Jan 15 07

Little Tidbits of Fun!

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Don’t you sometimes feel like you just need a quickie little project that lets you play with color and fabric but takes next to no time? Well, that’s what all these eyeglass cases/cell phone cases are good for! They’re quick, they’re colorful, and they’re FUN! Besides that, they make great last minute gifts for people!

The way to start is to pick your base fabric and lightly spray baste a small quilt sandwich that’s 9 in x 9 inches. Use either the same fabric on both sides or use something pretty nice on the back side since this will be seen as the inside of your case. Quilt this using any design you wish but remember that the more densely quilted it is, the stiffer your eyeglass case will be.

Once quilted, you’ll want to cut this into your template shape. To make your template, cut a piece of scrap paper into a square, 8 inches on each side. Fold this in half. Using scissors, gently round off the squared edge of the bottom of one end into a gently rounded end. This will leave you with a template similar to the one pictured below.

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Pin your template to your newly quilted sandwich and cut your sandwich to match.

Next, pick out a border fabric. Prints with graphic kind of designs work great but this is where the fun comes in because this is like picking all the fabrics that go together for a quilt. Cut a strip of this that measures 4 in by 8 1/4 inches. Mark a line about 1/2 inch from the edge of the 8 inch length, (do this on the GOOD side of the fabric) and then iron this underneath. Your border is now prepared to be applied to the eyeglass case.

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Pin the GOOD side of the border to the upper end, (this is the end that’s NOT rounded off) of the BAD side of the eyeglass case. (Note, you may not have a BAD side…I did because I am cheapo and used a crummy solid thread in my bobbin as opposed to the beautiful variegated thread I used in my top needle.) Sew this seam using a 3/8 inch seam.

Next, iron the border fabric over to the good side of the eyeglass case. Pin it down and topstitch the edge 1/4-3/8 of an inch from the edge. Now, you have a lot of options when you go to sew the bottom of the border fabric down. You could just topstitch it just next to the edge or you can take this opportunity to throw in some type of decorative element. The green piping here isn’t a very dramatic color choice, but I didn’t have anything around that sang out to me and I wanted you to see how easy it is to do. Instead of piping, you could put a line of sew on beading, rick-rack, etc. This is where you get to play!

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Iron the piping or whatever you are using and just pin it under the border fabric and topstitch along the edge. Easy, n’est pas?!

You’re almost done…just fold the case in half with good sides together and pin. Now, you could just sew the edges together with a 1/2 inch seam and be done. I do something a little different because I feel this need to control the role of batting in my life. I love batting and the effects it creates in my quilts, but I abhor the way little pieces of batting have intruded into every room of our home and cling to my clothes and etc, etc, etc…I know you know what I mean! Check out the picture below:

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If you cut a strip of fabric that’s 2 inches by 8 3/4 inches, you can use it to trap the batting so you won’t have to see it. (Reading this, I’m realizing what a control freak I must really be if I’m trying to control little pieces of batting!) Anyway, pin this so that 1-1 1/2 inches overhangs the top edge of the eyeglass case and fold the excess at the bottom in. Stitch the 1/2 inch seam all the way down.

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Remove your pins and fold the excess fabric at the top in so that no batting or raw edge of fabric is exposed, then pin the fabric under all along that side:

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Sew this very last seam and you are done!

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One Comment

  1. Helen Says:

    Great tutorial, thaks.