Sometimes I think my daughter believes I can do anything…at least when it comes to sewing. She got this hair brained idea that I could some how come up with a sort of carrier/tote/display thingy…so she could transport the necklaces she makes with her in an easy to carry way. She wanted something easy to open up and show people. It needed to be something that would keep them safe from getting broken; something that would keep from getting tangled and something that would showcase several at a time without having to have them all crammed in a box or a container and sort through them. (unfortunately, which is what she’s done in the past…)
So she came home yesterday with a piece of black leatherette-like fabric from Hobby Lobby…a tiny bit stretchy and somewhat on the elegant side. She had this idea to have loops at the top that would hold her necklaces in place and then she could just “roll them up” when she was finished showing them. So…I did what any mom would do… I thought and thought and came up with a plan….not a pattern, mind you…just a plan.
The plan was to make something about the size of a pillow case…about 26 x 16 with one side having the leathery look and the other side something that was somewhat sturdy, but not stiff. She picked a burgundy corduroy from my stash and we used some black ribbon I had for the loops at the top. In the middle of the tote was a layer of batting to give it just a little bit of body and not look totally flat.
Let me show you a few pictures Rebecca snapped along the way…(She was the one who said, “You might as well show how to do this on your blog, mom!”) This is how big it started out…
There is a layer of batting with the corduroy layer and the black leather layer kissing each other on top of it. I didn’t cut my batting and my corduroy pieces to fit the leather exactly… but my leather piece was squared up and straight. I just stacked them on top of each other and made sure the edges were all as even as possible…with a little overhang.
She cut some lengths of ribbon that were 6″ long and then folded them in half. I stitched them across the top edge on my machine in assembly line sewing…(They were all connected in one long piece of thread.) I determined we could fit 8 loops on the top edge with a 1″ space between them. They were pinned along the top edge on the underneath side. (Rebecca forgot to take a picture of this step.)
So it looked something like this…only the loops were on the underneath side. I lined up the top edges of the ribbon with the top edge of the leather to make sure they would all be the same length. This picture just shows how we were trying to determine how many loops to use and how far to space them apart.
Then I pinned the fabric along the edges of the black leather… Since the fabric was stretchy I didn’t have to worry about holes showing up in it. It was very nice to work with… I pinned all the way around it ( imagine the loops are pinned at the top underside just along the edge.) but left about a 5″ opening in the bottom edge so it could be turned inside out.
I stitched all around the edges using a 5/8″ seam on all the edges except for the top edge… I wanted to make her loops as long as possible, so I just stitched 1/4″ inch along the top. When I was finished stitching I took my scissors and trimmed the corners at an angle and trimmed off just the fleece and the corduroy. I left the leather the way it was.
Then it was time to turn it… it wasn’t too difficult…
It’s gonna work!!!
I took my “corner-poker-outer” of choice… my large crochet hook… and poked the corners to as nice of a point as I could get…
I rolled the corduroy slightly to the backside and placed my pins on the black side…it’s the side the necklaces will be shown on…
I folded down the ribbon loops and pinned them in place all across the top and around the whole piece. When I got the opening at the bottom, I tucked in the fabrics and closed up the gap.
Once there were pins holding the piece snug and secure, I proceeded to stitch 5/8″ all the way around the edge…except for the top edge… I just did that 1/4″ again. After I made it around once, I did it again only this time, just about 1/4″ all the way around…it just gave it better finished edge.
It needed to have couple of diagonal rows stitched to hold the fabrics somewhat together…otherwise it was sort of like 2 ply toilet paper… too easy to separate and pull apart. I divided it in about thirds and stitched in a straight row from the top to the bottom. It was just enough to hold the front and back together.
Rebecca could hardly wait to try her necklaces in it. She opened the clasps and slipped the ends of the necklaces through the loops and fastened the clasps back.
This is what it looked like with a few more necklaces “looped in!”
Now to see if it would work… when she rolled it up…
Yep! It worked…She found a piece of gray stretchy lace and I made a band to slip over the roll.
THEN…she had the nerve to ask me if I could make a second one…since she had so many necklaces…
What’s a mom to do? Make a second one… and I did!
So…that’s how to make a necklace holder/tote/display/carrier/transport thingy!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne..you are the BESTESTmom ever!!
Looks great!
Well Shara,
I don’t know about the BESTEST mom ever…but I DO love that girl!
Thank you,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a wonderful idea that worked out soooo well. Good going, Jeanne!
Blessings.
Thanks Becky,
Rebecca was thrilled with her new “travel tote” so that’s what mattered…
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
Very clever. Really showcases the necklaces and protects them. I like that lace band detail. Now you need to make a dolly necklace size case too. In your spare time of course. 🙂
HI Joy,
Let’s keep that “dolly necklace case” a secret….at least until after Christmas… She already suggested it, but I said, “Let’s do one at a time…!”
Thanks Joy,
blessings, Jeanne
You are a Jeanius! (genius) Your daughter is pretty smart, too! What a wonderful idea and creation! I love the doll necklaces I have purchased from your Etsy store.
Thanks Jane,
We are working on getting her other ladies necklaces listed on Etsy. We wanted to work on them last night, but I was so tired, I told her I had to go to bed…at 9:00…which might be a record for me…
Thanks for the nice compliments on Becca’s necklaces…
Blessings, Jeanne
Have you ever noticed that Joy has great ideas? A doll necklace holder — you could sell them on Etsy to those of us with too many doll necklaces.
How really nice that Rebecca thinks her mom can do anything. Much nicer than girls who think their moms can’t do or know anything. Keep that girl! I’m sure she intends to keep you.
Part way through I thought, Rebecca needs more than one of these carriers. Then I read on. She needed more than one and she got more than one. I especially liked the way a necklace that needs to spread out can be threaded through two loops. Lovely work, and many thanks.
HI Marilyn,
Yes, between my sewing skills and her knowing how she wanted them displayed, somehow we got it made just the way she wanted… Now she just had to take them someplace and sell them. (Actually truth be told… I did take them with me yesterday to the Cancer place but the nurses were just too busy to stop and show them, so she needs to take them some other places. ) She did sell a pair of earrings… :o)
Thanks so much Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
Yes, that’s very clever to have the wider ribbon for the necklaces. A beautiful idea, well executed. I haven’t seen anything exactly like that. Great collaboration.
Cindy Rice had an interesting post yesterday about not making the same dress twice. I often wondered if something sold well why you didn’t make another, maybe in a different color. She says it’s the creative process and once it finished, it’s had it say. I understand because I’ll probably not finish another witch costume until I send the one off to Riya. Booorrring!
HI Susette,
Rebecca knew what she wanted and I guess she got it! She was pretty happy with the end results.
I didn’t read Cindy’s post yesterday but now I will. I’ve lost track of her and all my other blog posts I used to read and miss them… and her…
I usually don’t do a dress twice either… and it’s funny to think… that every dress I make is a new creation… You’d think I would run out of ideas…but not so far…
Thanks Susette,
Blessings, Jeanne
My goodness, Jeanne, is there anything you can’t do? You are the most creative and hard-working person I have ever known! What would your family do without you there to rescue them? Such a wonderful mother you are,– and wife,– and daughter too, I might add!
HI Linda,
Thank you for your sweet Christmas card…it’s very pretty and glittery! :o)
George told me yesterday we needed “fire hats” to wear…for all the little “fires” we have been putting out lately! I might agree with him! Sometimes life just gets busy!
I appreciate your kind words Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
That is a wonderful necklace holder! 😀
Thank you Christine,
Rebecca was very pleased with it and as she carries it with her, I know she’ll be thrilled…I hope it helps her make some sales.
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh the things we do for our kids! You did come up with a good solution for her idea, and I’m sure it will work out well for her.
Thank you Carolyn,
Yes…the things we fo for our kids…I know I’m not alone in that….
Thank you,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a clever idea, Jeanne!! And it looks beautiful and professional, too.
I was thinking, a somewhat smaller version (perhaps with a pocket or two for pins or earrings) would make a nice travel case for personal jewelry, too.