DIY Blog Hop + Giveaway!

I'm going to start by putting this out there: I'm terrible at sewing. I've never really used a sewing machine, but I was all ready to use my mini red sewing machine for this project when I discovered that the batteries inside had corroded. I couldn't get it open to put in new batteries. So all of the stitch work you see is done by hand, but I'm still happy with what I created and proud of myself for doing it. 

Now that that's out of the way, I wanted to join this DIY sewing blog hop because I want to get better at sewing and hemming my pants and maybe even make make a skirt or two for myself. It all starts with one project and I can only get better, right? 

In case you didn't know September is National Sewing Month! So if you're thinking of getting your sewing machine out, now is the time to do it! Not only can you get inspiration from the other bloggers in this link up (Literate & Stylish, October June, The Modern Austen, and Syntaxx Errorrr), but Kristin's company Create by the Yard is letting everyone get 30% all fabrics with the code bloghop0914! 

Create by the Yard has a large selection of high-quality fabrics, including organic and recycled fabrics, that can't be found in large retailers. She has reliable customer service and super fast shipping (I got my fabric in just a few days). Kristin wants her store to be seen as a fun and trendy place to shop, and I completely agree with that!

For this project, I decided to create a mini travel case. Something that I could both pop into my purse to keep everything organized, and for when I travel. 

Tutorial:

Materials Needed: Two coordinating fabrics, thread, needle, ribbon (two different colors if you want), paper, pen, stray pins. Optional: Crayon fabric marker (the white thing in the picture) and music. 

1. Make a rough outline on paper of how big you want your travel case to be. I liked the size of this notebook, so I used that to help make the outline. Then cut out the outline. 

2. Cut your interior fabric using your outline as a guide. Be sure to cut the fabric half an inch all around than you want, just in case you need to make adjustments. You can always cut it later. I double up on the fabric to make it thicker. 

3. Using more of your interior fabric, cut out your pockets to the size that you want. As you can see, I doubled up the fabric too, and then sewed the top over to make a nice edge. Unfortunately, I didn't think the sew over the sides of the pockets, so they have a raw edge. 

4. Sew the pockets to the rest of the interior fabric you cut out before. One pocket I left alone, so that it's one big pocket, but the other I sewed lined down here and there, so that I could have a place for lip balm or other small things. 

5. Grab your exterior fabric and cut it out to make the size and shape of the interior fabric. Then cut your ribbon to the length you want, pin it to the middle of the back, and sew a small rectangle to keep it in place. 

6. I decided to use my burgundy ribbon to create a nice, smooth edge. I pinned it in place one side at a time. The 7/8" thickness was perfect for folding it over and sewing it around the edge. If you don't want a ribbon edge, you could just fold it over and sew it in place. 

7. All done! Now you can your mini travel case to keep your lip balm, USBs, lipsticks, small notebooks, iPhone, and whatever else you carry around with you. 

Giveaway!

This giveaway runs until 9/29 and is open internationally. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you sewed anything lately?

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