Carry On (also known as Roll Along, Little Needles, Pt. 2) « Designsbysick.com Embroidery Articles

by SewMagical

Here is the second part of the needle case project. We will make an accessory holder to go along with the needle case already made. (See: Roll Along Little…Needles?
for that project.)
This accessory holder is done in a fold-over style. It has 2 see-through pockets with zippers on the inside, and a pocket for ID on the outside. It closes with hook and loop tape, and can be attached to the needle case.

SUPPLIES
Here is what I used to make the accessory book.

Left over part of the director’s chair seat
Print fabric for the inside
2 zippers
Lightweight clear vinyl
Hook and loop tape
Decorative ribbon
1 sheet of plastic canvas

I started by folding the canvas piece into a book shape with a flap. I would need a piece of fabric for the lining to fit. I decided not to line the closure flap. (If you decide to line yours, include the extra amount in your measurements). Since I was using a print fabric with an obvious up-and-down pattern, I wanted the print facing the same direction in each pocket. I cut the lining piece in two and stitched them back together after rotating one piece.

Remember this is an optional step, and you don’t have to do it.

I took a piece of clear vinyl slightly shorter then the inside area of the case (not including the flap). I took a strip of the print fabric about 2 inches wide by the width of the vinyl. I folded the strip the long way, right sides out) in half, opened it out, folded the edges to the center, and folded back in half again. I pressed this to get a sharp edge.

I wrapped this binding around one end of the vinyl, and stitched in place. Pay attention to where you place your presser foot; many of them will stick to the vinyl. Try to keep the presser foot only on the plastic. Stitch the binding down.

Take a zipper and place it face down over the edge of the binding strip.

Stitch the zipper down along the outside edge of the binding, then flip it over and stitch again.

Take another strip of fabric and do the same thing with the other edge of the zipper. (This is pretty much the same method I used in an another project. See http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/just-hangin-around-2/ for more detailed instructions.) Apply the second zipper at the other end of the vinyl piece.

Find the crosswise center of the lining piece, and the crosswise center of the vinyl.

Place the lining face up and lay the vinyl piece, with the zipper pulls facing up, over the lining.
Stitch across the center of the two pieces, attaching them.

If you want, baste along the outer edge of this vinyl/lining piece to hold the two layers together.

Fold about one-half-inch to the wrong side and press or stitch in place. If you press, **make sure to avoid touching the vinyl with your hot iron!** The inside piece is now done.

On the canvas piece, decide which side of the fabric will be facing out. At the end of the piece, attach one side of the hook-and-loop tape to the underside of the fabric. Check how much overlap you want, and stitch the other side of the tape at that point on the outside of the fabric.

I stitched out the word “Notions” in the Diana font (available at: http://www.designsbysick.com/details/dianafont) on a piece of the same fabric I used for the lining, and turned under and pressed all four edges. This would go on the outside of the pouch. I put it left of center, to allow space for the ID pocket.

For the pocket, I cut a piece of vinyl, and covered all four edges with some bias binding tape left over from another project.

I took a piece of the lining fabric a little larger than the pocket, and turned under all four edges.

I placed the fabric face up on the outside, to the right of the “Notions” label. I placed the bound vinyl on top of the fabric, lining up the lower edges, and stitched in place.

On the area which would be folding up, I stitched 2 rows of decorative ribbon, matching what I used on the needle case. I left a gap in the middle of each piece, just a little wider than the ribbon itself.

This picture shows the outside of the accessory book, with all the components pinned in place.

Here is a closer view of the ribbons as I pinned them

and of the underside, showing the lines of stitching.

Now it is time to sew it all together. Take the outside of your case and lay it down face up. Take the lining section, with the vinyl pockets, and place that face down.

Make sure the end of the lining with the folded edge is at the top, near the flap. Line up your bottom edge (away from the flap) and side edges. Start sewing at one side by the top, go down, across the bottom, and up the other side. Do not stitch the fourth side yet. Trim seams and corners, and turn the project right side out.

Now, take your piece of plastic canvas and cut it in half. Make sure you trim off all the little plastic nubs so that you have a smooth edge.

Slide one piece into the open end of the case

and slide it all the way down to the end. Run line of stitches across the width of your case, to keep the plastic canvas from slipping around. Slide the second piece of canvas in, and stitch across the opening, along the folded edge of the lining.

Now you can put your knitting notions in the vinyl pockets, Here you see a par of nippers, a yarn needle, some plastic stitch markers, and some beaded stitch markers I made for Kat as a holiday gift one year.