{SIG} Travel Wallet Tutorial

Time for the final tutorial in the Millie Tote series!

So far in this series we have:

~ Turned the {SIG} Millie Skirt Pattern into the Millie Tote

~ Created a matching key fob to hook onto the Millie Tote's d-ring

and now you can create this fab {SIG} Travel Wallet!

This cutie will also clip right into your Millie Tote
OR

hook onto your keys for easy carrying while out and about!
This would be fantastic to keep on hand during your travels,

quick trips or shopping excursions!

It will hold a good amount of folded bills, cards and change...

all safe and secure and small enough for your pocket!

So let's get to it!

(Remember, you can click on any of these pics to enlarge!)

Gather your materials:

~ (2) 9.5" x 5.25" pieces of fabric 

~ (2) 3.5" x 5.25" pieces of fabric

~ (1) 2" x 2.5" piece of fabric

(I used coordinating fabrics, but you can use all the same fabric if you like)

~ (2) 9.25" x 5" pieces of light to medium weight interfacing

~ (1) 3.25" x 5" pieces of light to medium weight interfacing

~ 1.5" length of velcro

~ purse strap clip

(clips usually come 2 to a pack, so use the extra one from your key fob creation!)

~ zipper (at least 6" long)

Go ahead and add the interfacing to the two largest pieces

and one of the 3.5" x 5.25" pieces.
Follow manufacturer's instructions for the interfacing.
I also shared step-by-step details for this in the Millie Tote tutorial.

Now, lay your two large pieces on top of each other,

right sides together, and stitch with

1/4" seam allowance along the two long sides

and one of the short sides.

Clip sewn corners and turn right side out,

using a sharp instrument (chopstick, knitting needle, etc.)

to poke out the corners to make them nice and square.
At this time, get your smallest piece of fabric

and fold it in half with the 2.5" together 

and sew along that long side at 1/4".

Turn it right side out.
Press both pieces.

Fold the open end of the large piece inwards

about 1/2" and press the edge.

Stitch open end closed, close to the edge. 

Grab that little tab that you have created,

insert it through the purse clip

and stitch closely to the raw ends.
The stitching here is just to hold it in place while attaching it.

Place the raw edge of the stitched tab

along the short edge of one of the

smaller rectangles, centering it.
Lay the other rectangle on top of the first,

sandwiching the clip in between.
Pin through all layers to hold the clip/tab in place while sewing.

Sew with 1/4" seam allowance along the two short sides

and one long edge of the "sandwich".

Clip sewn corners, turn right side out,

poke corners out and press flat.

You now have the two main parts of the wallet! 

Time for some zipper fun!

Grab the larger piece and lay the end that you folded

in and closed up a minute ago alongside the zipper.

Align one corner of the fabric about

1/4" beyond the start of the zipper.

You can carefully pin the zipper to the fabric here

if you need help holding it in place

or just head to the machine and start stitching

(closely to the edge)!
I use the setting on my machine that shifts the needle to the far left.
This lets you get much closer to the edge.
You can also use a zipper foot if your machine doesn't do this.

Now, lay the long side of your smaller rectangle along the other side of the zipper.
Align it with the piece on the left, pin if necessary and stitch close to the edge.

You have just attached a nifty and functional zipper! Yay!

Flip your whole piece over to the back side.

Fold the smaller rectangle over on top of the larger one,

which will place the zipper at the bottom of the fold.

Get this as flat and even as possible

and place a pin in the middle to hold.

Stitch about 1/8" above the raw edge of your small rectangle.

Trim off excess zipper from both ends, as close as possible.

Fold the zippered compartment up and over again

along the line you just stitched.

This stitched line will be the bottom of your wallet.

Now we need to attach the Velcro.

Place one half of the Velcro below the zipper about 1/4",

centering it along the width.

Hold your Velcro in place with one hand

and CAREFULLY unzip the zipper...but NOT all the way!
If you unzip all the way at this point, 

the zipper will come off and you will have to try to reattach it.
Save yourself that trouble...

pull it back most of the way and fold it down to lock it.

You will now stitch around the edges of the Velcro,

making sure that you are only stitching through

the FIRST layer of the compartment.
After it is sewn on, you can close your zipper back up.

Place the other half of your Velcro on the underside of

the wallet's flap and align it with the first piece.
Stitch it in place.

You are so close to being done now!

With your wallet in this position,

make sure all your sides are aligned and flush and place a pin through the middle of it to keep everything straight.

Stitch close to the edge along the two sides of the wallet,

making sure to stitch back and forth over

the zipper ends a couple of times for reinforcement.

Fold that flap closed and you have yourself some major cuteness!

Now clip it into your matching Millie Tote!

How pretty!

You CAN do this...

and you will be so proud to show off your talent!

Thank you for following along with our Millie Tote Tutorial series.
I love being able to help you realize your potential!

XOXO,

{SIG} Key Fob Tutorial

Andrea here again with part 2 of our Millie Tote tutorial series!

If you missed the tutorial for the Millie Tote, you can find it here.

This week I will be showing you how to make
a key fob to coordinate with your new Millie Tote.

Our Millie Tote design includes an interior d-ring strap,
so we will be creating the key fob to clip onto it!

(Click on any pic to enlarge.)

First, gather your materials:

~ 2 coordinating pieces of fabric (2.5" x 13")

~ 1 coordinating piece of fabric (2.5" x 3.5")

OR 1 piece of ribbon (3.5" long & at least 3/4" wide)

~ Stitch Witchery (not pictured)

~ 1 purse strap clip (can be found at Joann's)

Optional:

~ 1 jump ring (key ring)

Now that we have everthing we need, let's get to it!

Grab your 3 fabric pieces and head to your sewing machine.

If you are using ribbon instead of the small piece of fabric,

you will now only be working with the 2 main pieces.

Each piece will be folded in half longways

(right sides together)

and sewn together with a 1/4" seam allowance.

It is important that the 2 long pieces be sewn as identically as possible.

They will need to be the exact same width once finished.

Pay attention to which side you are sewing

on the smallest piece as the 2 sides only differ by an inch.

Fold that one in half along the 3.5" side.

After all pieces are stitched,

press open the seams and then,

using a safety pin, turn them all right side out.

Take your messy, sewn strips of fabric back to the ironing board

and press them with the seam in the middle of one side.

This seam will eventually be hidden.

Feel free to use spray starch to get them as smooth and flat as possible.

Your 2 long pieces should be exactly the same width at this point.

Now get out your Stitch Witchery and cut two 13" pieces.

Lay them along the seam side of one of your long fabric pieces.

It is fine if they overlap. 

This step is primarily for holding our pieces in place for stitching.

Lay the other long piece of fabric, seam side DOWN,

on top of the Stitch Witchery.

With your iron, press the entire length of the fabric,

keeping them as aligned as possible, for a few seconds.

Once it has cooled, you should have a sufficient bond

to temporarily hold them together.

Now, back to the machine to stitch along the 2 long sides,

about 1/8" from the edge.

Take your strap clip and slide it onto the long piece of fabric,
making sure that the fabric you are wanting
on the outside is on the same side as the clip.

Overlap the raw ends of the strap 1/4"
and sew with a zig zag stitch for reinforcement.

Align the new seam about 1/2" above the clip.

Grab your small piece of fabric,
fold it in half (seam towards the inside)
and place the fold on one side of the strap's seam.

Fold both ends of the small piece into the other side of the strap
until it is snugly tucked into the strap.

Ribbon option:

If you prefer, you can use coordinating ribbon to wrap around the strap.

Burn the edges of your 3.5" piece of ribbon to keep from fraying.

Place it around the strap in the same way as shown.

Holding it all in place, stitch along the top and bottom of the small piece/ribbon.

Sew along this line a couple of times for reinforcement.

Guess what?

You're all done!

Now admire your handiwork!

Add some keys to that puppy!

Attach it to the d-ring in your awesome new Millie Tote!

YOU are awesome!

That is what you will hear when you make these cool key fobs

for all of your friends and family!

Did I mention that Helen, one of our dear {SIG} customers,

WON this key fob with her Millie Tote purchase?

Check out our Facebook page,
because we will be regularly giving these away with tote purchases!

Next week, in our final tutorial of this series,

we will be creating a simple wallet to coordinate with a Millie Tote.

Hope to see you there!