Pockets – cats & butterflies

Storage Pockets – Cats & Butterflies

These pockets are intended for a children’s room and that is why I opted for colourful design with cats and butterflies. I also used cat shaped buttons on the tabs. Currently I am using them to store nappies in, but when those are no longer needed, I will store teddy bears and other cuddly toys in them instead.

 

  

So what do you need to make these?

To fit the standard sized door the resulting size of the storage pockets is 45cm width and high 100 cm (+ cc 15 cm of tabs).

1. You will need 3 x tabs – cut material 16cm x 40 cm (x 3)
2. Main piece – cut material 47 cm x 102 cm (x 2 – front material + backing material)
3. 6 pockets – cut material 26 cm x 34 cm (x 12 = 6x front material + 6 x backing material)
4. 2 x hooks (I used single robe hooks in chrome effect from B & Q)
5. Wooden stick
6. 3 x buttons (I used “Incomparable buttons 5 Assorted Cats buttons” £4.75 from Hobbycraft - http://direct.hobbycraft.co.uk/shop/buttons/page/2  

 

Assorted Cats buttons purchased from Hobbycraft - see link above

  

Pocket 1 - top left - Snug as a Bug - Tenderberry Stitches by Shanron Reynolds for Northcott

 

Pocket 2 & 5 - top right and bottom left - Fancy Cats Scatter 601 by Makeover UK

 

Pocket 3 middle row left - Fancy Cats 2 Butterfly by Makeover UK

Pocket 4 middle row right - Cats by Makeover UK

 

Pocket 6 bottom right - Snug as a Bug from Tenderberry Stitches by Shanron Reynolds for Northcott

 

Pockets - main piece material - Petals by Makeover UK TP751-2

Instructions:

Please note: for detailed picture instructions look at cupboard pockets instruction (the measurements are the same in both projects)

Tabs

Fold the material half lengthways, right sides together and saw alongside the edge (cc 1 cm). Turn inside out, press and centre the seams. Then turn in the edges in and stitch it.

Pockets

Use 2 pieces of fabric for each pocket. Put right sides together and secure them with pins. Sew together, taking 1cm seam allowance. Remember to leave cc 5 cm of the lower edge open so you can turn the pockets through.  Once the pockets are turned through, press under the raw edges at the bottom of each pocket and neatly slipstitch the opening closed. Iron the pockets flat.

Press under 6 cm flaps at both sides of each pocket and iron in. Then press over half of each flap so the edges line up to fold pleats.

Stitch down each flap as close to the 6 cm fold as possible thus securing it in place.

Main piece

Put the 2 materials for the main piece right side together. Pin the tabs in between the materials to the front starting about 15 mm from each side of the main piece and the 3^rd tab in the middle between the other 2 tabs. Pin the lining on top and sew the front and lining together (cc 1 cm seam allowance). Remember to leave cc 5 cm of one side open to turn the bag through. Turn the bag through and slipstitch the opening closed neatly. Pin the pockets to the bag. The outer edges of the pleated flaps bellow the stitched folds. Sew the pockets in place, stitching as close to the edge of the flap as possible. Press the pockets flat and stitch across the bottom of each pocket.

Sew snap fasteners on inside of each tab and then stitch decorative button to the front of each tab.

And voila the finished article....