it's a Pretty Modern life

iPod Clutch - pattern and tutorial

It took me a long time to design a case for my iPod touch, but I am very happy with this wristlet design. This clutch will hold an iPhone, Blackberry, etc as well as a pack of gum, ear buds and other essentials. It is cute and portable.

*Please note:*  This case is not fully lined; however, you don't notice this because the case is never fully opened even when the zipper is fully undone, so you can't ever really see the seams.

If you like what you see and this tutorial was helpful, please help me by making a small donation to my site (click mauve button on top right on homepage).  

♥♥♥Thanks so much! ♥♥♥  

Here's what you will need:

One seven inch zipper

Two 1.75 x 6 inch panels for the top part above the zipper (lining is mauve with white dots & exterior is brown with white dots)

Two 2.5 x 6 inch panels for the lower part below the zipper (lining is mauve with white dots & exterior is deer/mushroom print)

Two 4.25 x 6 inch panels for the back (lining is mauve with white dots & exterior is deer/mushroom print)

One 16 x 3.25 inch panel for the wrist strap & zipper pull (brown with white dots)

Fusible interfacing cut to fit each of the pieces of material except the wrist strap/zipper pull.

STEP 1:  Cut out all of your pieces of fabric and interfacing.  Iron the interfacing to the lining panels and the exterior panels (iron with the bumpy side of the interfacing touching the fabric).

STEP 2:  Sandwich the zipper between the lower exterior panel and the lower lining panel (as pictured below):

At the bottom, the lining panel is right side up, then the zipper right side up and on top, the exterior panel right side down (overall, the right side is always facing the zipper and the fabric covers the zipper).  Later, you will pull back the panels to expose the zipper and then top stitch...you will see shortly.

STEP 3.  Pin the exterior and the lining panels to the zipper.  Put the zipper foot onto your sewing machine (it looks like a ski).  Set it up to sew as pictured below:

STEP 4.  Pull back the exterior panel, press and then top stitch to create a nice finished look (I was lazy and kept the zipper foot on when I was top stitching):

STEP 5.  Pull back the lining and press:

STEP 6.  Sandwich the zipper between the top exterior panel and the top lining panel (as pictured below): 

and repeat steps 3, 4 and 5 for these panels (see below for photos of steps 3 & 4 for sewing top panels to zipper):

At this phase, your clutch should look like this:

STEP 7.  Now, it's time to make the wrist strap.  To do this, fold the 16 x 3.25 inch panel in half, press it and then open it.  

Then, fold the edges towards the centre line and pressed in place:

Now, fold the whole thing in half and press again:

Top stitch up each side to keep the strap together and give it a nice and finished look:

STEP 8.  Now you need to cut a piece off of the wrist strap in order to create the zipper pull.  Fold the strap to obtain the desired amount for the zipper pull:

 

Cut off the desired amount:

STEP 9.  Pin the wrist strap and the zipper pull to the exterior top panels (I have pinned the wrist strap to keep it from getting in the way when sewing):

STEP 10.  Lay the back exterior panel right side down and the back lining panel right side up on top (as pictured below):

Pin the top in place:

Fold back the layers and open the zipper approximately 3/4 of the way (opening the zipper will allow you to turn the clutch right-side-out when you are finished sewing...very important step):

Finish pinning all of the way around.

STEP 11.  Sew all of the way around the clutch leaving as small a seam allowance as possible (make sure to sew back and forth over the pull, strap and zipper to reinforce these areas, but sew carefully as these areas are quite thick; I often sew slowly using the hand wheel):

STEP 12.  Trim excess zipper, zipper pull and wrist strap as needed:

Turn right side out through the open zipper and...

...TA DA!  One cute iPod clutch.

♥ Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and happy clutch making everyone! ♥

♥ Sneak peek ♥

Hi all!

I've been totally busy with work...I know, "excuses, excuses".  Well here is a sneak peek of my latest project.  I have been trying to create a case for my iPod touch and was not happy with any of the results.  Then, I got a Blackberry for work and was totally inspired with a new set of criteria...I needed to carry it around with me all day.  So I decided to make the case a wristlet...and the iPod Clutch was born.  There is enough room for your iPod or Blackberry, a pack of gum, your bank card and some loose change.  It's working great for me.  I will be posting the pattern and tutorial shortly...

Hope you like it!

Hooray! (fun fabric arrived today)

It only took 10 days for this fabric to arrive at my doorstep from Japan.  I am so excited to use all of these sweet kawaii fabrics!!!  I highly recommend nuno.plus...the quality is great, the shipping was fast, the communication was awesome.  The size of the fabric is a little deceiving (although they are totally honest about the size on their site, when you order 1 you usually expect one yard; it is actually sold by the half yard).  I still think the price for the fabric and the shipping is very reasonable.  Here's what I got:

The pink elephants have sparkly accents...so cute!  Can't wait to get sewing...

Fully lined zippered box pouch - pattern and tutorial

I love the look of a zippered box pouch...so incredibly cute.  I found many tutorials on the internet, but was disappointed after making pouches following these tutorials to find that they were not fully lined; looks so much nicer when you open your pouch and there are no seams.  It took me a long time to figure it out and I thought and thought and thought...then I got it♥  I don't want to keep this knowledge to myself, so here it is.  I'd like to thank Jane at Projects by Jane (the only other tutorial like this that I was able to find on the internet - wish I'd found it sooner).  Her photos may help you out too if mine fail to communicate properly.  If you like what you see and this tutorial was helpful, please help me by making a small donation to my site (click mauve button on top right on homepage).  

♥♥♥Thanks so much! ♥♥♥

The finished pouch is 3 high x 4 wide x 7 long (inches)

Here's what you need:

1 twelve inch zipper

2 10x7 inch panels for the lining (my lining fabric is the green one)

2 10x7 inch panels for the exterior (my exterior fabric is the brown floral one)

4 10x7 inch panels of fusible interfacing to give the lining and exterior fabric some structure (I have already ironed the interfacing onto the fabric in the photo above)

2 4x3 inch pieces of complementary fabric for the pulls at the end of the zipper

STEP 1.  Start by cutting out all of your pieces and ironing the interfacing to the lining and the exterior panels (iron with the bumpy side touching the fabric).

STEP 2.  Make marks on your zipper for guidance.  Mark the edge of the fabric and mark a point 1/2 inch away from the edge (the tutorial used to suggest 1/4 inch...I have received feedback that people find making this mark at least 1/2 inch from the edge a little easier for the overall project...) - keep this mantra in the back of your mind..."you will not sew beyond this line".  Mark this on the lining and exterior fabric as well (note once again..."you will not sew beyond this line").

STEP 3.  Next, it is time to attach the first set of exterior and lining panels to the zipper.  Sandwich the zipper between the two panels as pictured below:

At the bottom, the lining panel is right side up, then the zipper right side up and on top, the exterior panel right side down (overall, the right side is always facing the zipper and the fabric covers the zipper).  Later, you will pull back the panels to expose the zipper and then top stitch...you will see shortly.

STEP 4.  Pin the exterior and the lining to the zipper, like so:

STEP 5.   Now, put the zipper foot onto your sewing machine (it looks like a ski).  Set it up to sew as pictured below: NOTE - start sewing at the line that you created on the fabric as pictured (very important) and stop sewing at the line you made on the other side...do not sew right to the edge of the fabric:

STEP 6.   After sewing, pull back the exterior panel:

pull back the lining and then press:

STEP 7.   Make the sandwich of the lining, zipper and exterior fabric for the other side:

and repeat steps 4, 5 and 6 for this side of the pouch.

STEP 8.   Time to top stitch beside the zipper to give the pouch a nice finished look.  You can take off your zipper foot and use your regular sewing foot.  Make sure to top stitch on both sides of the zipper and start and stop at the lines that you drew (AGAIN...do not sew over these lines).  You probably don't need to pin before top stitching, but I did here:

STEP 9.   Put the right sides of the exterior and the right sides of the lining together and pin for sewing.  When you sew, make sure to leave an opening in the bottom of the lining for turning right side out later on (see where I am pointing):

STEP 10.   Sew along the exterior panel where pinned using a 1/4 inch seam allowance; sew end to end along the exterior panels.  

Sew along the lining where pinned leaving a gap in the middle (I have only sewed down so far.  Sew from the other side and then stop so that there is an opening in the middle of the lining.  Make sure to go back and forth to secure your stitches):

STEP 11.   Fold your pouch so that the seams sit centred on top of the zipper with the exterior on top of the lining (here are two photos to illustrate):

and press like this (make sure seams are centred on top of zipper):

STEP 12.  Now is time to put the pulls in place.  These help to make the zipper easier to open and close and overall make the pouch more functional (in my humble opinion).  

I made the pulls by folding the 3x4 piece of complementary fabric in half, pressing and then opening.  Then I folded the edges towards the centre line created and pressed in place.  Then fold the whole thing in half and press again (sorry no pictures...let me know if you have any questions).  Then I top stitched up each side to keep the pulls together and look nice and finished.  Here are my pulls (they complement the exterior fabric quite nicely):

Start at the non zipper head end (as pictured below).  Fold one pull in half and sandwich it between the exterior panel layers with the loop facing in and the edges sticking out far enough so that you will be able to sew over them (like this):

STEP 13.   Pin the exterior panels together for sewing.  Make sure to keep the lining panels out of the way and DO NOT sew over them (see photo below).  Sew right over top of the zipper and go back and forth over the zipper once or twice to secure it nicely.

STEP 14.   OPEN THE ZIPPER!!!!  This is a super important step for two reasons: 1. The zipper head will get stuck on the outside of your sewing line & 2. You won't be able to turn your pouch right side out later on (I've done this before and it sucks if you forget to open the zipper).  Open it at least 3/4 of the way open.

Repeat steps 12 and 13 to put the pull in place on the zipper head side of the zipper (I like to pin my zipper to help keep it in place since it is now open♥) and to sew the exterior panels together on the other side:

STEP 15.   Repeat the above steps to sew the lining panels together on both sides.  This time you will not be sewing over the zipper; just the lining:

It is a good idea to trim the excess fabric and the excess pieces of zipper at this point:

STEP 16.   This is the fun part!  Now we get to make the corners boxy.  This gives the shape to the pouch that makes it so darn cute.  First, pinch one of the four corners of the exterior panels:

Here's another angle just in case it's unclear (see photo below):  Make sure that the fold visible on top is perfectly lined up with the seam underneath it:

Measure 1 and 1/4 inches from the corner...:

...and draw a line that will be approximately 2.5 inches long:

Sew along that line:

and cut off the excess material:

Repeat for all corners on the exterior fabric.  It will look like this when all four corners are done:

Now, repeat STEP 16 for all four corners of the lining.  

It will look like this when corners are complete (one lining corner left to trim in the photo):

♥ FINAL STEP:  Gently pull the pouch right-side-out through the hole in the bottom of the lining.  Make sure to poke out every corner so that your pouch has a nice boxy shape.  Hand stitch the hole in the bottom of the lining.  CONGRATULATIONS!!!  You have one fully lined zippered box pouch.

Here are some others I have made:

Whew! I've been busy.  Guess that's why I get caught at the sewing machine so often these days...

Happy pouch making :)

PS: Nail polish worn throughout this tutorial is "For Audrey" by China Glaze.

Amy Butler birdie sling tutorial (with photos)

I finally finished my birdie sling.  I am a total beginner sewer and this is only the second thing I have ever sewn from a pattern.  It is a great beginner project and I need to thank Indie House and Simply Crafting for their tutorials and photos (I couldn't have sewn this bag without your lovely tutorials!).

Here is the finished product:

The directions are great for letting you know the materials you will need.  I got the fusible interfacing from Fabricland (they have it on a roll just like material and sell it by the yard).  I couldn't get fusible fleece, so I just got the regular kind and it worked just fine.

It took me three hours to cut out all of the pieces because you have to cut them out of the material, interfacing and fleece (I didn't mind...just listened to some good tunes and cut, cut, cut).  

You start by making the pockets and the description given by the pattern is good.  Don't doubt the pattern...you don't sew the bottom of the pocket closed right away.  I didn't sew the fleece to the inside lining (It became attached when I sewed the pockets to the lining):

In step 5, you make the pleats on the exterior panels.  It says to press the pleats, but when I did that I thought they became too stiff and defined.  I was a little confused about the pleats at first, but the above mentioned blogs helped me out.  Hopefully my pictures will help you (sorry, they are quite dark; unfortunately I didn't check and fix my camera settings until after these shots):

In step 6, you attach the bands to the main panels and then to the lining panels.  This was easy-peasy:

Don't forget to sew a nice finishing topstitch to give your bag a "nice finished look" (I am pointing out my handiwork):

In step 7, you attach the exterior panels to each other and then you attach the lining panels together.  I was confused at this part (because I am not an experienced seamstress) and I thought that I wound be attaching the exterior panel to the lining panel in this step...this is not the case.  First, you attach the exterior panels to each other:

From all of the reviews of this pattern that I have read, almost everyone recommended adding a magnetic snap...it seems the bag tends to "gape" open without it.  I listened to all of the suggestions and added the magnetic snap.  Apple Craft has a great tutorial for installing a magnetic snap...but I was lazy and used a short cut.  I remembered an old trick from my tap dancing days (LONG time ago).  We always carried clear nail polish in case we got a run in our pantyhose prior to a performance.  It always did the trick.  I just snipped the fabric to insert the snap parts and sealed it with a bit of clear nail polish to prevent the fabric from running (I knew my nail polish fetish would come in handy some day).  It worked smashingly well!

Make sure that yours looks like this (snappy part protruding from the RIGHT side of the band).  After the snap was safely applied, I pinned the lining panels together in preparation for sewing:

I read this in the directions, I read this on another blog, and I even marked the spot...but in the heat of the moment, I forgot to leave a hole in the bottom when I sewed the lining panels together.  This is super important because you pull the entire bag out of this hole in the final steps...needed to get out my trusty seam ripper:

Now comes the part that adds the extra pizazz to the bag - the gussets.  Here are my photos to support the instructions for step 8:

Set your corner up like the photo above (make sure the seam underneath matches the seam on top and pin it in place as pictured above).  Then measure and mark 1.5 inches from the corner:

Then measure and mark 4 inches from the corner down the sides and join these marks with a nice curved line:

Snip your end off after sewing along your curved line, but be careful not to snip your sewing: 

You need to repeat these steps for the lining.  You can now turn your attached exterior panels right-side-out (looks like a bag is forming...):

Now you make the handle (these steps are easy to follow on the pattern) and attach it to your bag.  First attach one side of the handle:

...and then the other side (make sure the right sides are facing each other):

Almost finished!  I was getting so excited at this point.  Now, you are on step 10 - attaching the exterior panels and the lining panels.  You need to put the lining over top of the exterior panels and pin it in place.  Just tuck the handle in between the two layers.  Here is the exterior getting tucked inside of the lining:

Now you need to pin the top of the bands together and sew:

After sewing, pull the exterior part of the bag out of the hole left in the bottom of the lining:

I closed the hole in the bottom by just machine sewing it together instead of slipstitching by hand as suggested (I don't think I'll ever notice).

The final step is to finish off the exterior with a nice topstich:

That's it!  The whole project took me about 11 hours to complete and that was with photographing and having to stop to charge up my camera battery in between.  Overall, I am one happy sewing girl:

PS: Nail polish worn throughout this tutorial is Secret Peri-wink-le by China Glaze: