Tute Tuesday: Tea Wallet

I wanted to make a special thank you gift for someone...(I'll tell you why on Sew Saturday!)...so I decided to make a tea wallet! I mostly followed this lady's tute...with a few variations of my own.

You need two 5"X7" background fabrics...one 5"X7" piece of interface...and here's where mine's different....I carefully cut two antique hankies...careful to use their intricate lace edge when I cut two 5"X7" pieces.  I also have a long piece of grosgrain ribbon.  Save your hanky scraps...you'll see why.

Iron the hankies (wallet pockets) in half.  Pin the hankies intensely cuz they slide all over the place.

Iron the interface to the wrong side of one background piece.  Sew the top of the pockets.

Measure one inch up from the bottom and attach your first pocket by sewing along the bottom...only...not the sides.

Then align the second pocket with the bottom of the wallet...and again, sew the bottom only.

If you are using 1/4 inch seams and you've been measuring properly...Measure in 3 1/2 inches and mark with pins or fabric pencil. Sew a vertical line to form two sets of pockets. I backstitched slightly at the top of each pocket so it could withstand use...and because the hanky fabric was thin.

Pin your ribbon to the side...and gather it up and pin it so it's not flapping all about.

Put your other background fabric face down on your "sandwich"...so right sides are together and ribbon pile is inside. Sew all the way around leaving an opening at the bottom so you can flip it inside out. I put those two yellow pins facing the left so I know not to pull them. I've sewn things shut before. I'm just sayin...

Flip it inside out...

Iron the lips of the opening and then top stitch all the way around the edge of the wallet.

Remember those scraps you saved? Make a tea bag tag...You will need to thread a needle and handstitch a bit...but the end result is worth it.

VOILA!

Fill with tea...

...Give it to a friend!