SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
- 1/2 yd Printed flannel
- 1/4 yd Terry cloth
- 1 1/4 yd gross grain ribbon - 1/4" width
- Safety pin
- Ruler
- Water erasable fabric marker
- Fray Check
- 3 1/2" jar lid or other circle that size for pattern
- Basic sewing supplies
- Sewing machine
- Serger - threaded with four spools of serger thread that coordinates with the fabrics - optional but very useful
- Iron and pressing surface
DIRECTIONS:
- From flannel, cut two 9"x 7" rectangles and twelve 4 1/2"x 4 1/2" squares.
- From terry cloth cut twelve 4 1/2"x 4 1/2" squares.
- Using the jar lid and fabric marker, draw a circle on the right side of each flannel 4 1/2" square. Place a flannel square on top of a terry cloth square and turn the flannel so the corners of the flannel are along the sides of the terry cloth squares. The idea is to have the grain of the two fabrics not lined up but to be at a 45 degree angle. This keeps the circles from going out of shape when sewing around the edges. Pin the layers together.
- Set up the serger for a four thread overlock and move the blade to make a narrow stitch. Start with one flannel & one terry cloth square and serge around the circle, lining the blade up with the circle drawn on the flannel as you sew. Sew around the entire circle then continue sewing right off the edge. Apply Fray Check to the place the stitching sewed off the edge. Trim off the serger tail when the Fray Check is dry. Repeat on the remaining eleven squares.
- If you are not using a serger, pin the two fabrics together as before and cut the circles out of the two layers. Use the overcast stitch or a three step zigzag to sew around each circle edge.
- Rinse the circles in water to remove the marker and allow to dry flat.
- For the handy bag, use the serger to sew around all edges of the two flannel rectangles to finish the edges. Pin the right sides of the flannel rectangles together along the 7" sides and one 9" side. Mark 2" down on each 7" side, from the open end (top) of the bag. Using a 1/2" seam allowance, sew from the 2" mark down, across the bottom and up the other side to the 2" mark. Press the seams open.
- To give the bag depth, line the bottom seam up with one side seam at a bottom corner forming a point. Draw a line across the point 1 1/4" from the point. Sew along that line. Repeat on the other corner.
- To make the casing for the ribbon, turn the top edges down 1" toward the wrong side and press. Sew 3/4" from the folded top and again 1/8" from the folded top.
- Cut the ribbon in half and using the safety pin on the end of one ribbon, thread the ribbon through the casing. Tie the ends together. Do the same with the other ribbon starting from the other side of the casing.