Travel Utensil Wrap: Rockin Your Sustainability

So, last Hanukah the gift idea I had been working on since my sister's birthday finally materialized. For my sistern (a UCSC Green Campus leader and much much more), after swinging by the local antique shop for some pretty silverware, I sewed together a cloth wrap to carry her nice new utensils around in, be it in a backpack or purse or anywhere... This is what I created...

What you will need:

Fabric: two or three sheets: the dimensions can definitely vary depending on the silverware choices.
*for two kinds of fabric: one sheet should be approximately 12" by 12" and the other 36" by 12" (to have room for flap to tuck the utensils into on the inside of the wrap.

you can also use three sheets of fabric: two sheets of approximately 12" by 12" and a flap sheet: 6 " by 12".

A piece of ribbon, string, or fabric to tie the wrap while traveling.

Needle and thread or sewing machine.

Strongly recommended: an iron!

some pins..

Step 1: Find Some Fabric

Really, any fabric will do: from dishcloth to old t-shirt, you can really get creative. My suggestion however, first of all fabrics which are washable--in case you replace your silverware with a little food on them still-- and for the same reason, for the inner sleeve, use a piece of fabric which is patterned or dark, so stains aren't as visible and you don't feel obliged to wash it all of the time.

Step 2: Iron That $%*!

Life + sewing gets so much easier with an iron.
Iron your fabrics. Find the silverware you will use or find silverware that would approximate what you might use. I include a room for a pair of chopsticks. Arrange accordingly: this may be strategic--think how it will roll up. Practice a run through.

Iron your fabric to create approximately a quarter inch seam all around. This means folding the fabric in and ironing approximately a quarter to an inch of fabric. Really whatever works for you.

Step 3: Start Sewing

Remove Silverware from pieces of fabric.

Begin at the top.

Taking your two sheets of fabric with the true outside (what you want to see) facing each other, sew the top together.

Next: Sew the sides together to the fold spot for the flap/utensil tuck.

Tip: cut the corners so when you flip in "inside out" (rather outside out really), the corners will come together flatter.

After you've sewn the top and side edges, iron everything flat.

Step 4: Getting the Utensil Tuck Ready to Be Sewn

After ironing everything down up top, iron the remaining fabric of the utensil tuck down. Give yourself maybe a half inch hem, all around.

Important: Next (before sewing the edges of the utensil tuck up the sides) choose a stitch for the top of the utensil tuck. I chose a decorative one just for fun, but its up to you!

Then, recommended, using a couple pins just so the fabric matches alright, sew first one side edge and then the second side edge to made one giant pocket (essentially it'll look a lot like a baby bib).

Step 5: Sewing the Individual Pockets

This is another opportunity to choose a fancy or more straightforward stitch for what will create mini pockets for each utensil.

I actually recommend a straightforward stitch since sometimes the fancier ones can be more difficult to predict and you want the stitch to run alongside your utensil.

*Note: it is important to lay out your utensils in advance and mark (even if mentally) exactly where the stitch will run so that the utensil pockets are sewn so close together the utensils don't lay flat.

Step 6: The Tie Together

While this can vary depending on your skill and creativity ---ribbons, string, or buttons--- this feature should allow you to keep all your utensils rolled together on the go.The simpler/faster the process, the more preferable.

For this one, I found a piece of sweatshirt string and simply ran my sewing machine back and forth a couple times to secure it to the fabric well.