Sewing textile envelope: a tutorial

Sewing textile envelope: a tutorial

Every little fashionista will be happy to have a pretty textile envelope for hairpins, hair ties, and other knickknacks. We’ll find appropriate summer colors, adding a bright touch with a decorative fabric. To add still more flavor, we’ll give the edges a special finish and embroider the owner’s signature. Read this tutorial and how to sew and embroider a textile envelope.

Textile envelope: materials

• Fabrics (two colors) and cotton fabric band
• Bias binding (a ready one or made of the decorative fabric)
• Quilting foot (Art.F057:XC7416252)
• Edge foot (Art. F056N:XC6441252)
• Sewing threads, scissors or a rotary fabric cutter, and a cutting mat
• A piece of Velcro and a decorative button

See how to create a bias binding in the following article:

Textile envelope: cutting

• For a 15 x 28 cm, prepare the following:
• A square 30 x 30 cm out of the main fabric (the one with flowers)
• A square 30 x 30 cm cut out of the decorative fabric
• Bias binding (1.8 cm wide), a strip of fabric 30 cm long, and also a strip 150 cm long
• A cotton fabric decorative band 30 cm long
• A piece of Velcro size 0.5 x 2 cm. If there is no Velcro, you can use a button or a pair of strings.

Textile envelope: sewing

On your machine, select a straight stitch and lead the needle in the center position. Install the quilting foot with the guide. Fold the decorative fabric square and press the crease with an iron.

Fold the panels with their right sides together and join them with the stitchline (don’t forget the seam allowance). The blade on the quilting foot makes stitching at an even distance from the edge much easier. Finish the edges with an overlock or use one of the edge seams on your sewing machine.

Reduce the stitch length and sew on the decorative ribbon, aligning its straight edge with the crease. Fold the envelope so that its lower edge aligns with the seam joining the two fabrics, and the upper one with the folding line. If necessary, you can trim the edges a bit.

Finish the edges of the bias binding with a strip of the decorative fabric 30 cm wide. If you prepare your binding by folding it in two and pressing the crease with an iron, you will be able to use the quilting foot for sewing it on.

Now, reduce the length of the envelope to 28 cm. A cutting mat, a rotary fabric cutter, and a ruler will help you with this.

Round the edges of the outer panel. Finish the edges with the bias binding. The lower part of the envelope and the pocket should be processed together. If you're an experienced sewer, just pin the details together and stitch, and if a beginner, baste them first.

Stitch the bias binding to the envelope.

Textile envelope: embroidery

You can personalize your envelope with machine embroidery. Brother sewing and embroidery machines have lots of in-built character sets for inscriptions. Create an inscription of a suitable size, using a character set of your choice. Hoop the nonadhesive tearaway stabilizer, sprinkle it slightly with a temporary spray adhesive and secure the flap. Do the embroidery and remove the stabilizer leftovers. Place the panel on a soft underlay with the right side of the embroidery facing down and iron it.

Attach Velcro to the flap and the main part of the envelope so that it could safely close. Sew on a decorative button.

All finished! Pleasant sewing!

Original text by Irina Lisitsa