First, a note about
Man-cessory #1: It was totally Andrew's idea to use the lens cleaning cloth in the camera case. Originally he wanted it to be the whole case, but there was no way to attach the Velcro closure to it because there wasn't enough flap-age. That's when I suggested the outer shell with the Velcro and flap. We're a brilliant team, if I do say so myself. :)
Emboldened by the well-received camera case, I made this pocket note holder for Andrew. He's been looking forever for a notebook small enough for his pants pocket. There isn't anything out there that's just right. He usually ends up just folding a bunch of paper down to 3" x 3" and clipping his pen to it.
I made this as a surprise for him in a zen-frenzy of crafting while he was out. There was just a hasty sketch with a half-conceived plan. Thank goodness it worked.
I love how the pen holder turned out. The pocket is just the right size for 3" x 2" slips of paper, which are easily cut from a sheet of 8.5" x 11" with a couple of short-sheets left over.
I sandwiched the front and back pieces right sides together with the pen holder and pocket in between. I sewed the left seam. Then I turned everything right side out and ironed it. I cut a piece of thick interfacing and put it between the front and back pieces. I sewed an eighth-inch seam around the top, right, and bottom edges. Then I hand-sewed on bias tape. I used a little
Fray Check on the ends of the bias tape.
This was my first time using bias tape and I love it. Because this little thing is so small, all the fabric layers were too thick to sew it all inside-out and then turn right-side-out. All the edges would have been wanky and bulky. I love the clean look of the bias tape.
Next time I'll do the bias tape better. I'll make sure it's evenly wide on the front and back (there is much more on the back side), and I will leave extra at the ends to fold under so I don't have the fraying problem. I'll also be a little more careful about the corners, which are too pointy and not perfectly mitered.