How To - Binkie Bag

Here is how I made this cute Binkie Bag for "K" to give to her friend.  This idea was inspired by an Etsy posting, but I can't find the link to that seller's store again.  If you have seen a binkie bag similar to this on Etsy could you post the link?  This Binkie Bag is a finished size of 5.5" x 6.5", with a ribbon strap to attach it the crib rail, and will hold 4 to 6 binkies.  This is a real life saver in the middle of the night when you can't find the binkie you know is in the crib.  You just grab the next one in the bag, plug the hole, and see if that is what baby is crying about, LOL!

Ingredients:
- Piece of fabric 14" by 12" or larger

- Thread

- Straight Edge
- Rotary Cutter or Scissors

- Coordinating Ribbon

- Matching thread

- Design and materials to personalize however you would like.  You could use freezer paper stencils, hand embroidery, machine embroidery (as in my example), or any other "baby-safe" way to personalize the fabric.

If your fabric is larger than 12" by 14" cut it to down to that size.  We will be folding the fabric into fourths in the next step, so if you want a larger bag it is easy enough to enlarge the pattern by adding size to this piece of fabric.  I used a 12" by 14" piece of giraffe print flannel.

Fold your fabric in fourths and press the corners with a hot iron to even out the fabric.  Once you have your fabric as squared up as possible, go ahead and even up the edges of the fabric with your straight edge and rotary cutter.  If using scissors, use your straight edge and mark a line with a fabric pen.

Now is the time to add personalization to your fabric in the lower right fourth (when unfolded).  By pressing the fabric with the iron when folding you will be able to see the "squares" when you unfold the fabric so that you can place your design.  Remember that you square is actually a rectangle and is about 1" taller than wide.

After completing the design, fold the fabric in half top to bottom, wrong sides together.

Then fold again in half, with the design on the inside of the halves.

Stitch a straight stitch along both sides of the square that have raw edges.  Make sure to use plenty of pins.  I pinned this about every two inches, because it was four layers of flannel which can be hard to keep lined up.  A key to polished, professional looking results is taking the time to pin.

After you complete the two lines of stitching, trim your seam allowance down to 1/8", and stitch a zig-zag to catch the edges of the seam.  These seams will be visible on the inside of the bag, and you don't want any fabric to unravel and attach itself to the binkies.

Here you see the two raw edges finished with a zig-zag stitch.  Trim the threads, and turn the bag right-side-out. 

Decide where you want the ribbon placed.  I used almost 2' of ribbon.  I used heat activated Stitch Witch to attach the ribbon to the fabric, and then stitched over the ribbon with matching thread to reinforce it.  I don't want the ribbon possibly coming off.

And you are finished!

Submitted to CSI as my favorite project of the year.

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