Introduction: Weekly Menu Planner

By I support Smirnoff here
About: I am married with two children. Spring, summer, and fall are my very favorite times of the year. I enjoy working in the yard, sewing, cooking, quilting, gardening, and creating. I do this to keep my sanity.

Sometimes when I am limited on time; I grab a recipe card when I go to the store so I don't have to write down items that I need.  I have designed this recipe card holder that holds 7 recipes to make for the week.  It has pockets to store each day in and you can store a pen, coupons. I grab my book and have it handy when I go shopping.   It has worked great for me. 

Step 1: Inclosures

Pen
Recipe cards
Coupons
Small note pad
Cookies if it is for a gift


Step 2: Supplies

1 Piece 14X36 cotton fabric print
1 Piece 14 X 36 iron in inter-facing
Small contrasting scrap cotton fabric for the recipe card holder tab
Matching thread
2 Pieces matching ribbon 8 inches long
1 Matching button
1 Small pair of Velcro dots not shown
Sewing pins


Step 3: Tools

Sewing machine
Iron/ironing board
Ruler or tape measure
Scissors
Seam ripper
Needle

Step 4: Covered Recipe Cards

7 (4 x 6) card-stock or index cards with recipes printed on them or hand written.
7 5 X 7 Clear non yellowing contact paper to cover each of the recipe cards.
The idea of covering the index cards is that you can wash the cards with a damp cloth if they get soiled. 
Cover both sides of the card with the contact paper. 

Step 5:

Terms:

The recipe card holder is the booklet itself.
The tab is the blue flap that keeps the index cards from falling out of the top.
The top of the booklet is the top hem line.
The bottom of the booklet is the pocket hem.
The sides are the left and right sides of the booklet.
The folds in-between are the pages.
The pockets store the recipe cards.
The name card of course is the finished book-marker.
The ribbons are the ties that close the card holder.
The fan folding is the method of folding the pages to form card holder pages.
Notice that there are 2 folds facing you. 
The folds look the same if looking from the back end.

Step 6: Fabric Preparations

It is important to wash, dry, and iron  all the fabric ( except the inter-facing) to avoid shrinkage after it is sewn and to ensure best results.

Step 7: Cut the Fabric

Cut the printed fabric 14 X 36.
Cut the inter-facing 14 X 36.
Cut a tab from the contrasting fabric.  I cut mine a tad bit narrow.  6 X 3 inches wide.  By the time I turned down the edges and sewn it to the recipe holder,  I realized I could not make a button hole.  Cut the contrasting fabric larger than you need.

Step 8: The Card Holder Tab

Press the contrasting fabric ( for the tab) lengthwise in half.
Open it up and press one of the long edges toward the center fold line.
Fold the other long edge toward the center fold line and press well.
Fold the short ends under 1/4 inch.
Fold the tab lengthwise one last time in half and press.
I hand stitched the seam and ends, but it can be sewn on the machine to form a nice finished edge.
Set this aside while we work on the next step.

Step 9: Inter-facing

Place the bumpy side of the inter-facing to the wrong side of the print fabric (or recipe card holder main fabric color).
Turn the layers over carefully so you are pressing the inter-facing from the right side of the fabric and not the inter-facing side.
This will prevent  your iron from getting sticky.
Press according to the directions on the inter-facing packaging sheet.

Step 10: Hem

Turn down a 1/4 inch hem on both long edges of the card holder fabric.
Press well.
Repeat this step again on the long ends.
Next turn down 1/4 inch on both of the short ends.
Press well.

Step 11: Sew Bottom Hem

If you are sewing a fabric with a one way design, Make sure it will work,  because you will be turning up the bottom to make a hem and will be folding it towards the top  forming a pocket. 
It may turn the fabric print upside down which will not look right.
If you just have a plain fabric or an all over design it does not matter which long edge (1 edge) you press/ sew to form the hem.
Sew the bottom hem along the hem line as shown.
Trim threads and press.

Step 12: Sewing the Top Hem Line

Turn the bottom up 3 1/2 inches.
Press well.
Turn the top down about 2 and 3/4 inches and tuck it slightly under the hem of the bottom of the fabric as shown. 
Press.
Insert the index card into the pocket and make sure it will fall below the top of the very edge of the card holder.
Pin in the top hem if the index card looks good.
Now we are going to sew the top hem.
You will open the bottom pocket out so you do not accidentally sew it when you are stitching the top hem.
Sew all the way across the top hem 1/4 inch.
Remove from the machine and press.


Please note: We just stitched the top of the card holder and in the next step we will fold the card holder and form the individual pockets.

Step 13: Folding the Card Holder

This part is going to be difficult to explain. Basically we are fan-folding the pages back and forth.  There will be folds or valleys in the card holder.  Every other side will have a fold along the inside edge.  I hope I explained that well enough. Each page measures about 4 and 1/4 inches, except for the front and back pages which measures 4 and 3/4 inches.  The reason they are wider is because of the bulk of the inside pages.  You may need to fold it a few times to get the front and back pages to look even with the other pages. Press the pages to get a nice hard crease.The back flap folds toward the front flap and the front flap will fold over the back flap.
When you open the card holder,  the back page flips out towards the right.

Step 14: The Sides

Place one of the ribbon strips on the left side of the card holder with the page opening from the left. 
Center it on the card holder placing it between the layers of fabric as shown in the picture.  
You just need to stick one end of the ribbon into the sides of the front page enough to sew it securely. 
Machine stitch each of both of the sides (front and back)of the card holder. 
Remove from the machine.
Trim the threads.
Press well. 
Sew the remaining ribbon on the right side of the card.

Step 15: Pockets

Now we are sewing the pocket seams or valleys,  so the index cards will stay neatly in place. 
There are a total for 5 pocket seams.  
Follow the pictures and sew all the pocket seams as shown.
Remove from the sewing machine.
Trim all loose threads.
Press.


Step 16: Button and Tab

This is the last step to making the card holder:

Sew the buttons on the tab ends.
 Estimate where you want the tab to go.  
I folded the tab in half.
Then slightly opened the tab and placed the tab over the center of the card holder.
One side of the tab is on the front of the card holder and the other side of the tab is on the back of the card holder. 
Hand stitch the tab to thebackof the card holder as shown.
I estimated where to stick the Velcro to close the card holder and placed a pin to mark it.
Stick the Velcro to the tab.
Stick the other part of the Velcro dot to the card holder.

Please note:
You may make a button hole instead of using the Velcro.  Remember I made the tab too narrow to do this; so I had to improvise. 
The tab offers extra security so the recipe cards do not fall out of the top of the card holder.

Step 17: Sunshiine's Final Thoughts

I have just showed you how to make a washable seven day meal planner that holds recipes, coupons,  grocery list, pen, and hand washable recipe cards. This is an ideal thing to carry in your purse.  This would make a great gift for any occasion. You plan out your meals, write out your grocery list,  and place the recipes in the card holder.  In a rush you can grab your card holder and have the recipes handy for a quick stop at the grocery store.
Thank you for stopping by and have a great shopping experience.

Sunshiine