The Valencia Street Bike Basket

Hi! It’s me, Palak– owner of Make It Handmade and a very proud mom. My biggest little one just ‘graduated’ from his tricycle to a 2 wheeler with training wheels. So far, his bike rides have been limited to riding from the backyard to the front yard; but I know this is just a sign of more independence to come.

To send him on his way in style; I decided to make him (and his sister) bike baskets to take with them where ever they go.

These bike baskets are made with just 2 fat quarters and a bit of interfacing or batting and are deep enough to accommodate all the summer essentials– a teddy bear, a princess cup, and those pebbles that were too shiny to leave at the park.

The very best part? At the end of the summer; you can toss them in the wash, and they’ll look brand new for the first day of school.

And even though Valencia Street Bike Basket was designed for the preschool set, it’s large enough that you can ‘borrow’ it for your own adult bike.

2 Fat quarters (I chose prints from Road 15 by Sweetwater)
4 12 inch lengths of ribbon
18″ x 22″ piece of quilt batting, or sturdy fusible or sew in interfacing

These bike baskets come together very quickly! I was able to finish the red and black bike basket (my second one) in about half an hour; from cutting to loading it up with stuffed animals. When deciding whether to make a velcro or ribbon closure, consider the the bike– ribbon closures will work on any bike or trike. To use the velcro closure you must have a bike with a bar between the handle bars.

Let’s get started!

If you are using fusible fleece or interfacing fuse the lining and interfacing together before starting. If you are using quilt batting or a sew in interfacing, pin the batting/interfacing to the wrong side of the lining, and treat them as one piece of fabric from this point on. I used a heavy canvas lining which you will see in the pictures.

Trim the two fat quarters to get rid of the selvage and ensure they are the same size. Fat quarter sizes vary slightly from brand to brand; but this tutorial will work as long as your pieces are the same size.

Fold your outer fabric fat quarter into fourths. Cut a 6 inch square from the corner without any folds. Do this for the lining as well. Set those squares aside- we might be using them later!

When you unfold the fat quarters, you should see something like a chubby plus sign. The middle is the base of the basket, while the ‘arms’ of the plus sign are the sides.

Using the outer fabric, fold the corners together as shown and sew with a 3/8 seam allowance. In the picture below, I’m sewing the bottom left corner.

To insert the ribbon ties, pin the 12 inch strips of ribbon 1 inch from the top of seam before sewing the last two corners together. Do this on opposite corners of one of the long sides.

Do this for the same thing (without the ribbons) for the lining. When you are finished you should have two ‘baskets’– one much floppier than the other.

Press the outer fabric seam allowances toward the short sides of the basket; and press the lining seams towards the long sides of the basket.

With right sides touching, place the outer basket in the lining basket.

Pin all the way around, making sure to nest the seams as you go. Sew all around using a 3/8 seam allowance leaving a small opening for turning.

Turn your project through that small opening and press! Top stitch a 1/4 inch from the top of the basket making sure to close the opening you left for turning.

You are finished and ready to ride!

Velcro Closure

I knew my son wouldn’t appreciate those oh-so-girly ribbon ties; so his basket has a velcro closure. The velcro closure will only work on bikes with a bar between the handle bars. To add velcro, first make up a basket just as before; leaving out the ribbon.

Take 2 of the 6 inch squares set aside earlier and place them right sides together (layer the batting on the outiside. Stitch around all sides of the square leaving a small hole for turning. Turn the square out and press well.

Sew the velcro to the square as shown.

Position and pin the velcro patch so it is centered horizontally and overhangs the basket on top by about an inch. Attach the square to the basket with two lines of stitching– one across the middle of the square and one above the bottom piece of velcro.

Although you will see the stitching on the inside of the basket, stitching through the outer fabric, lining and interfacing will give the velcro band more strength.

Tips and Tricks:

If you can’t find matching ribbon for the ribbon ties; you can use a leftover square to piece together 4 12 inch ‘ribbons’.
For the velcro strap, if you have access to the bike, consider making the strap the exact length of the bar. This will make the strap even sturdier and the basket better able to handle heavy loads.
Consider using one of your scrap squares to applique a name or initial to personalize the basket for your little one.

One stylish bike basket– so your preschooler can take a little bit of home where ever he may roam.

Palak Shah
{www.makeithandmade.com}

The Cake Clutch

Apr3

Hi! I’m Palak from Make It Handmade where I offer weekly tutorials on sewing, serging, knitting and everything in between. I’m so excited to share this clutch pattern with you all today!

As a former bride, I remember the desire to come up with gifts for the family and friends that would be thoughtful, meaningful, useful reminders of our wedding day– all on a budget. The Cake Clutch is a quick, easy clutch pattern that makes a perfect gift for bridesmaids, friends, second cousins, or even *gasp* your mother-in-law.

All the fabric needed for the clutches are pulled from one layer cake, which makes each clutch unique while still coordinating with the others. The finished clutch is the perfect size for stashing wedding day essentials while still being small enough to slip inside a larger bag for use as an everyday wallet.

Each layer cake is enough to make 12 clutches, making this project a very affordable way to come up with a dozen gifts. Even if you aren’t a bride yourself, consider making these as a gift to a bride that you are close to. Simply ask her to choose a layer cake set from Moda’s selection that matches her wedding colors.

1 Layer Cake (I chose Bunny Hill)
1 nylon coil 9” (or larger) zipper for each clutch

Quilt batting to use as interfacing. A craft size package should be enough to make 12 clutches.

These clutches are pretty straightforward, especially if you are have already made other lined, zippered pouches. If you are new to zippers- don’t worry, by the time you’ve finished your last clutch, you’ll be an expert! Be sure to check out the tips and tricks at the bottom of the post for variations on the basic bag, and tips on choosing fabric.

Choosing Fabric:

The hardest part by far, is choosing fabric. You will need to choose 3 layer cake squares and 1 zipper for each clutch.

One square will become the lining, another the main body of the bag, and the last will be the accent fabric. I recommend choosing a small print for the accent fabric to avoid having to fussy cut around large prints.

Cutting:

The best thing about using layer cakes is that there is very little cutting to do in this project. Slice your accent square in half to create a 5 x 10 inch rectangle. For the optional wrist strap, cut another 2×10 inch rectangle.

If you are using quilt batting as interfacing cut an 11″ square of batting for each clutch.

Pressing And Pinning:

Take your accent fabric and fold down the 10″ edges half an inch. Fold in half to match the center of both the main fabric and the accent piece. Lay the fabric on the batting square as shown and pin.

For the wrist strap (optional), take the 2 inch strip and press in half. Then open the strip and fold the edges inward and press again as shown.

Sewing:

Topstitch down the edges of the of the accent fabric 1/8″ inside the fold to secure the accent piece to the main fabric and batting. This is the the perfect time to add any quilting if desired. Once finished, trim the batting to be even with the fabric edges.

Sew down both long sides of the wrist strap 1/8″ inside the fold.

Zipper Installation:

Stack your pieces in this order, outside fabric face up, then zipper face down, and then lining face down. Sew down the edge of the zipper using a zipper foot.

When you are finished, you’ll have something like this.

To sew the other side of the zipper, flip the outside fabric and lining fabric up to meet the other side of the zipper as shown. Sew along the zipper edge.

Cake Clutch Sides:

Now it’s just a matter of sewing the side seams of the clutch. Open the zipper half way, and reorient the lining as shown. Insert the wrist strap between the outside fabric layers. (Guess who forgot to do this!). Pin to make sure the excess zipper tape is sandwiched between the lining layers, and the zipper teeth are pointed towards the outside fabric. Sew down both open edges making sure to leave an opening for turning

Finishing:

To finish, clip the corners and trim any excess zipper tape at the clutch edges. Turn the clutch right side out and press well. Either hand or machine sew the opening in the lining. Topstitch along the zipper to secure the lining.

Now all that’s left to do is contemplate wrapping options!

Tips and Tricks:

If you are planning to mass produce these clutches, I recommend running through the entire tutorial for one clutch before starting assembly line production for all of them.
I fell in love with some of the larger prints in the Bunny Hill collection. If you want to showcase some larger prints as the accent piece, fussy cut the prints to the dimension you think looks best. Keep in mind that you will need at least a 2″ strip leftover if you’d like to add a wrist strap. Oda Mae’s post on fabric scale discusses how to judge a print’s scale by the online picture.
You can also mix up how the clutch looks with a few simple changes. Here I’ve moved the strip off to one side.

And in this picture I’ve added a small contrast band over the accent piece.

I found it useful to use an edge stitching foot for all the topstitching as well as using a zipper foot for the zipper installation.

Up to 12 clutches and 12 happy bridesmaids! (And perhaps a secretly impressed mother-in-law).

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! If you’d like to see more about making these clutches, or more about quilts and other handmade items, or simply simply want to chat, stop by Make It Handmade! I’d love to see you!

Palak Shah
{www.makeithandmade.com}

The Crinkle Quilt

Nov25

Hi! I’m Palak from Make It Handmade! My blog focuses on simplifying handmade projects and techniques with tutorials ranging from no sew projects to serger how to’s. This little quilt is no exception!

This quilt is full of color and crinkles that babies will love. At the same time, it’s a forgiving pattern that comes together in a few hours and doesn’t require any precision piecing.

The finished quilt is is about 40 inches square– my favorite size baby quilt as both a mother and quilter. The size is perfect for covering a newborn or as a play mat for an infant, and doesn’t take much room in the wash. For a toddler it’s a great size for strollers and car seats, and is still large enough to be a lap quilt for a child or adult. As a quilter, I love that I don’t have to piece the backing and it’s easy to fit in the small throat of my home sewing machine.

Quilt Top:
1 Simply Color Layer Cake
1 Yard Focus Print (I chose White Aquatic Blue)
Backing:
1.5 Yard (I chose White Sweet Tangerine Chevron)
Binding:
1/2 Yard (I chose White Lime Aqua)

The Crinkle Quilt alternates 5 inch strips of smooth fabric with pieced ruched strips. The texture makes errors in piecing unnoticeable making this an easy, quick quilt that’s done without much fuss.

The colored strips in the diagram below are pieced ruffled; while the white ones are plain. The twist is the ruffling! With the tips you’ll learn in this tutorial, the ruffles will be a snap too.

Cut List (for quilt top only):

Cut your focus fabric into 5 5.5″ by WOF and set aside
Next, pick 24 squares out of the layer cake and cut them in half to make 48 5″ by 10″ rectangles.

Piecing The Strips

Divide the 48 rectangles into 4 groups of 12. Sew each group together end to end making 4 long strips as shown below. (Chain piecing makes this step go fast).

Next, place a pin in one end of each long strip. I know this seems like a small thing, but I promise it will help with the ruffling later. From this point onward, whenever we sew, we will always start with the pinned edge going into the machine first. This will keep the ruffles looking even and keep the seam allowances from flipping up.

Move to the ironing board and press all the seam allowances to one side away from end with the pin. Once you’ve done all four strips, you’ll be ready to ruffle!

Ruffling

We are going to use the tension method to ruffle. This method is ideal for ruffling long strips that might need slight adjustments at the end. If you are having trouble with this method, try using another ruffling method.

Change your sewing machine to have a long stitch length and high tension.

We’ll still need to add even more tension to get the fabric to ruffle enough to be the same size as the focus fabric strips. To do that, I hold the thread down with one finger while sewing.

Here’s a close up of what I’m doing. You can also lightly pinch the thread through your fingers if that’s easier. Just be sure to do this between the thread spool and tension disks as shown in the picture below.

While ruffling, make sure to pull out a long tail of both bobbin and top thread at either end of each strip. I normally use 10-12 inches to be on the safe side.

Starting with the pinned end of the strip, sew along one edge using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.You’ll see your strip ruffle up along one edge.

Then, starting with the pinned edge again, sew along the opposite edge. This will mean you’ll have to flip the strip over to the wrong side.

Do this until you have 4 strips ruffled down each side. Don’t forget to change your sewing machine settings to normal.

Now, compare each strip with the focus fabric strips that we set aside. Pull on the top sewing thread to adjust the strip to be the same length as the focus fabric strips. I also like make sure the pieced sections look like squares instead of trapezoids .

Now for the most important step: Press the ruffled strips well and top stitch down each side of the ruffled using a quarter inch seam allowance and normal stitch length. This will stabilize your ruffled strip and keep it from shifting while you sew. Now you can remove those pins at the ends of your strips!

Using a 1/2 inch seam allowance, sew the strips together as normal, alternating a ruffled strip with a plain strip.

Your top is complete and ready to be quilted!

Finishing up

Quilt your Crinkle Quilt with any pattern you like. I recommend not quilting the ruffled strips– they poof up beautifully in the wash, and are so much fun for little fingers to play in. Trim, square and bind the quilt just as you would any other quilt.