/
4
″ wide × 7
1
/
4
″ long
• Cut 2 handles: 6″ wide × 4″ long
FROM THE FABRIC FOR THE LINING
• Cut 1 side panel: 26″ wide × 7
1
/
4
″ long
• Cut 1 bottom panel: 7
1
/
4
″ wide × 7
1
/
4
″ long
FROM THE TIMTEX
• Cut 1 side panel: 25
1
/
4
″ wide × 6
1
/
2
″ long
• Cut 1 bottom panel: 6
1
/
2
″ wide × 6
1
/
2
″ long
• Cut 2 handles: 5″ wide × 1″ long
Step 2. Measure and mark the clips for 3 of the corners on the exterior side panel.
a.
First, stitch a
1
/
2
″ seam across one of the long raw edges (which will then be the bottom of the side panel) for reinforcement.
*
*
See page 171
for an explanation of a reinforcement stitch.
b.
Then, on the
Wrong
side of the side panel, starting at the short right side raw edge, measure and mark the following increments across both the top and bottom raw edges: 6
3
/
4
″, 13″, and 19
1
/
4
″.
c.
Next, at the marks you made across the bottom raw edge only, clip into the seam allowance,
*
making sure not to cut your reinforcement stitching. (These clips will allow you to turn the panel at each of the bottom corners when attaching the bottom panel.)
(
FIGURE 2C
)
*
See page 170
for an explanation of clipping in the seam allowance.
d.
To create the 4 different sides of the CD Holder, fold the side panel
Wrong
sides together and press a crease at each of the coordinating marks starting with the first (6
3
/
4
″) mark. (These creases create 3 of the corners for the CD Holder. The fourth corner will be the seam attaching the side panel together.)
(
FIGURE 2D
)
Step 3. Attach the side panel together.
First, with
Right
sides together, fold the side panel in half, matching up the short side raw edges, and pin it in place. Stitch a
1
/
2
″ seam down the matched side raw edges, stopping
1
/
2
″ from the bottom raw edge, backstitching at each end. Then, press the seam allowance open. (Stopping
1
/
2
″ up from the bottom raw edge will serve as the clip on the fourth corner of the CD Holder.)
Step 4. Attach the exterior side panel to the exterior bottom panel.
a.
Place the bottom panel inside the attached side panel so the
Right
sides are together. Starting with the unstitched end of the seam on the side panel, place it
1
/
2
″ in along one of the side raw edges of the bottom panel. Then place the 6
3
/
4
″ clip
1
/
2
″ in from the other side of the same side raw edge of the bottom panel. Match up the raw edges and pin them in place.
b.
Starting at the side seam on the side panel, stitch a
1
/
2
″ seam across the matched raw edges, stopping at the 6
3
/
4
″ clip on the side panel, backstitching at each end.
(
FIGURE 4B
)
c.
Turn the side panel at the 6
3
/
4
″ clip and match up the bottom raw edge of the second folded side panel with the corresponding raw edge of the bottom panel, pinning it in place. Again, stitch a
1
/
2
″ seam from the first clip (6
3
/
4
″) across the matched raw edges, stopping at the 13″ clip.
(
FIGURE 4C
)
d.
Continue with this process by turning the panel at the 13″ clip and stitching across the matched raw edges, stopping at the 19
1
/
4
″ clip. Then turn the panel again, matching up the last side raw edge on the bottom panel with the bottom raw edge of the last side panel, stitching across the matched raw edges, and backstitching at each.
(
FIGURE 4D
)
Step 5. Trim the bottom corners
*
of the holder.
Using scissors, trim the 4 bottom corners of the holder, making sure not to clip the stitching. Then, turn the holder
Right
side out and press a crease on the side panel at each corner of the holder.
*
See page 172
for an explanation of trimming corners.
Step 6. Measure and mark for the clips for the corners on the Timtex side panel.
a.
First, stitch a
1
/
8
″ seam across the bottom long edge of the Timtex side panel for reinforcement. Then, starting at the right side edge, measure and mark the following increments along the bottom raw edge: 6
3
/
4
″, 12
5
/
8
″, and 18
7
/
8
″.
b.
Next, clip into the seam allowance at each mark, making sure not to clip the stitching. These clips will allow you to turn the panel at each corner when attaching the Timtex bottom panel to the side panel. (You may find it awkward to clip into such a small seam allowance. Just clip through the cut edge; this will allow the Timtex to stretch apart for the corners.)
Step 7. Make the Timtex panel.
Follow the instructions in steps 3 and 4 to make the Timtex panel, but stitch it together with a
1
/
8
″ seam and stop
1
/
8
″ from the bottom edge on the Timtex. Then, follow the instructions in step 5 to trim the corners of the Timtex panel and turn the Timtex Right side out.
Step 8. Attach the Timtex panel to the Wrong side of the exterior CD Holder.
With the exterior of the CD Holder
Right
side out, place the Timtex panel inside the exterior panel onto the Wrong side. Push the Timtex down inside, matching up the seams, exposing
3
/
8
″ of the exterior fabric around the top edge, and pin it in place. Machine baste
*
across the cut top edge on the Timtex, stitching one side at a time. (With the Timtex attached the CD Holder will be more difficult to turn.)
(
FIGURE 8
)
*
See page 171
for an explanation of machine basting.
FIGURE 2C
FIGURE 2D
FIGURE 4B
FIGURE 4C
