Travel Jewelry Clutch Tutorial

Today’s contributor is Crystal from Stitched By Crystal. All posts written by Crystal for Make It and Love It can be found HERE.

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Hi there! It is Crystal, here from Stitched by Crystal, with a fun tutorial to share!  I have some travel planned for this summer and I want to bring some of my jewelry along with ending up with lost earrings or tangled necklaces.  So, I came up with this simple travel jewelry clutch that will store everything I want to take on the trips and fold up neatly in my suitcase!

 

This little travel jewelry clutch has room for all your jewelry for your vacation getaway, and it wraps up to a 9″ x 6″ clutch that ties shut to keep all your bling safely inside during travel while still being small enough to throw in your carry on!

 

Up on top, there is room for 4 pairs of stud earrings on a leather strap and a padded ring strap that both snap in place.

 

Then there is room for some necklaces, clasp them around the strap on top and tuck them in the pockets below…No more knotted necklaces!

 

At the bottom, tuck your bracelets, dangle earrings, or larger jewelry pieces into the big clear pocket and zip it shut so they don’t go missing in your suitcase!

 

Want to make a travel jewelry clutch?  Great! Let me show you how….

 

You will need…

• 1/4 yard or a fat quarter of your main fabric
• 1/4 yard or a fat quarter of the lining fabric
• 1/4 yard of fusible fleece
• One 9″ zipper
• 1/2 yard of single fold bias tape
• 2.5 yards of double fold bias tape (1.5 yards for to finish the edge of your case and 1 yard for your tie closure)
• A small scrap of leather
• A small leather hole punch
• 1/4 yard of clear vinyl (you can find this in the home decor fabric section at your craft store)
• 2 snaps
• A small bit of batting
• Basic sewing supplies

 

Start by cutting your fabric.  You will need…

• One 9″ x 17″ piece of each of your main fabric, lining fabric, and fusible fleece.
• One 3″ x 7.5″ piece of the main fabric for the ring holder
• Three 3.5″ x 9″ pieces for the necklace holder
• One 1″ x 6.5″ piece of leather for the earring holder
• One 9″ x 5″ piece of the vinyl

 

Using a cup as a guide, round the corners of all three of your 9″ x 17″ pieces as well as the 2 bottom corners of your vinyl.

Lay the vinyl on top of the zipper and baste it in place.  Then sew 9″ of single fold bias tape over top of the seam for a clean finish.  (**tip** When working with the vinyl, don’t use pins, they will leave holes.  Use small clips or clothes pins to keep everything in place instead)

Position the vinyl on top of the lining piece, lining up the curves at the bottom corners.  Baste the vinyl on place 1/4″ from the edge and also along the top of the zipper.  Add the remaining 9″ of bias tape over the top edge of the zipper. Try to avoid having the little metal stopper on your zipper within 1/2″ of the edge of your case (you can see mine is right where I want to sew my bias tape on in a bit…oops!).  BUT, if it ends up too close to the edge, you can pull it off with a pair of pliers so you don’t break your needle on it later.  Position the zipper pull somewhere in the middle and trim off any extra zipper on the ends.

Next, the necklace holder.  Fold one of the 3.5″ x 9″ pieces in half, right side together, lining up the 9″ sides and sew along the edge with a 1/2″ seam allowance.  Place the other two 3.5″ x 9″ pieces right sides together and sew along both 9″ sides with a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Position the larger rectangle 1/2″ above the zipper pocket.  Sew along the sides and bottom edge to create a pocket, then stitch two lines to divide the pocket onto three smaller pockets as shown below.

Position the other piece 2″ above the pocket.  Sew it down on both sides, then sew two lines directly above the ones you made in the pocket as shown below.

With the leather punch, make 8 holes in the middle of your leather strip, leave room on the ends to sew the strip in place and add the snap later.

Create the padded ring strap by folding the 3″ x 7.5″ piece in half, right sides together, and sewing along the edge with a 1/2″ seam allowance.  Press the seam open and center it on the strip.  Sew one end shut with a 1/2″ seam allowance.  Turn the strip right side out.  Sew 1″ from the closed end, this is where you will add your snap.  Then lightly stuff the tube.  Stitch the tube shut 1.5″ from the open end.

Fold the raw edge of the ring holder in 1/2″.  Position the earring and ring holders at the top of the clutch, above the necklace holder.  Sew one end down with a box stitch as shown below.

Mark the placement of the snaps on and add those.  You may want to add a small piece of interfacing to the back where you place the snap for added stability.

Iron the fusible fleece to the wrong side of the main outer piece.  Place the main piece with the fleece and the lining piece wrong sides together and baste around the outside 1/4″ from the edge.  Stitch in between the bottom pocket and the necklace pockets and also between the ring and necklace holder as shown below.

Sew 1 yard of double fold bias tape shut along the open edge to create a tie for the clutch.  Find the center of the tie and line it up at the center of the middle panel on the outside of the clutch.  Stitch the tie in place along the lines you just stitched in the clutch on the previous step.

Add double fold bias tape to the outside edge of the clutch.  (Check out this post for tips on making and using bias tape!)

Fold up the case and tie it shut.  Trim the tie to your desired length and knot the ends.

The clutch is done! Now fill it up with jewelry for your next vacation!

 

Thanks for reading!

-Crystal

 

Check out Crystal’s blog here.  Her darling shop here.  Follow her on Instagram here.  And her Pinterest page here.

 

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Now you’ll want some new jewelry pieces to carry in your fabulous jewelry clutch! Check out some of our favorite jewelry tutorials, get your craft on, and then get packing!

Easy Turquoise Earring Tutorial

Altering Used/New Jewelry……and making it your very own.

DIY Leather Cuffs from Old Belts

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DIY Digital Piano Stand plus Bench (…a $25 project!!)

DIY Digital Piano Stand plus Bench

Growing up, we always had a piano in our house.  We all took turns taking lessons…..even though mine only lasted about 6 months because my teacher moved away (but I played other instruments, so it worked out).  I remember sitting down to the piano when I was bored and making up random melodies and singing dramatic lyrics along with the nonsensical plunking of each key.  I also remember trying to figure out sheet music on my own (since my teacher moved away) and then having pretend recitals, where I would curtsy at the end and relish in my pretend applause.  I mean, you guys, I was an incredible pianist in my own little dream world….haha!! ;)

Anyway — for the longest time, I have wanted to have a piano for my kids to begin plunking around on and possibly gaining an interest in taking lessons.  But every time I asked them, they always seemed very disinterested…..so I decided it wasn’t worth forcing them to do, and that we would just wait.  A few months ago, we started talking about playing musical instruments and I told them I played the trumpet from 4th-8th grade and sometimes I played the tuba, sousaphone, and was even the majorette in our little middle school band.  They thought that was so cool and started telling me all the instruments they wanted to play.  I told them that all sounded great…..but if they wanted to play an instrument, they had to take piano first.  So, FINALLY——–they told me they wanted to give piano a try. :)

I started looking around online for a used upright piano but just didn’t see anything that would work.  Plus, I wasn’t sure I wanted to move a huge old piano from someone else’s house into ours.  We’d have to rent a truck, hire a tuner, and then hopefully it would play well after all that effort.  So, instead, I started looking at full sized keyboards with weighted keys.  That way, it would feel and mostly sound like a regular piano and then transitioning to a piano wouldn’t be so awkward in the future.  And—–headphones!!!   But the thing is……the only space in our house for a keyboard is out in the main living room (which is also open to the kitchen/dining room and where we spend plenty of time), and I didn’t want to just plunk it in the middle of my furniture as is.  A standard upright piano is like a piece of pretty furniture, so when not in use, it’s still pleasant to look at.  But a keyboard is a little different.  Even though it’s totally fine sitting out, I really wanted to create something that was more like a pretty piece of furniture!

So we created this all wood Digital Piano Stand…..complete with a little bench!

 

The stand is made from inexpensive pieces of pine and was put together in only a few hours.  It’s a quick project that makes me very happy to see sitting in our front Living Room.

 

The design is more farm-style and was stained to look like old distressed wood.  The top of the table and the bench both have planks of wood across the top….and I love how that turned out!

 

Oh, and that little bench was so fast to put together and could be used for so many things.  And actually, the stand could be heightened and used as a console table or even a sofa table…….if you don’t actually need a piano stand.

 

The stand puts the keyboard at a nice piano height that is perfect for adults to sit and play comfortably…..but also works great for budding little musicians who want to learn to play! (P.S. Elli and Connor both love taking lessons so far, and have become obsessed with learning notes, finger placement, rhythm, etc! And I love that they can put headphones on and not only keep the noise level down for the rest of us, they also help them to stay focused and not get distracted by what’s going on around them.  And then every once in a while, I have them unplug and let me listen for accuracy.  LOVE those headphones! Oh, and THIS is the keyboard we have, which has weighted keys that feel more like a real piano.)

 

Our stand and keyboard now sit along one wall, behind some chairs and it blends right in with what we have going on in this front room…….and I love it!

 

And really, for about $25 IN LUMBER, this Digital Piano Stand really didn’t cost much to make!  But just think——you could paint this all one color, or make the stand and bench two different colors.  You could even use this in a bedroom as a homework desk, a makeup station, or even a project table.  So many reasons to love this little thing!

 

Want to make one too??

FIRST OF ALL, we purchased our keyboard HERE, and love it!  So the dimensions below accommodate our Digital Piano, that has an overall measurement of 51 3/4 inches wide, 13 inches deep, and 3 3/4 inches tall (to the top of the keys).  If your keyboard is slightly different in size, make adjustments as needed.

 

SUPPLIES:

• 4 – 2×4’s $2.50
• 3 – 2×6’s $3.50
• 1 – 2×2’s (If you can’t find 2×2’s that are straight….rip some 2×4’s down to size.)
• Screws
• wood glue (HERE’S the exact wood glue we used)
• Kreg Jig
• Counter Sink Bit
• Kreg Jig (HERE’S the EXACT one we have….and LOVE!)
• Kreg Face Clamp (HERE’S the EXACT one we have…..that you NEED while using the Kreg Jig)
• Drill

Finish & Misc:

• Stain (we used Minwax “Weathered Oak” and “Provincial“…both oil based)
• Polyurethane (we have had the best luck with THIS General Finishes, High Performance, Water Based, Satin finish)
• Random Orbital Sander and Mouse Sander (You could get away with using just a mouse sander…but it will take a bit longer. HERE’S the exact Random Orbital Sander that we have….and it’s only $30.)

***The finished STAND measures approximately 26 3/4 inches tall, 54 1/2 inches wide, and 15 inches deep.

***The finished BENCH measures approximately 18 1/4 inches tall, 30 inches wide, and 14 1/2 inches deep.

 

Okay, let’s start with the piano stand.  To do so, you will make the two end sections first and then connect them together with 2 long pieces…..it’s a pretty basic construction.

So, to make each end piece, you need to cut 2 of your 2×4’s into 2 longer pieces that are 23 1/8 inches long and 2 shorter pieces that are 10 inches long.  Then you need one 2×2 piece that is 17 inches long and two 2×2 pieces that are 8 1/2 inches long each. (I’m only showing two 2×2 pieces in the image below, sorry for the confusion….I just hadn’t cut them down to size yet).

 

Then you need to to use your 2×4 pieces to create the main frame of this end section by laying the two longer pieces on their side and the shorter piece at the top to lay flat and then the bottom shorter piece to lay on its side, just like shown below.  The top horizontal piece is flush with the top of the side pieces, the lower horizontal piece is 2 1/8 inches from the bottom of the two side pieces.

 

But let me back up for a second…  To connect these pieces together, the easiest way to connect them is to drill holes with a Kreg Jig (which is such an amazing tool and now that we have one, we use it ALL THE TIME!!  It’s a great investment, that really doesn’t cost much at all!  You can find one at your local hardware store…..or you can find it HERE.)  The Kreg Jig gives you a PERFECT angle and drilled hole for combing wood together in so many scenarios….and will save you a whole lot of grief with getting things straight and secure.  GET ONE!

 

This is what you want on your two shorter 2×4’s……..on one side you want the holes drilled in far apart (to provide room for attaching some screws later on) and the other end, the holes can be closer together.

 

Now, go ahead and attach these pieces together (placing a thin layer of wood glue between), making sure that the 2×4’s are all laying flush on a flat surface and that the drill holes are facing upward on the upper piece…

 

….and that the drill holes on the lower piece or on the bottom side.

 

Drill your screws in place and then once you flip it over…..no holes will be seen!

Now, it’s time to add the “X” to the inside of this rectangle piece, with your 2×2’s.  Cut one piece down to 17 inches and then the other 2 pieces down to 8 1/2 inches.  Reference the image below for all the angles you’ll need to cut the ends of each piece to create the “X”.

 

Repeat the above steps to create another side piece that looks exactly the same, EXCEPT the top drill holes in the horizontal 2×4 mirror each other.  (Remember, it’s helpful to add a thin layer of wood glue between all joining wood pieces.)

 

Now, cut 2 more 2×4 pieces that are both 44 1/2 inches long.  Then place the two end pieces on their sides and attach the two long pieces along the inner edges, adding holes with your Kreg Jig, just like above (reference the arrows below).  The bottom 44 1/2 inch long piece piece is attached 5 1/2 inches from the bottom edge of the side pieces.

 

Then from this view, the holes are hidden.

 

Now, to create feet for the base, cut two 2×6’s down to 16 inches long and 4 1/2 inches wide.  Then, this is optional, but we decided to angle the top edge, to make it look a little more polished.

 

To attach the feet, turn the base upside down and then add another piece of wood as a support and then clamp the whole thing together, with the foot hanging over about 2 1/2 inches in the front and about 1/2 inch in the back.  Screw in place.

 

Next, I’m not sure how I didn’t get a picture of screwing the table top pieces together……but the top of the bench was created almost identically.  In fact, if I didn’t tell you that….you probably wouldn’t have noticed.  But the table top consists of two 2×6’s (54 1/2 inches long each) and then a 2×6 ripped down to 4 inches wide (that’s also 54 1/2 inches long)…..lined up together with the more narrow piece in the middle.  Use the Kreg Jig to drill holes and attach each of the pieces together…..creating one single table top piece.  The finished table top is 15 x 54 1/2 inches.

 

Then, place the table top right on top of the base, hanging over about 1 1/2 inches on the sides and about 1 inch along the front and back.  Then secure it in place by installing several screws from the top in several locations.

 

Okay, now onto the bench, which can be made for so many uses.

These are the wood pieces that you’ll be needing.  Screw into place….using the Kreg Jig when needed.

 

Then create the seat of the bench, just like the table top up above….but this time use a 2×4 down the middle…..making the finished width 14 1/2 inches.  And each piece needs to be cut down to 30 inches long.

 

Then, center the seat top onto the bench base and center it all the way around.  Screw in place from the top, right down into the base.

Okay, now that it’s all done…..it’s time to either paint or stain your stand and bench.  We chose to stain it with a combination of Minwax “Weathered Oak” and “Provincial“ oil based stains…just like the Octagon Dining Room Table that we made a few months ago.

Once I got the color I wanted, I added 2 layers of this General Finishes, High Performance, Water Based, Satin finish……which works SO MUCH BETTER than the Minwax brand!

 

And that’s it!!!

Hope it works well for you too!

-Ashley

 

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Free 3D PRINTABLE Summer Banner

Today’s contributor is Emma from Crafting{E}! All posts written by Emma for Make It and Love It, can be found HERE.

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Hi everyone, it’s Emma from Crafting{E}! I am so excited to be sharing this adorable SUMMER banner today! Oh, and did I mention… this banner is printable… and it’s 3D? If you read my blog at all, you know I am a HUGE fan of banners and I especially love to design printable banners because they basically cost pennies.

 

I don’t know about you, but I am SO ready for school to be out for the summer. I am currently a sophomore in high school and this time of year is full of finals, AP tests and STRESS.

 

I originally made this banner for me to put in my room to give me motivation to finish strong in this last quarter of school. After having it in my room for a couple days I decided I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you.

 

The colors are just so bright and happy and make me so pumped the long-anticipated summer vacation. The great thing about this banner is that you basically only need a printer to make it, they are SO cost effective.

 

It’s a little hard to see in the pictures, but the letters in the word “summer” are actually raised higher than the striped background to create a 3D effect. Do you guys love that as much as I do?

 

I am so in love with it! What do you guys think? If you are interested in more FREE printable banners make sure to check out my blog… I even have an entire page on my site dedicated to banners. 

Okay, now on to the assembly process.

MATERIALS:

• FREE printable banner sheets (a link can be found at the end of the materials list)
• bakers twine or and other type of string
• tape
• hole puncher
• 3D foam dimensional stickers or glue dots.

 

>>>DOWNLOAD THE FILES HERE<<<

DIRECTIONS:

• First print out the FREE printable banner sheets on white card stock.

 

• Next cut out the flags along the thin yellow line.

 

• Now, carefully cut out the letters from the printable banner sheet.

 

• Next, take each flag and place foam dimensional stickers on the letter part of the flag as shown in the picture.

 

• Then peel off the paper on the foam stickers and place the corresponding letter on top of the foam.

 

• Next, punch a hole in the upper corners of each flag and use bakers twine to string each flag together.

 

• Secure each flag with a piece of tape on the backside of the flag.

 

Well, that’s it for today.

 

I hope you guys love this banner as much as I do! Make sure to check out my blog and also follow me on pinterest for more creative inspiration!

-Emma

 

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I don’t know very many people who don’t LOVE summer, and we are no different here at Make It & Love It! Check out these fabulous ideas for making the most out of summer this year:

12 Ice Cream Crafts to keep your little ones busy.

25 Outdoor Summer Activities for Kids

9 Refreshing Recipes to Keep You COOL this Summer!

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