Tutorial - Jello Mold Embroidery Toolkit

Since I've been doing so much embroidery, I've been thinking about the perfect toolkit for myself.  I knew it needed to be lightweight and include the following:

• pincushion

• water bowl

• empty bowl to hold snippets of thread

• scissors

• tweezers

• needle threader
     

 After a lot of thought, this is what I came up with.  To make it, I used

1. 3 vintage Jello molds, 3" diameter (I found mine at a garage sale last week)
2. Timtex
3. 2 fat quarters
4. fusible web
5. batting

 

 From the Timtex, cut:

• 4" x 10" for the base

• 2 pieces @ 1 3/4" x 10" for the long sides

• 2 pieces @ 1 3/4" x 4" for the short sides

Out of the fusible web, cut:

• 1 piece 12" x 17"

• 1 piece 6" x 9"

Iron them to the back of the fat quarter as shown.  Then peel off the paper and cut:

• 1 piece 9"x 12"

• 2 pieces @ 4 1/2" x 12"

• 2 pieces @ 4 1/2" x 6"

(That chunk of fabric on the lower right gets used for a bumper.)

Now you're going to fuse the fabric to the Timtex.  Do it like you're wrapping a present.  I pressed the sides in first, as seen above.  After you do this, add a strip of fusible web to the areas indicated by the red arrows.  You need this because when you fold the top down and the bottom up, you want to be sure the right and left edges are secured.

This is what you wind up with.    

 

Now you get out a needle and thread and sew the pieces together.  It didn't take too long.  I used Silamide waxed beading thread, nice and strong.  You can see my slip stitch along the edges.

I used ric rac to cover up the fabric overlap line that resulted from the fusing.  You won't see that line when your box is filled, but I liked the splash of white and I always like ric rac.

This photograph shows a closeup view of one of the pockets in my "bumper".  These cushiony little pockets are where I stash the scissors, tweezers, and needle threader.  We're going to make the bumper next.

 To make the bumper you need:

• 2 pieces of fabric, 4 1/2" x 10 1/2"

• 2 pieces of batting, same dimensions

Layer them in this order:

• batting

• one piece of fabric, right side up

• one piece of fabric, right side down

Sew around three sides, turn inside out, then slipstitch the opening.  That's what you see above.

Fold in half, long sides together, and machine stitch the edges.  Make pockets by adding more lines of stitching.  I made two.

Time to make the pincushion.  Cut a 7" circle.  This template is well worth the money.  

Turn under and sew a 1/4" hem, make a basting stitch around the edge with a double threaded needle, stuff the pincushion with fiberfill, then pull the thread tight and knot it off.

You're all done and ready to put the bumper and Jello molds into the box.  And there just might be room to squeeze in a couple of friends.

I used my toolkit last night and it was everything I hoped for.  It's really light and easy to carry from room to room.  After snipping my threads into the one Jello mold, I sometimes forgot to put my scissors back into the bumper pocket, which led to a few "where's my scissors?!?!" moments, but that was operator error and no fault of the toolkit.

In case you wonder why I wanted that water bowl, well, it's not for that dog.  It's to dip my fingers in before threading the needle.