Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Make your own Fabric Envelopes

This crafting item take from Wendy S. who posted to Craftstylish :)

These fabric envelopes can be made in any size. The idea here is that the fabric will be folded into thirds to create the envelope. Stitch up the sides and affix a closure in a snap!


Materials:• Fabric (for a quick project, choose a no-fray fabric like felt, vinyl, or Ultrasuede)• Rotary cutter and mat• Ruler• Scissors• Sewing machine• Embroidery floss and needle for the quilted version• Optional: closure of choice (snaps, hook-and-loop tape, magnetic closure), buttons, beads, patches, ephemera, pinking shears

For longer crafternoon sessions, use up your scraps to make a quilted version. Use a 14-inch x 6-inch strip, machine- and hand-sewed the binding on, then sewed up the sides with embroidery floss via the whipstitch.
For a faster project, choose a no-fray fabric like felt, vinyl, or Ultrasuede. For quick "felt-velopes," I cut a sheet of felt to a 6-inch width x 12-inch length, folded it in half lengthwise, and used the angles printed on the cutting mat for even points, then eyeballed the two folds.
Fast and no-fraying felt version. Cut to a quick chase by using the angle lines on the mat to cut points at each end: one inverted and one pointed out.
Place a differrent color thread in your bobbin from the topstitching thread, and you can quickly change colors by flipping the project when you are sewing up the sides.
I used red for my topstitch and black in the bobbin, then flipped the project to switch up the color and add more texture.
This project also offers a great opportunity for practicing hand-stitching, too. Little x's and french knots look super sweet running up the sides. Depending on what you are planning to put into these little sweeties can also determine the size. The envelopes may be added to heirloom treasure troves, glued inside of scrapbooks, or popped into hope chests. For the envelopes you've spent more time on, consider putting in copies of old family photos or keepsakes. These are awesome for wedding mementos, birthday gifts, and cards.
Practice = Project! I sewed a panel of yellow and orange scraps together and practiced free-motion quilting. I closed up the sides and added a smattering of buttons. Sweet!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is VERY sweet. I love the cluster of buttons. It really sets it off.

Carla said...

I like the buttons too. I like to make little pockets like this.