Finishing Instructions for "A Stitcher's Wallet"

 
To finish your stitched piece into a usable "wallet" to hold your stitching supplies, trim your stitched piece with about 3/4" border around the stitched area.  You may want to stabilize your stitched piece by backing it with a fusible interfacing. Cut your interfacing slightly larger than the stitched area. This will help protect the stitching from coming apart with repeated use of the wallet and help it hold it's shape when stitching the lining to it.  

I lined my wallet with a coordinating piece of flannel fabric cut a foot longer than the stitched piece in order to fold a 3" deep pocket on each end. 

You may want to sew a decorative trim on each pocket before sewing your pieces together. I used a twill "ruler" ribbon I bought some time ago at JoAnn Fabrics (I see it's available online at Walmart now). On the other pocket I used a piece of cotton lace.

After stitching your trim on the pockets, fold them back as pockets and with right sides together, pin your stitched piece and lining together. Tuck your ribbons for tying into the center of each end securing the end of the ribbon centered on the outside edge with a pin.

Stitch your pieces together leaving an opening on one side to turn your piece right side out.

Before turning, clip your edges 1/4" inch from your seams and clip each corner.

Turn your piece right side out and use a chopstick or corner tool to gently square your corners. Blind stitch the side opening closed.

The thread rings I got in the jewelry section of JoAnn Fabrics. The silk ribbon I used for my closure was purchased from Shepherd's Bush in Ogden, UT.

Hand sew thread rings on the edge of one of the pockets. Gather your tools...counting pins, needles, needle threaders, frogging needles, scissors, etc. and store them within or on the outside of the pockets. The thread in your threaded needles will cling to the flannel and stay threaded! 

You can tuck your threads and thread rings into a pocket and your scissors into the other.

Fold and tie your wallet closed and slip into your project bag. 

Everything you need in one place!

ENJOY!