Decorate and add storage to a child's nursery with a practical hanging pocket tidy. A sewing project for beginners.


Size: About 50 x 58cm.

You'll need
90cm of 140cm white dotted green cotton
For the centre section, one 21.5 x 26cm piece printed cotton
For the backing, one 51 x 59.5cm piece white cotton
2.35m of about 1.5cm wide white bias binding
1.5m of 3.5cm wide each yellow and green ribbon
Basting thread



Here's how:
Always work with right sides together and sew 7.5 mm wide seams unless otherwise specified.

From green spotted fabric, cut:
Pockets:
A-D two pieces 17.5 x 83cm
E and F four pieces 20.5 (top edge) x 21.5cm
G and H two pieces 18.5 x 67cm

Background one piece 51 x 59.5cm
Centre one piece 21.5 x 26cm
Backing one piece 51 x 59.5cm

Place the two pieces for pockets A-D together and sew one long side (top edge). Turn right side out and topstitch closely along the top edge. Work the other pockets the same way, but for pockets E and F use a short side to form the top edge.

Each piece of one or more pockets is built up from one or more pocket pieces with at each end 4 cm extra for pleats, and 7.5 mm extra for the between sections and/or seams. Using pins or making running stitches, indicate on the longest strip the four pockets and eight pleat/between sections and/or seams. Indicate this the same way on the remaining strips.

Press 2cm wide pleats in the strips. Baste the pocket pieces and the centre piece to the background piece. Following the layout above, first sew the vertical lengths of satin bias binding to the piece, then the horizontal lengths. See the photo.

To finish, sew this front piece and backing piece together with right sides facing, leaving an opening for turning. Cut the seam corners diagonally and turn right side out. Sew the opening closed. Topstitch first the side edges (in three sections) and the top edge, then topstitch the lower edge.

Cut the ribbons in half and sew one yellow and one green piece to each corner: fold each piece double and sew with a double row of stitching to the back of the tidy: position them at the corners with the folded edge 2cm inside the top edge.



Try floral for a girl!



Source: Baby Rooms and Clothes (Murdoch Books)