Ribbon Tie Wallet Pattern

My latest stint in the sewing room has turned out to be fairly productive. After a flurry of sewing and photoshopping, I've finally done something I've wanted to do for a while - design and write a pattern to sell in my Etsy shop.

It all started with an order from the website Spoonflower. I learned about Spoonflower a year ago while working at the Urban Craft Center. If you haven't heard about it, you absolutely need to check it out. As in, go there IMMEDIATELY after you read this post. On Spoonflower you can order fabric printed with your own design - all you have to do is upload an image, then use the website's special tools to set the size and repeat pattern. The best part about it is that there's no minimum order. For just five bucks you can order as little as an 8" square test swatch in fabrics ranging from regular cotton to cotton twill to sateen to lawn. If you're not the designing type, you can also shop designs that others have uploaded. There's a lot of really amazing stuff on there.

If you're at all observant, you've probably noticed that the owls on the wallet are actually Hootie the Owl from my banner. I was so excited when I ripped open the envelope and yanked my custom fabric out, I just had to make something out of it right away. [P.S. - you can now shop for Hootie the Owl fabric online here.]

I ended up sewing this cute little bifold wallet that [serendipitously] was the perfect size for my iPhone. I didn't want to mess around with buttonholes or snaps so I attached a ribbon to tie it all shut. I made a pdf with paper pieces to print and cut and illustrated directions. If there are any beginner sewers out there, or anyone that's rusty and looking to get back into sewing, this would be a great thing to try.

Check it out here!