More scrappy placemats

Small Table Mats

Last week I finished a few small placemats using scraps from my wallet and face mask making. It's fun to pull up scraps cut them into workable pieces. That totally my mood booster activity. Even though these placemats don't really make a dent into my ever-growing scraps, but I am happy to make them into something. I mean, we don't want to waste those pretty prints, right? 

For these medium-size placemats, I cut the patchwork pieces into 3.5" square. My fave is 2.5" but I kinda love this size too. I have a bunch of 3.5" squares cut and will make another set of placemats when  I have time. 

I'm using this yellow dot with golden print cotton fabric on the back and you can easily make these placemats a reversible one, right?  Hand sewn binding is always my personal favorite. For smaller quilts, I like to cut the binding at 1.5" wide, because I found 2.25" wide is too heavy for small quilts. Each placemats measures about 9.5" H x 12" W.

Another set I made was this green small placemat. I am still using the Camo Blenders fabric I got from the Squareinch last time. I posted the pink version of these placemats in my previous post.  On the back, I use a cute chicken print cotton fabric. Making small quilts like these are addictive. So stay tuned for more :)

Green Small Placemats

These small mats size is 8" H x 10" H (20cm x 23 cm) and it's just a perfect size to place a bowl of ramyeon while watching my drama. Or for my son's cereal while he's on zoom class. 

I used my scallop ruler to draw the quilting lines and quilt them on my Jack machine. For the small quilts, this hack works well and I like the result. 

 

Scrappy Medium Placemats

Scrappy Drawstring Bag

I have a few scrappy tops done and waiting to be made into something. As you know, I love making simple things, something useful and giftable, just like the drawstring bag above. It's my fave bag to keep essentials like an extra facemask, wet tissue, and hand sanitizer while going out.

I hope I will have time to play with my scraps next week. What about you? What are your fave scrap projects to make?

Until next time,

have a nice day!

Elvira

*****

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Wallet Interfacing Secret Guide

 

I've been making a lot of wallets these past few weeks, from family passport wallets to small bifold wallets. The picture above is the most recent ones. As I am sharing my works on Instagram, I'm getting a few messages asking about interfacing. If you're in India and new to bag-making, I know your struggle! You can read about interfacing for bag-making in India in THIS POST.

But I want to share a few things about wallet-making from my experience here.  As I work with different kind of fabrics with different weight, it is important to know which interfacing work best for each fabric. 

For the Orange Small Wallet, the fabric is lightweight Cotton Satin. Depends on the project, I used all-purpose interfacing when I make this mobile phone bag and this pouch. But for the wallet, even though in the pattern I suggested using all-purpose interfacing, but I used medium weight interfacing for the orange wallet. I made one using all-purpose interfacing but it turned out too floppy. 

Download the Pattern

Watch: How to Make Small Bifold Wallet

For the Camo Family Passport Wallet, the fabric is twill cotton which is pretty thick. In the Pattern, I suggested using Heavy Weight Interfacing, but since the fabric is already thick, I used all-purpose interfacing for the main wallet and passport slots and using medium weight for the passport base. This will make the wallet sturdy and yet easy to sew on a domestic machine. And although I always prefer to hand-sewn the binding, for this Camo Travel Wallet, I sewed the binding by machine. 

Download the Pattern

Camo Family Passport Holder

For the Blue Camo Wallet below, I use a combination of medium weight and all-purpose interfacing, to give a crisp look. 

Blue Camo Wallet

Beside the interfacing combo, in India we also struggle to find the padding we use for our bags or wallet. Even though India is known for manufacturing all kinds of wadding/batting, but they are not available in retail and we don't even have a brand name! 

And living in the Northeast of India means even less access to all those bag-making and quilting luxury supplies :). We got to find an alternative that works best for us. 

Here's my secret sauce for wallet making: 

If I am using heavyweight interfacing, I used either flannel or low loft felt as padding/wadding. Felt and flannel are easier to find in the market or even online. The kind of felt that is used for soft toys will work or a little heavier that is used for car padding. Felt pretty expensive though, in the market here it was around INR 280 per meter (36" Wide), while flannel is much cheaper.

Low Loft Felt

If I am using medium or all-purpose interfacing, I use a stiffer felt (170 GSM), like this one on Amazon. 

Stiff Felt

I made the wallet below using a combination of all-purpose interfacing and stiff felt. I kind of like how the wallet turned out, like my most recent custom bifold wallet below. It's light and crisp. If you want a more padded wallet, you can always double-layer the felt. 

Hexies Slim Wallet

Download Wallet Pattern

As you keep making and experimenting with different types of fabrics, you will find your best combo and a finish that you like best. I like my wallets to be crisp but not stiff, that way you can fit in more stuff, unlike leather wallets which have limited expandable capacity. 

Resources:

All-Purpose Interfacing/Interlining

Medium Weight Interfacing

Heavy Weight Interfacing

I hope find this post useful. Do share with your bag/wallet maker friends if you do. Let's keep the world sewing :)

Have a lovely day!

Elvira

****** 

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Snug Fit Face Mask Video Tutorial

Well, I am still sewing face masks, though mainly I made to giveaway to friends and families. And now as the weather is getting more humid and hot, we need several masks to wear throughout the day, right?

I've been making the above-pictured snug fit face masks and I shared the templates and video tutorial on my Youtube Channel.

This snug-fit face mask is comfortable to wear. I like to wear it when I do my daily chores. As I have quite bad dust allergies, I need to wear a mask even when I cut fabrics and sew. The snug-fitted face mask has pleats on the sides so that there's no gap and also helps in creating 3D shape and makes you breathe easily.

These are other Extra spacious face masks I made recently. This mask style is my boys' favorite cos they don't feel suffocated when they wear it. And this is a great mask to wear as an outer layer with your disposable mask. 

Watch this: How to make Extra Spacious Face Mask

I also made these pretty Indian print 3D masks that were a custom order. I made extra for myself too as I love the prints and this is my fave mask style. But on these masks, instead of having the elastic go through the casing, I simply sew in the elastic. The fabrics are very soft and I use either poplin or cambric cotton for the lining. 

Also Watch: How to Sew Spacious 3D Face Mask. 

Source: Today

Looks like the face mask is here to stay. Personally, I like wearing a face mask when I go out even before the pandemic. And now with new Covid19 variants discovered almost every week, I would not feel safe without a face mask even if  I got vaccinated. I believe by protecting myself, I am protecting my family and my society. 

Source: Pinterest

Thank you for stopping by today. Stay safe & healthy!

Have a nice day!

Elvira

*****

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Zip Around Family Passport Wallet

Family Passport Holder | Pdf Pattern

Hello,

I hope everyone is well and getting ready to enjoy summer. The weather is getting more humid in this part of India too but looks like summer will not be much different than last year. We're still in lockdown until next week and most probably it will be extended for a couple more weeks. 

A few weeks ago I finished a couple of family passport holders with a zipper around closure. They were custom orders from my Etsy Shop. How I wish we could start traveling again.

Large Passport Wallet for 6

I particularly love this leopard print wallet and I'm glad the customer loved it too. 

Love my custom passport wallet! It turned out perfect and made so well! Fast shipping and great communication! 

As usual, I always make an extra wallet when I'm working on an order, that way I can add more ready-to-ship items to the shop. This trick works for me so far. For the second one, I did a recording for a video tutorial on my Youtube Channel. It's been long due. I plan to edit and upload it by next week. 

Watch now: How to Sew Zip Around Wallet

Love this immigration stamp fabric

Zip Around Passport Wallet

Also Read: How to Sew Zip Around Fabric Wallet

This time, I did the zipper using a single tape zipper (which currently my fave) like I did for this small wallet in my previous post. Check the video below on how to sew single zipper tape on a wallet. 

On a personal front, I got my first shot of Covishield vaccine last Sunday and was feeling rather unwell for a couple of days. I felt feverish at night the day I took the jab and the next day, after that, I felt better after a couple doses of paracetamol. I hope you have taken yours too! I pray that more and more people can get vaccinated here in India. At this point in time, I'll just go with the flow. Take a day at a time. I was talking to my friend the other day about, how at the end of 2019 we were so full of plans and suddenly 2020 happened. 

Source: Pinterest

Well, let's do what we can for now. Until next time, take care and stay safe!

Elvira

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Video Tutorial - How to Sew Zip Around Fabric Wallet

Watch on Youtube

Finally, I finished editing the video tutorial for Nuno Small Bifold Wallet and upload it on Youtube. Pheew, that's one big list I can tick off my list this week. I hope it helps you to visualize when you decide to make the wallet.

I made the zip-around version of the wallet in the video and I also included how to add 2 in 1 exterior zipper pocket. 

Download the Pattern

This Nuno wallet is pretty quick to sew. It takes longer to choose the fabric combo than actually sewing it:). This time, I learn to add a timestamp to the video description, so that you can just click the link and go to the part that you want to know more in detail. 

The zipper closure is only using single zipper tape. You can use this zipper closure technique for any wallet. This is my fave zipper closure method now. Do let me know if you want a picture tutorial for this method. 

Also read: Zip Around Wallet with Binding

I also made this Wonderland Nuno Wallet with Exterior Zipper for a customer on Etsy. She wanted 2 card slot sets inside and a zipper pocket on the outside.  When I showed her the 2 in 1 pocket, she readily agreed. 

Nuno Small Bifold Wallet features: (use coupon CVG20 to get 20% off )

- Spacious Bill Compartment

- 4 Slots for Cards

- Snap Coin Pocket

- 2 optional closure using snap button or zipper

- Additional Tutorial for 2 in 1 Exterior Zipper Pocket

- Easy construction method.

Now let's check out the video and please let me know what you think. 

Thank you for stopping by today. Don't forget to share if you find this post is useful.

Take care & happy sewing!

Elvira

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