Travel Tissue Holder with Zipper

 Zipper Closure Travel Tissue Holder

This handy travel tissue holder with a zipper closure has multiple uses.

To make the holder:

You will need 2 pieces of fabric (one outer and one lining) that measure 5 1/2" x 6 1/2" and one zipper. The zipper needs to be at least 7" but can be longer as any excess zipper tape will be trimmed.

If you want to add a tab, you will also need a piece of fabric roughly 3 1/2" x 4". It doesn't have to be exact. There is wriggling room.

Of course you will also need a sewing machine, thread, scissors or rotary cutter, cutting mat and/or measuring tape.

First, if you want a tab, fold the 3 1/2" x 4" fabric in half lengthwise. Press. Open and fold raw edges to center of fabric and press. Now fold the fabric in half with the other folds inside. Sew down each side lengthwise.

Now, place 5 1/2" edge of outer fabric along edge of zipper tape and 5 1/2" edge of lining behind zipper edge. Sew. Finger press back away from zipper and topstitch along edge of seam along zipper.

Next, place 5 1/2" other edge of outer fabric along other side of zipper tape. Bring up lining edge to other side of zipper tape. Remember that like sides face like sides. Sew zipper tape between fabric edges then turn and topstitch.

Make sure that the zipper is at least partially open. I like to open it at least to the middle of the zipper.

Crease, mark, or clip the center. Place folded tab at center, raw edges out.

Make sure that the pouch has equal sides either side of the zipper. Now sew each end. Use pinking shears, or zigzag, or use a serger to finish edge seams.

Trim excess zipper to even up the seam.

Turn right side out, poking out corners with a pencil or something pointy but not too sharp.

If you want boxed corners, push corner into triangles and sew 1/2" from corner tip. See previous post for an example.

There is a completed travel tissue holder with a zippered closure.

So, I messed up on my first example and sewed the 6 1/2" edges to the zipper instead of the 5 1/2" edge. Instead of tossing it I have decided that it would make a handy pouch for carrying a few tampons.

Travel Tissue Case

Fabric Travel Tissue Case Scrap Buster

These cute travel tissue cases give your travel tissues some class and style. They are designed for a packet of travel tissues to fit perfectly but even regular tissues can be used. They are the same size, after all.

These are simple to make and you can use up your scrap fabric to make them.

Start with an outer fabric that is 5 1/2" tall and 6 1/2" wide.

The lining is 5 1/2" tall and 7 1/2" wide.

Sew the 5 1/2" sides together, right sides facing.

The lining piece is longer so the sewn piece will have a ripple.

Turn inside out and press so that there are equal bits of the lining framing the edge. We'll call this binding from now on though it is not technically binding.

Now fold the edges to the center and pin or clip. You can slightly overlap the binding but I prefer keeping them flush to each other. You can find the center by measuring or just fold the piece in half and press to mark the center with a crease.

(If you want to add a tab you would do that now. Make sure that the tab is on the inside at this point, with raw edges matched or slightly extended. The tab would be centered under the binding.)

Sew the sides with the clips using 1/4" seams. Serge, zig-zag, or using pinking sheers to finish the seams, being careful not to cut the stitching if using pinking sheers. I also like to back stitch over the section where the binding meets, to give it some added strength as these are points that receive some added tension when tissue packet is inserted.

I like the look of the boxed corner, though it is not necessary. If you want a flat pouch, turn right side out and your pouch is done.

If you want boxed corners, fold the corners as shown in the image and sew 1/2" from the tip. After all four corners are sewn, turn right side out and you are done. One cute holder for travel tissues is done.

If you want to clip them to your purse or a tote/travel bag we'll need to create a tab piece. Cut a piece of the outer fabric 4" x 2", fold into half lengthwise, fold the outer edges into the center crease, and sew down the sides. Insert the tab through a clip or key ring then insert tab inside holder at the trim before sewing that side down.

Tulle Dish Scrubber - Super Easy Crochet

 Tulle Dish Scrubber - Super Easy Crocheted Pattern

This is an easy project and the scrubbers work great. They can be used on teflon/non-stick pans safely.

The scrubbers are made with 6" tulle. Spools of this tulle can be purchased many places, including big box stores or many crafting stores. You can also buy tulle by the yard and cut into 6" widths but the spools have tulle long enough to make scrubbers without having to join sections of fabric.

Appendix

Sl st - slip stitch
HDC - half double crochet
DC - double crochet

1 spool 6" tulle
1 J crochet hook

Chain 6, slip stitch into first chain to join.

1 ch, 12 HDC around chain circle.

Slip st into first HDC to join.

2 ch, 2 DC into each HDC, slip st into first DC to join. (24 st)

Cut. No need to leave long tail. Leave about 1-2" tail.

Now repeat for second half. This time don't cut.

Put two halves wrong sides together and slip st around perimeter of both halves to join.

Winter Chunky Headband with Ears (or without Ears) - Free Pattern

 

Winter Chunky Headband with Ears (or without Ears)

1 skein Chunky [6] yarn

Scrap yarn for ear lining Chunky [6]

Size 15 knitting needles

Tapestry needle with hole large enough for chunky yarn

Size N crochet hook

 

Gauge 2 st/1” and 4 rows/1” measured in moss stitch pattern

 

CO 5

 

Two Cast On options

 

Option 1: Long tail cast on and bind off end then use mattress stitch to sew ends together.

Option 2: Provisional cast on and use Kitchener’s stitch to attach starting row to ending row.

 

I’ve used the crocheted provisional cast on for this project. Use a similar weight, smooth, different colored yarn. Crochet two chain stitches then use crochet hook to pull yarn over knitting needle and pull through loop until you have 5 stitches. Crochet two more chain stitches off the needle then leave a large loop at the end to identify which end to pull when you are ready to remove provisional stitches. These stitches don’t count anywhere. They only exist to hold the first row’s stitches live.

 

The benefit of starting with a provisional cast on and then using Kitchener’s stitch to graft the two ends together is a smooth, invisible join that has nice stretchability. If you aren’t ready to do this process then just cast on as normal and bind off as normal and sew the two ends together. The join will barely be noticed since it’s at the back of the head.

 

Start knitting with main yarn.

Row 1: Knit 5

Row 2: Purl 5

Row 3: Knit 5

Row 4: Purl 5

Row 5: sl 1, KFB, K1, KFB, K1

Row 6: sl 1 wyf, P6

Row 7: sl 1, KFB, K3, KFB, K1

Row 8: sl 2 wyf, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P2

Row 9: sl 2, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K3

Repeat rows 8 and 9. The two slipped stitches at start of each row will form an icord edge.  Be sure to bring the yarn forward when slipping the first two stitches on the wrong side of the work (even numbered rows). It won’t take long to see the pattern forming. It is a moss stitch with an icord edge.

 

Work until piece measures 2” less than desired head circumference.

In general, for baby work to 15”, for toddler work to 16”, for child work to 17”, and for adult work to 18”.

 

RS Row 1x: sl2, K1, sl 2 knitwise together, K1, pass both slipped sts over last knit st, K3

WS Row 2x: sl 2 wyf, K1, P1, K1, P2

RS Row 3x:  sl 2, K1, P1, K3

WS Row 4x:  sl 2 wyf, K1, P1, K1, P2

RS Row 5x: sl 1, K1, sl 2 knitwise together, K1, pass both slipped sts over last knit st, K2

WS Row 6x: sl 1 wyf, P4

RS Row 7x: sl 1, K4

 

If you used long-tailed cast on, bind off and join two ends with mattress stitch.

 

If you used provisional cast on, remove scrap yarn and insert live stitches onto other needle.  There will be five stitches on each needle for a total of ten stitches. Needle 1 will be front needle and Needle 2 will be back needle.

 

Kitchener’s Stitch:

First, prepare for Kitchener’s stitch by sliding tapestry needle purlwise into first stitch on needle 1 then knitwise into first stitch on needle two.  Be careful to keep the working yarn from sneaking up over the needles as you work.

 

Now we begin:

Insert tapestry needle knitwise into first stitch on Needle 1 and push it off Needle 1 then insert tapestry needle into second stitch purlwise.

 

Now insert tapestry needle into first stitch purlwise on Needle 2 and push it off Needle 2 then into second stitch purlwise.

 

Let’s go back to needle 1 and insert tapestry needle knitwise into stitch 2 and push it off needle 1 then purlwise into stitch 3. Now needle 2’s turn. Insert tapestry needle purlwise into stitch 2 and push it off needle 2 then knitwise into stitch 3. Do the same for stitch 4 and 5 and that’s it. Weave in yarn end and cut off.

 

See the pattern? For stockinette stitch there’s an easy mantra I recite, “knit off purl then purl off knit”. It’s technically knitwise and purlwise but saying “knit off purl then purl off knit” kept it straight for me. The closest needle, Needle 1 will always be knit off purl and the farthest needle, Needle 2, will always be purl off knit for stockinette stitch joins.

 

Ears (Crocheted version)

Make 2 in main color

Make 2 in contrasting color

 

In magic loop, 5 hdc, slip to join (5)

2 hdc in each hdc (10)

*2 hdc in same stitch, 1 hdc, repeat from * (15)

 

Using main color, crochet together a back ear piece and lining ear piece with single crochet. Leave a tail about 12-16” to sew to headband.

 

Ears (Knit version)

Make 2 in main color

Make 2 in contrasting color

 

CO 2

 

KFB x2

K1, KFB x2, K1

K2, KFB x2, K2

K3, KFB x2, K3

K4, KFB x2, K4

 

Bind off, leaving 1 stitch on needle. Turn ear and pick up 1 stitch in center of bottom of ear and 1 stitch at other end of bottom of ear, bind off these three stitches. This is to complete the shaping of the ear but if picking up stitches is intimidating you could use yarn tail and tapestry needle and gather up bottom by stitching into center and far end of bottom of each ear back and ear lining.

 

Crochet back of ear and lining together using main color yarn and single crochet stitch. Or whipstitch for those not knowing how to crochet.

 

Attaching ear:

Fold headband in half with seam in center. Sew ears onto headband third row from the front about 1” from each side. Tack tip of ear to get a more pointed ear. To tack ear tip, after sewing on ear run yarn up back of ear between back and lining. About 1-2 stitches down from top of ear run yarn in and out from side to side about 4x then secure by weaving yarn tail a few times in the back of the ear. For rounded ear don’t tack tip of ear.

 

I used Lion Brand Hometown chunky for most headbands and Wool Ease for the white and gray multi-colored headband.

 

Legend

CO = cast on

K = knit

P = purl

Sl = slip stitch. Insert needle as if to purl but with yarn in back (unless otherwise noted with wyf) and slip stitch from left needle to right needle without working it.

KFB = knit into stitch then knit into stitch again but through back before finishing stitch by releasing from left needle.

Wyf = with yarn in front

Wyb = with yarn in back

RS = right side

WS = wrong side

Icord = knitting stitches on a straight needle but never turning work and always working from right side, which causes yarn stretched across back of work to pull work into a tube shape.

Hdc = half double crochet

SC = single crochet

Crocheted Addy Bear

 

Crocheted Addy Bear - Free Pattern

Designed and created by Robyn for Cosmic Pony.

1 skein (3 oz) medium weight yarn

1 G hook

1 tapestry needle

1 embroidery needle

Embroidery floss: brown (or choice) for nose, white or ivory for highlight, and choice for eye color.

 

Medium Skill Level

 

Gauge: with G hook is 4 st/inch

 

Terms:

Incr= 2 sc in same stitch

Decr= insert hook into stitch, do not pull through loop, insert hook into second stitch, pull through all three loops on hook

sl= insert hook into a stitch and pull into loop on hook without doing a yarn over

(#)= how many stitches in that Row

Stitches within * are a set to be repeated as many times as noted. Example, 1 sc *2 sc, incr* 2 times, 2 sc… would result in 9 stitches because you would do 1 sc and then do 2 sc and an increase and then a second time you would do 2 sc and an increase then finish with 2 more sc.

 

Work is done in Rows but not turning. At the end of each Row, slip stitch to first stitch of current row to finish row. Each ch 1 starting the new Row will bump up to next row and count as first stitch. Every ch1 is included in stitch count for row in parentheses (). Slip stitch is never counted as a stitch.

 

Leave about 12”-16” tail of yarn on body, one ear, the muzzle, one arm, and one leg for attaching together. Example, it’s not necessary to leave yarn tail on head piece because yarn tail on body piece will be used to sew the two together. Weave in tails on pieces without required longer yarn tail.

 

At the end of every row, slip stitch to first stitch of current row then do the ch1 which starts each row.

 

Body

Row 1: ch3, slip stitch, ch1, 5 sc inside loop  (6)

Row 2: ch 1, sc in same stitch as ch1, 2 sc in each stitch across  (12)

Row 3: ch 1, incr, *1 sc, incr* 5 times  (18)

Row 4: ch 1, incr, *1 sc, incr* 8 times, 1 sc (28)

Row 5: ch1, 27 sc in back loop of stitch (28)

Row 6: ch1, 27 sc (28)

Row 7: ch1, 8 sc, incr, *2 sc, incr* 3 times 9 sc (32)

Row 8: ch1, 31 sc (32)

Row 9: ch1, 9 sc, decr, 8 sc, decr, 10 sc (30)

Row 10: ch1, 29 sc (30)

Row 11: ch1, 13 sc, decr, 14 sec (29)

Row 12: ch1, 9 sc, decr, 5 sc, decr, 10 sc (27)

Row 13: ch1, 26 sc (27)

Row 14: ch1, *5 sc, decr* 3 times, 5 sc (24)

Row 15: ch1, 23 sc (24)

Row 16: ch1, 5 sc, decr, *2 sc, decr,*2 times, 6 sc (19)

Row 17: ch1, 2 sc, decr, *2 sc, decr,* 3 times, 2 sc (15)

Add stuffing

Row 18: ch1, decr, *2 sc, decr,*3  times  (11)

Row 19: ch1, 6 decr, (7) tie off, leaving about 12” tail of yarn

 

Head

Row 1: ch3, slip stitch, ch1, 7 sc inside loop (8)

Row 2: ch1, sc in same st as ch1, 2 sc in each stitch across (16)

Row 3: ch1, incr, *1 sc, incr* 7 times (24)

Row 4-8: ch 1, 23 sc (24)

Row 9: ch1, decr, *1 sc, decr* 7 times (16)

Row 10: ch1, 7 decr, tie off, weave in end.

 

Ears (Make 2)

Row 1: ch5, 1 sc, incr, incr, 1 sc (6) ch 1, turn

Row 2: 1 sc, incr, 1 sc, (10) slip stitch to last stitch of foundation chain ch1, turn

Row 3: 10 sc, (10) slip stitch to first ch st

Note: to give ears nice Rounded shape, slip stitching last stitch in Row 2 and Row 3 will pull edges down nicely.

To sew on both ears with one strand, leave yarn tail at least 12" on one ear for sewing onto head and weave in end of other.

 

 

 

Muzzle

Row 1: Ch 5, sc into 4^th ch stitch, 2 sc, 5 sc in 1^st ch stich

Row 2: 3 sc bottom of chain, sl st

Row 3: Ch1, 11 sc outside loop of stitch

Row 4: 11 sc, slip stitch, tie off with yarn trail for sewing.

Use a small bit of stuffing.

 

Attach Ears and Muzzle to Head before attaching Head to Body.

Ears go halfway on head, top about 2^nd row from top.

Use yarn tail to whip stitch ears into place.

Muzzle goes in center in bottom half of head.

Use yarn tail to whip stich muzzle into place.

 

Attach Head to Body.

Be aware of body’s belly curve when attaching head to body.  Attach head so that belly is aligned with head, both facing in the same direction.

 

Legs (Make 2)

Row 1: ch3, sl st, ch1, 7sc, sl st (8)

Row 2: ch1, sc in same stitch as ch1, 7 incr (16)

Row 3: ch1, incr, *1 sc, incr* 7 times (24)

Row 4: ch1, 23 sc in back loop of stitch (24)

Row 5-7: ch1, 23 sc (24)

Row 8: ch1, sc, decr, *2 sc, decr* 5 times (18)

Row 9: ch1, 17 sc (18)

Row 10: ch1, 2 sc, decr, *2 sc, decr* 3 times, 1 sc (14)

Row 11-15: ch1, 13 sc (14)

Row 16: ch1, 1 sc, decr, *2 sc, decr* 2 times, 2 sc (11)

Row 17: ch1, 10 sc (11)

Row 18: ch1, 1 sc, decr, *1 sc, decr* 2 times, 1 sc (8)

Row 19: ch1, 3 decr, 1 sc (5)

Leave 12”-18” yarn tail on one.

 

Arms (make 2)

Row 1: ch3, sl, ch1, 5 sc inside loop, sl stitch (6)

Row 2: ch1, sc in same st as ch1, 5 incr (12)

Row 3: ch1, incr, *1 sc, incr* 5 times, 1 sc (19)

Row 4: ch1, 18 sc in back loop only of stitch (19)

Row 5-7: ch1, 18 sc (19)

Row 8: ch1, 9 decr, (10)

Row 9: ch1, 9 sc (10)

Add some stuffing

Row 10-15: ch1, 9 sc (10)

Row 16: ch1, 5 decr, tie off

Leave 12”-16” yarn tail on one arm and weave in end on other arm.

 

Attach arms and legs to body. Using yarn tails, place arm on body shoulder, roughly lining up to ear placement above. Since this is for a child’s toy I tie one or two extra knots to make it secure, choosing a place such as under appendage and further hiding knots between stitches. Legs get attached in line with arms, at row or two above body’s fifth row.

Note: you can either whipstitch around top few rows of arms or once yarn is secured to arm run needle back and forth through body and the two arms at least eight times and finish off. It’s treating the arm like a button. Running the yarn back and forth allows arms to pivot. Do the same to attach the legs.

 

Embroider.

Use satin stitch and all 6 strands of floss. Don’t worry about exact placement as differences give them uniqueness and personality. Because of the structure of the crocheted stitches it’s pretty much impossible to get a circle so satin stich as close to a circular shape as possible. Use photo for reference.

Eyes go just above muzzle and to either side of muzzle. Each eye gets one French Knot for a white highlight.

Nose, make a triangle at top of muzzle or give bear a big honker like red bear.

The mouth is formed by running a long stitch from bottom of nose to edge of muzzle, back up to nose and then down to edge of muzzle on other side and back up to bottom of nose to finish off.

 

 

1 skein of Lion Brand Tweed Stripes (3 oz) was used for each brown or red bear.

2 skeins of Sensations Beautiful  (1 ½ oz) is required for white bear but there will be some left over.

Kichener's Stitch

Kitchener’s Stitch

Needle 1 will be front needle and Needle 2 will be back needle.

 

First, prepare for Kitchener’s stitch by sliding tapestry needle purlwise into first stitch on needle 1 then knitwise into first stitch on needle two.  Be careful to keep the working yarn from sneaking up over the needles as you work. Now we begin.

 

Insert tapestry needle knitwise into first stitch on Needle 1 and push it off Needle 1 then insert tapestry needle into second stitch purlwise.

 

Now insert tapestry needle into first stitch purlwise on Needle 2 and push it off Needle 2 then into second stitch purlwise.

 

Let’s go back to needle 1 and insert tapestry needle knitwise into stitch 2 and push it off needle 1 then purlwise into stitch 3. Now needle 2’s turn. Insert tapestry needle purlwise into stitch 2 and push it off needle 2 then knitwise into stitch 3.

 

See the pattern? For stockinette stitch there’s an easy mantra I recite, “knit off purl then purl off knit”. It’s technically knitwise and purlwise but saying “knit off purl then purl off knit” kept it straight for me. The closest needle, Needle 1 will always be knit off purl and the farthest needle, Needle 2, will always be purl off knit for stockinette stitch joins.

How to Make a Bowl Cozy with Tips, Hints, and Helpful Suggestions

Bowl Cozy Tips and Suggestions

I decided to make some bowl cozies a few months ago. Where have they been all my life, right? I mean, who hasn't resorted to wrapping a kitchen towel around a hot or cold bowl while heading for the couch to watch a favorite show on tv?

Ice cream is the worse. I don't know about you but I don't always think about grabbing a towel or crocheted trivet when filling a bowl of ice cream for a treat while watching a show and that bowl gets really cold.

So I made some lovely bowl cozies. LOVE them! There are a lot of videos out there on how to make a bowl cozy. This is more of little hints and suggestions for things I encountered while making them that were not really addressed in the videos that I watched prior to taking on this project.

First, there were videos that showed to use 9" squares of fabric or 10" squares of fabric. I went with the 10" squares. It's a nice size for most bowls. I do have a few tall bowls that the 9" would give a more snug fit but 9" would not work for the Pyrex bowls that I put leftovers in for warm up.

If you want, you could make some 9" bowl cozies and some 10" bowl cozies but if you want to cover a mystery size, as in a gift for someone who's bowls you are not intimately familiar with their size and shape, I recommend the 10" size.

Really, any square size will do. So 8", 9", 10", 9.5".....just as long as they are square. But 9" or 10" is the most common size used for tableware. You might want to make one for serving dishes and go up to 11" or 12" squares.

So, for each cozy we have a 10" square of outer fabric, 10" square of inner fabric, and 2 10" squares of batting. The cozies are reversible when finished so I will refer to inner and outer instead of outer and lining.

The first step will be to place a piece of batting and outer piece together with wrong side facing the batting and sew an X through the middle of the piece. Start at one corner and sew to the opposite corner then repeat for the other two corners. Now do the same for the second piece of batting and the inner fabric. This X is to hold the fabric and batting together.

If you wanted to do more quilting, that could be fun. Not necessary but fun. Some type of twirl in the bottom of the cozy would be nifty. But, there will be darts made and fabric cut, so I would wait on getting elaborate with the quilting and stick with the basic X for the first ones you do.

All right, so we have batting secured to both the inner and outer squares. Now we make the darts. In all the videos I watched they folded the square in half and measured 1" up from the corner and 2" over then drew a diagonal line between the marks. After the first two are marked, fold the other side and mark those corners. Now do that for the other piece.

Whew! That's a lot of tedious measuring and marking and lining up rulers. So each cozy has 8 darts. I am going out on a limb here but am pretty sure that you will be making more than one cozy. Even if you live alone and don't have to squabble over the single bowl cozy, you'll still want one available when the first one is in the wash after you dribbled chili all over it. Lots of left over chili to need to eat while snuggled in the cozy.

That means a minimum of two cozies. But if you have a family you'll need to make 5 or 6 or 10 or 12 and  I suspect you'll be making them as gifts. So if you make 5 cozies for a family of 5 that's 40 darts. Sounds like a lot, right? That's where a template comes in.

Tip #1: Make a dart template.
Mark 1" and 2" on a piece of paper, card stock, cardboard, or whatever is at hand and draw a diagonal line between marks and cut. I used a scrap piece of card stock.

You'll notice that it's directional. Don't worry. Just flip it over to mark the other side. Now sew along the diagonal line. In the video they said to sew along the diagonal line then trim off excess fabric along the dart. WAIT!

Tip #2: Walk the edges before cutting the darts.

The first batch of cozies that I made was a set of 4. On one dart I was slightly off and that meant that when I checked to make sure that the corners of the inner piece and outer piece matched, they did not. The corner was short over 1/2", too far to ease in or anything and would have really resulted in a messed up cozy.

 It was a simple fix to rip out the dart and remark and resew because I had not trimmed off the dart's excess fabric. Once I was certain that everything matched up, then I trimmed about 1/8" or so from dart seam.

Now we're nearing the end. Did you notice that some of the cozies have pointed corners and some have rounded corners? I like them the best. They look pretty, like a flower and have a lower profile for the bowl. If you want the round corners, just round the corners by finding something round and marking.

Tip #3: Use something round to help round the corners.
I used the bottom of a candlestick holder. You can use a small bowl, a jar lid, or punch out a circle from cardboard or card stock. The goal is just to round the tip off the corner.

Place the two pieces with inner and outer fabric right side together. Mark the corners and trim off the tip of the corner.

Now sew around the perimeter, leaving a 2-3" gap for turning. Pick the straightest spot you can find. The 2" is a snug fit but will still work but if it's too difficult go with 3" gap. It's a lot like giving birth in respect to thinking it's not possibly to get all that fabric and batting through that small space but it will work.

Turn right side out, use finger, chop stick, or something to smooth out corners then sew gap closed while topstitching around.

Done!