Monday, October 08, 2012

12 Weeks of Christmas-Week 2!



Hi All!  I'm Amy from Stitchery Dickory Dock, where I blog all about my quirky quilting additions, and my adventures in modern motherhood and homemaking, among other things.  Would love to make your acquaintance so do pop over and say hello!

I'm so excited to be today's stop on the 12 Weeks of Christmas series!  I'm going to share with you my tutorial on these darling ruffled mini wallets.  These make fabulous little gift card holders, that double as business or credit card holders as well.  Great stocking stuffers and gifts for teachers, co-workers, and even kids.





Step 1:  Cut your pieces, following the guide below.  Also, do note that you may use any medium-heavy weight double-sided fusible interfacing.  I like the Pellon Peltex Heavy Duty for this project because it makes for a thicker, more substantial wallet.  Also, you'll see in this pic that I'm only 5 prints- I chose the same print for my pockets and for my strap- but you may of course choose to utilize different prints for these.


Step 2:  Adhere the wrong side of one of your exterior pieces to your interfacing piece by following the pressing instructions on the interfacing.  NOTE: Since this is double-sided fusible interfacing, you'll need to put a piece of parchment paper or a no-melt craft surface under your piece while pressing, to avoid adhering it to your ironing board!


Step 3:  Press your 2 pocket pieces in half with the fold along the 4" side, then top stitch 1/4" from the fold on both pieces.  In this same step, you'll also attach your velcro or snap pieces.  Position them 1/2" from the raw edge, centered.



Step 4:  Next, press your 3 ruffle strips in half lengthwise.



Step 5:  To gather your ruffles, simply set your machine to it's highest upper tension, and largest stitch length. These stitches will gather the fabric as you stitch, but will be loose enough to allow you to adjust and position the ruffle as needed.



Step 6:  Now let's attach the ruffles.  First find the center point of your interfaced exterior piece by folding it in half along the 4" length, and then mark it at each side with a pin.  Now pin your first ruffle to the piece, leaving 1/4" from the bottom edge for seam allowance.  Be sure the folded (finished) edge of your ruffle is pointing toward the outside, or "bottom" of the piece.


Stitch the ruffle to your piece by sewing over the gathering stitches (don't forget to reset your tension and stitch length to their normal settings).


Add the remaining 2 ruffles in the same fashion, positioning them so that the fold of each ruffle barely covers the stitching of the previous ruffle.  This spacing should leave you about 1/2" left between the raw edge of the top ruffle, and the center point marking (this is where your strap piece will go).


Step 7:  This is my favorite way to make straps!  Take your strap piece and press the edges to the center, along the length of the strip.


Then press in half, hiding the raw edges inside.


Step 8:  To attach the strap, first align and pin the strap above your top ruffle covering the raw edge (but at or below the center point of your exterior piece)- this is the spot where your wallet will fold in half, so you want the strap just below the fold, not on it.

Now, cut the strap excess at the edge of the piece, and set the excess aside- we'll add it back on in just a couple of minutes.


Stitch the strap piece down using an 1/8" seam allowance on both edges.


Now pull out your remaining strap piece and top stitch it using a 1/8" seam allowance on both sides.



Step 9:  Now take your remaining exterior piece (the one without the interfacing), and pin the pocket pieces to the right side of it, aligning the folded edges toward the center, and the velcro (or snap) pieces facing up and to the outsides.



Step 10:  Here's where the remainder of the strap comes back in.  Fold it in half and align the raw edges directly on top of the right side of the strap that you stitched to your ruffled piece.  Pin it snuggly.

Here's what your two pieces should look like at this point.  



Place these two pieces right sides together, and pin all the way around, making note to leave a 3.5" opening at one of the ends.  

*There are two things to take note of as you prepare to stitch around this piece using a 1/4" seam:  1) Make sure the fold of your strap is tucked toward the center of the piece, so you don't accidentally stitch over it, and 2), Smoosh your bottom ruffle away from your seam allowance so you don't sew over it...BUT, be sure the raw edges on each side of all 3 of your ruffles are flat and not crumpled, so they lay nice and flat when you turn your piece.

Be sure you back tack your stitches at the beginning and end of your seam.


Step 10:  Clip your corners.

Step 11:  Now to turn the piece.  A forewarning: this is without a doubt the most "hairy" step of this project, but I promise, you can do it!  If you're using the heavy duty Pellon interfacing like I did, it's going to feel, at first, like you can't possibly turn this thing!  The key is not being afraid to crunch up the interfacing...put some muscle into it!  Don't worry, the wrinkles will press right out, so crunch away!  I found that rolling it a bit helped too (you can see what I mean in this photo).


Step 12:  Almost done!  Now give your whole piece a nice hot steamy press, including tucking those raw edges in at the opening.  Since we're using double-sided fusible interfacing, this step is really going to help strengthen your wallet, as the two pieces will now be not only stitched together, but also bonded together.

Step 13:  To finish up, whip stitch the hole closed, and fold the piece in half (press the fold if you like).


There you go!  A cute little wallet, sure to be a favorite in your handmade holiday gift arsenal.  Hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and would love to see it if you do make one!  Pop over at say hi on my blog.



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67 comments:

shobs said...

Amy These are so cute and the colours are so .......colurful!!!!!!

Gill said...

Fabulous!
My daughter would love one of these! Thanks!

WandaFish said...

Aww, these are so very cute!! Thanks for the tute :)

Carrie P. said...

too cute!

Unknown said...

Thanks Amy Gibson for sharing this wonderful Ruffled Mini Wallet tutorial. It will make cute gifts for some of my nieces.

Unknown said...

Nice job, Amy! Super super cute!

bermudastyle said...

Thanks Amy what a fun use of scraps of scrumptious fabric...can't wait to make several.

bermudastyle said...

Thanks Amy for the sweet idea, looking forward to making several with some scrumptious stash like you used...would love to win some great fabric.

Wendyb said...

can't wait to make one!
xox sugary hugs
wendy :O)

Unknown said...

Great pattern

Rosa said...

It`s gorgeous.Thanks

♥Duff said...

Gah! Adorable! Also perfect for tea bags :O)

Crysbritz@comcast.net said...

Wow, how do you have time to keep up with all
The wonderful ideas?

B Caplette said...

Love it and you are such a great teacher!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
csjgriffith@gmail.com said...

Can't wait to make these. My granddaughters will love them.

Donna said...

They are so cute, my 10 year old granddaughter will love this.

Judith said...

So cute and great for gifts for my girls. Love this pattern. Thanks for sharing...Judith, Texas

linynp said...

Fantastic! The girls will love this!

edith said...

So cute for Gift cards!

Sew Gramy Sew said...

Amy, way to go with this one. I am surprised that you have so much time with the four kids now. I am glad though, as I love everything you come up with. I am going to slip one or two of these in when finishing up my quota of quilts for Christmas. My birthday is on 10-11-12, so I think I will make me one of these little wallets for myself. Thanks again Amy

CWood-Wilson said...

A winner as always, Amy. Can not wait to make a few of these. What a great way to use some of those wonderful fat quarters and remnants I have kicking around.

Anonymous said...

Very cute!

Dawn O said...

very cute!
Dawn O
dawnylou52@yahoo.com

patriciamaxwell67@yahoo.com said...

i think the colors r so cute, id love to make a few in color for christmas

zelda123 said...

These are really cute!

zelda123 said...

adorable Amy! I don't know how you find the time to do all you do

J. Perry said...

I know what the teachers are getting this year. Awesome job,as always.

Unknown said...

This looks like a great little Xmas gift for family & friends alike. thanks for the idea.

J. Perry said...

i know what i am doing for teacher gifts this year. Awesome job, as always.

Unknown said...

I love this little wallet. So bright and cheery. Thank you so much for sharing your idea.
Sally@BabyStepsQuilting.com

Unknown said...

I love this little wallet. So bright and cheery. Thank you so much for sharing your idea.
Sally@BabyStepsQuilting.com

Anonymous said...

Perfect for a girlie teen!

La Condesa said...

Amy, very cute wallet, thanks for sharing and motivating!

cecile@sbcglobal.net

Bonnie said...

hoWhat is your secret for finding so many hours in the day? You are so creative and generous. Thank you. My granddaughters will love these.

Bonnie T
titlebt@gmail.com

katiedidit said...

So cute!

MEG said...

I can find these in my purse!!!!!

Marsha said...

Wonderful project! Great for little gifts!
mboykin@sbcglobal.net

kauaigirl said...

Sooo cute. I will have to whip one up for my Granddaughter. She is so into girly stuff and this takes the cake.Love the colors. Amy, you are such a creative person.

Yuriko said...

Super cute! Gonna make some for my daughters, sisters, nieces, etc. Even Grandma will love it!
Lily
ishizukahe@hawaii.rr.com

Yuriko said...

Super cute! Gonna make some for my daughters, sisters, nieces, and girlfriends. Grandma even gonna love it. Thanks Amy.

Unknown said...

So cute! And doable. I love a quick project - gives such a feeling of satisfaction :)

Anonymous said...

My entire family prefer gift cards for Christmas and I'm always looking for a different idea each year. This is perfect and so quick and easy (a good thing when I need 14) to make. I know each of them will love, love, love this. As always, thanks for the great idea. NanaDot trbatnash@comcast.net

Whichcrafts said...

Amy these are adorable.
jimsherylguard-quilting@yahoo.ca

FawnJ said...

Love this little project. Perfect for Christmas gifts for my sewing group. seasmoke26@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

These are the cutest little holders I've seen. I love the fabric and the design. thanks for sharing. kmulln3@msn.com

ndlz said...

Dainty, sassy & perfect for a special little girl!

kmulln3@msn.com said...

Amy, as always you come up with the cutest things.
Every little girl and big girl will want one of these cute wallets.
Oh so creative!
kmulln3@msn.com

Anonymous said...

My granddaughter would like that. It's too small for me, though.

Mary
bytes1234@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

Just right for my granddaughter

Mary
bytes1234@hotmail.com

badgersue said...

This is adorable, Amy. I think my granddaughter would love one of these. Thanks so much!

badgersue said...

These are adorable, Amy. Thanks so much! If I find time, I think I'll make one for my granddaughter.

Zelda15 said...

These are the cutest, I love ruffles and lots of color. What a great gift for anytime you need one!

Unknown said...

very cute!
when do you find the time!?
Holly
silverilex@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I love Amy Gibson's ideas and quilting style! She even has a son with the same name as mine! How cool is that?

Unknown said...

Love Amy's ideas ... thanks!

hueisei said...

Very cute :)

Unknown said...

Adorei!!!!

Unknown said...

love this little wallet. So bright and pretty. so creative and generous..

Thanks for sharing nice info
OCM Suiting - fashion fabric - cotton fabric - Winter collections

Anonymous said...

I made one of these and posted it on my blog (www.aquapolkadots.wordpress.com), with a link to your blog! I love mine! And it was such an easy tutorial to follow! Thank you soooooooo much!

Anonymous said...

Just found this tutorial..thank you..:) :)

Anonymous said...

What a cute little wallet.thank you so much.just pin you and will be back again.Have a great day.

Martha said...

Thank you so much for the wonderful directions and photos - i am going to try this tonight. You make it look so easy because of the way you posted the tutorial pictures..

Donna said...

I have got to try to make one of these! I teach some young women in my church and I think they would love them! thanks so much

Charo said...

They are so cute!

JaneT said...

I am going to have to make at least 3 of these for the little great granddaughters. Might as well make their mom's one too because they are going to like this as well. Thanks for the detailed tutorial.

Carolyn H said...

thanks so much, such a good pattern, I can't wait to try making these, you do a good job of explaining it, so many use cm and I am not familiar with using that measurement. Thanks again, these are darling.