Hello sweet friends!
As February ends and the beginning of March greets us, my heart and mood are uplifted knowing that warmer, longer, sunnier and more colourful days are just around the corner. Winter does have a tendency to drag on doesn’t it? I am dying to spend more time in the garden, pottering, planting and making it ready to enjoy for Spring and Summer, and I am longing to feel the warmth of the sun on my face. A morning cup of tea in the garden would go down a treat right now! With one of Jenny's pancakes too!
Coming up in March of course is Mother’s Day. I know this is a difficult day for some and I am sending my love to you if this day brings sadness. Kisses and kindness lovelies. When making this glamorous pouch, I am thinking of my mother yes, but I am also thinking of my lovely Aunty, cousins and wonderful friends, who inspire me everyday and I’m wishing I had the time to make one of these for each of them!
This tutorial combines 2 previous projects, which you can find here (cross stitch hearts bunting) and here (zippered pouch), however I have made this a stand-alone tutorial because there are quite a few differences.
For the cross stitch heart, what you need is:
Free Pattern - Download Cross Stitch Heart Pattern
14 point aida cross stitch fabric measuring approximately 15 x 15 cm.
Embroidery hoop - I used a 12 cm/5” diameter hoop. You could use a 10cm/4” hoop and a smaller piece of aida. I used a 12 cm hoop because I wanted to stitch a few more hearts to attach to a few more pouches.
Embroidery floss - I used approximately 110 cm of DMC 25, colour 602 pink.
Tapestry/Embroidery needle and ordinary sharp needle (to sew in the ends of thread).
For the leatherette pouch, what you need is:
Silver leatherette - I got mine from here. I saw it across the room and had to have it, like you do! It is so lovely and soft, not stiff or plasticky (is that a word?) at all like some leatherette.
Cotton lining fabric.
Paper and pencil.
Matching/contrasting zip 20cm/8” long. (I used a metal zip)
Matching thread.
Little pegs/binder clips/hair clips etc for holding the leatherette (pins will leave a mark).
Two Crafty Brownies Sewing Essentials
Note on the sewing machine needle: Because this leatherette fabric is so lovely and soft, I used a normal, universal machine needle but in a size 90 (I mostly use an 80) due to the thickness of the leatherette. The advice is usually to use a leather needle with leatherette.
What you do is:
Place the Aida into your embroidery hoop and tighten.
Cut approx 110 cm of the embroidery floss and split it taking two threads (it has 6). I've used the pictures from my cross stitch hearts bunting tutorial to illustrate these next few steps, so the thread is green rather than the pink I have actually used for this tutorial.
A little note on cross stitch (if you are experienced skip this bit!): When cross stitching, it is useful to look at 4 holes in the aida as a square. Stitches are usually made by making a cross in this square by stitching diagonally. In this tutorial, I talk about these holes in terms of their position in that square. For example, bottom left, top right etc. The other thing to note is that each square shares a border with the next, so bottom and top right of one square will be the bottom and top left of the next…….....stay with me peeps!
Start by threading the needle. Working from the back of the hoop to the front, pull the thread through the starting hole in the Aida carefully leaving a tail of about 9cm, which you will thread through the stitches at the back to hide it later. You are starting with the pointy bottom (tee hee!) of the heart which comprises of two ¾ stitches (see the template).
Place the needle back through the Aida on the diagonal from bottom right to top left (of a square) and then bring it through to the front again this time at top right position.
Now take it down again just underneath the middle of that diagonal stitch (not in any of the corners).
Now repeat with the adjoining square to the right, starting bottom left (from back to front), then top right (from front to back), top left (from back to front) and finally into the middle of the diagonal you have created.
Bring the needle from the back to the front of the Aida at the beginning of the second row (refer to the pattern) at bottom left, taking it from front to back at top right. Repeat along this row until you have 4 diagonal (half) stitches.
Come back up through the fabric at bottom right of this 4th stitch and down again at top left, making the cross. Continue working back along the 3 remaining stitches to complete this second row.
Now follow the pattern on the template repeating the method for row 2 for the rest of the heart. Note that when you get to end of row 10, making your final cross before beginning row 11, make this final stitch from top left to bottom right. Then on row 11, you can begin at bottom left position without this stitch coming back out. This should be clear when you are actually doing it!
Your thread will run out during stitching. Hide the ends by sewing them along and under the stitches at the back.
Remove the aida from the hoop and cut carefully around the heart, 2 holes along all the way round. Set aside.
Now make your template for the pouch. Draw out a rectangle measuring 22 x 15cm on a piece of paper and cut it out.
Taking your leatherette and lining, cut out 2 panels from each using the template you have made. For the leatherette, draw around the template using an air erasable pen (you can also use a biro!) and cut out. Do not pin the template to the leatherette, because the pins will leave marks in it. For the cotton lining, you can pin the template to 2 layers of fabric folded right sides together and cut out.
Taking one panel of leatherette, place the cross stitch heart 2cm from the right bottom (tee hee!) and side and pin in place. You can pin this because the marks left by the pin will not be seen beneath the heart.
Using the zigzag stitch on your machine (3.5 width and 1.0 length), appliqué (attach) the heart to the leatherette, being careful to stop, lift the machine foot and move the leatherette as you go round corners and tips. Pull threads through to the back and tie/snip.
Place the zip with teeth uppermost on top of and at the top edge of a panel of lining, right side facing up. Then place the panel of leatherette with the heart sewn on, on top of the zip and lining with right side facing down. Lining and leatherette should be right sides facing.
Hold in place using little pegs.
Open the zip a few centimetres so that you can start to stitch without the zipper pull getting in the way.
Using the zipper foot on your sewing machine, join these layers together, taking the pegs out as you go. When you get close to the zipper pull, stop stitching, lift the zipper foot and pull the zip closed and continue stitching. Note: I used grey thread uppermost and white thread in the bobbin. You will top stitch later so it is good to have the correct colours in place!
Turn the fabric so that all layers are on the same side of the zip, with the leatherette uppermost. Press with a hot iron on the lining side, then press again on the leatherette side but with a piece of cotton fabric between the leatherette and the iron. The leatherette may stick to your iron if you press it directly.
Repeat this process with the remaining panels.
With the zipper foot still on your machine, top stitch along the top seams, again moving the zipper pull out of the way of the zipper foot. I used the width of the zipper foot as a guide. You can see from this photo that the edges on either side of the zip are not quite level as the leatherette shifts a little, but the seam allowance will hide this.
Open the zip halfway, match and pin/peg lining to lining and leatherette to leatherette, with right sides together, marking with pins, a gap of approx 5cm at the bottom of the lining. This gap is important - without it you will not be able to turn your pouch the right way round. Also note: The zipper teeth should face the lining on the inside.
Attach the normal sewing foot to your machine (I left the threads as they were) and stitch a 0.5cm seam allowance all the way round, sewing a few reverse stitches at the beginning and end of the gap. Note: Before you reach the zip, you may need to change to the zipper foot, if you feel the normal sewing foot will not easily pass the ends of the zip. Change back to the normal foot after you pass the zip. Take the pins/pegs out as you go.
Snip the 4 corners, to make them pointy when turned the right way round.
Trim the zip a little if necessary so the ends are not bulky when the pouch is turned the right way round.
Using the gap in the lining, pull through the lining and the leatherette, then the lining out of the leatherette (this will make sense when you are doing it, promise!), poking out the corners gently using a blunt pencil or similar object. Press with a hot iron (remembering to cover with fabric when ironing the leatherette). On my first attempt, the leatherette stretched a little, so I turned the pouch inside out and straightened up a couple of seams.
Sew the opening in the lining closed by hand or machine stitch.
Now tuck the lining into the main fabric and give it a good press with a hot iron.
Your pouch is done! Admire your work and keep or gift it to someone you love dearly!
I have really enjoyed my first foray into sewing with leatherette and I am thinking up new projects already!
I’m off now to do a sun dance in the garden! Have a wonderful weekend lovelies and thanks for checking in.
Big warmth and love,
Lucy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxzzzzzzzzxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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