Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Cut two 6-by-9-inch pieces of the upholstery fabric
Cut two 5-by-18-inch pieces of the lightweight fabric.
Lay one piece of the upholstery fabric on your work surface, right side up. The right side is the side you want showing on the outside of the finished organizer.
Lay the second piece of upholstery fabric on top of the first, right side facing down. Line up the edges so that the two pieces are even on all four sides.
Sew the pieces together; using the longest stitch length your sewing machine is capable of, along one of the 9-inch sides. Do not back stitch at the beginning or end of the stitches and maintain a 5/8-inch seam allowance as you sew.
Open the piece, right side facing down so that it is laying flat on the table. Open the seam and iron it flat.
Lay the zipper on top of the pressed seam, with the wrong side facing up. The wrong side is the back side of the zipper. Pin the zipper in place to avoid any slipping while you sew it on.
Install the zipper foot on your sewing machine. The foot may snap or screw in place depending on the model machine you have. Set the stitch length back down to a smaller size stitch, approximately 12 stitches per inch.
Sew the zipper in place, along both sides, removing the pins as you go. Be sure not to sew over the pins as it can cause serious personal injury or damage to your sewing machine if the needle comes in contact with one of them.
Remove the stitches from the seam you sewed to hold the two pieces of upholstery fabric together.
Hem along one 15-inch edge of each of the two lightweight pieces of fabric. This will become the top edge of the pockets. Maintain a 1/2-inch seam allowance while you sew.
Open the upholstery fabric pieces up so that the zipper is in the middle and the right side of the fabric is facing up on your work surface.
Line up one piece of the lightweight fabric on top of one side of the upholstery fabric so that the short edges, one corner, and the bottom edge line up. The hemmed edge of the lightweight fabric should be close to the zipper, but not touching the zipper. The lightweight fabric is longer than the upholstery fabric so it will extend past the second short side.
Start sewing at the hemmed edge of the lightweight fabric and sew down the short side maintaining a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Pivot the project at the corner.
Sew 3/4 inch and stop the machine, without raising the needle or presser foot.
Pick up 1/2 inch of the lightweight fabric and fold in half towards the needle. This will create depth, in the form of a pleat, for the first pocket. Continue sewing across and sew approximately 2 1/2 inches past the pleat. Then create a second pleat with another 1/2 inch of the lightweight fabric and sew just past it. Make sure as you are pleating the fabric to make the pockets that the bottom edge of both fabrics remains even.
Create a second and third pocket, making the same sized pleats, as you sew. You will have three pockets once you reach the opposite side of the upholstery fabric. Stop sewing when you reach approximately 1/2 inch away from the end of the upholstery fabric.
Pivot the project and sew up the remaining side of the organizer. Make sure you keep the pleated pocket out of the line of the needle as you guide the project through so you do not inadvertently sew the pocket smaller. Back stitch at the end to finish the seam. Trim the excess lightweight fabric that extends past the upholstery fabric.
Complete the second side of the organizer using the remaining strip of lightweight fabric, attaching it to the opposite piece of upholstery fabric.
Unzip the zipper and fold the project together, with the pockets facing each other.
Pin the pieces together along the edges, lining up corners and making sure not to pin the pleats into the seam allowance you sewed earlier.
Start at the zipper and sew all the way around the project, sewing over your original 1/2-inch seam allowance. Turn the project right side out, and it is ready to use.