Introduction: Bedside Organizer

Bedside tables are one of the most cluttered areas in my house; it's like an open-faced junk drawer that catches change, books, water bottles, hair clips, nail files, remotes, electronics, eyeglasses, chapstick... And what's worse? Our cat loves to push things off said tables. All our necessities are always on the floor when we wake up; drives us absolute bananas. That said, here is how we now keep a tiny piece of our world spotless; a super customizable bedside organizer for every person in the family!

Step 1: Materials

What's great about this project is that it organizes and cleans your life, but it also can help clean up your fabric scrap pile! You will need less than a yard for your front fabric, liner, and batting.

  • Front fabric
  • Liner/bind fabric
  • Batting
  • Old towel or blanket that grips well under mattress
  • Matching thread
  • Friction pen
  • Spray adhesive (I used 505 Spray)
  • Walking foot
  • Regular foot or the combined 1/4" and 1/8" foot (my favorite foot!)
  • Scissors
  • Rotary cutter, mat, ruler
  • Clips and pins

Step 2: Quilt & Bind Fabrics

Cut the following: if you are using a regular 42"-44" width fabric, you can cut a 20" strip and the cut your 6", 10", and 25" pieces from that 20" strip. Fabric saver!

  • Front fabric (flowers pictured):
    • 6" x 20"
    • 10" x 20"
    • 25" x 20"
  • Liner fabric (blue polka dots pictured):
    • 6" x 20"
    • 10" x 20"
    • 25" x 20"
    • (4) 2" x Width of Fabric (WOF)
  • Batting:
    • 6" x 20"
    • 10" x 20"
    • 25" x 20"
  • Towel/Blanket:
    • 20" x 20"
  1. Draw a 2" diamond grid (or any pattern you'd like)- using a friction pen or chalk - on either your front or liner 6" x 20" fabric. I recommend using the lighter of fabrics so you can see your pen lines; just make sure to use your matching thread color on the top when quilting.
  2. Quilt sandwich: lay batting down and spray baste the wrong side of the front fabric. Place basted side down over batting. (it is beneficial to have a helping set of hands when you do this). Flip the fabrics over and repeat using the liner fabric. You should have a quilt sandwich (fabric - batting - fabric) at this point. Sew over all marked lines.
  3. Sew bind: place a 2" bind strip right side down on the liner side of the pocket, sew a 1/4" seam, and trim off the excess ends.
  4. Press the bind open and flip the pocket over.
  5. Press the bind in half by taking the edge of the bind and folding and touching it to the edge of the pocket fabric.
  6. Press the bind in half again and sew an 1/8th inch top stitch. It is helpful to clip the bind down before you sew. Your first pocket is complete!

*Repeat all steps on the the 10"x20" size fabrics. For the 25"x20" panel, just do steps 1 & 2 (do not bind yet). Feel free to use a bigger diamond grid than 2 inches on your 10" x 20" and 25" x 20" fabrics. I used a 4" and 6" grid, respectively.

Step 3: Assemble Layers

  1. Assemble pocket # 1: Place the small pocket on the medium-sized pocket and clip. Decide where and how many pockets you want in your organizer. (There will be a pocket created down the center of the organizer when you sew the small/medium combo pocket onto the large fabric, so keep that in mind.) This specific organizer has only one initial pocket sewed into the small fabric - 5" inches in from the left - but the Star Wars 3CPO organizer has more sewn in for glasses, remotes, pens, etc. This is customizable for what you need!
  2. Assemble pocket # 2: measure halfway down your large material (12.5") and lay the bottom of the small/medium pocket face down on the halfway line. This means the top of the pocket is near the bottom of the large panel. Clip and pin the two fabrics together. Sew a 1/2" seam. You might need to change sewing feet at this point if you are using the 1/4" foot and are unable to gauge 1/2".
  3. Flip up pocket and stitch down the center (10 inches in), connecting the smaller pockets to the large backing.

Step 4: Bind

*Square/ trim up all sides of the organizer before proceeding.

  1. Sew 2" strips to the top and bottom of the organizer
  2. Bind the left and right sides of the organizer using the pocket binding method from earlier. You will first sew the 2" strip face down on the back of the caddy. Flip over the caddy, fold the bind in half, and then in half again. Proceed with an 1/8" top stitch to secure the binding.

Step 5: Add Blanket/Towel

  1. Sandwich the organizer and towel: Fold the organizer in half, right sides together, and insert your towel in between.
  2. Clip and stitch 1/4 inch seam to secure the two organizer ends on either side of the towel or blanket.
  3. Flip inside out and top stitch on the lines shown. This should hide all the raw seams and give the organizer some extra strength!

Step 6: Organize!

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