Tutorial Tuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

It seems that Labor Day weekend is a time to squeeze in that last vacation before things pick up with school, holidays, weddings, parties, and celebrations. I needed a new luggage tag for this last trip of the summer, and something stitched seemed like the perfect solution.

To make this embroidered luggage tag you will need:

-Fabric with your stitches

-Batting

-Clear vinyl or plastic (I got half a yard at Joann Fabric for less than $4)

-Sewing machine and coordinating thread

-Iron and an ironing board

I wrote directly onto the fabric, but you can access the template I created for myself, here. I used a back stitch for the happy trails tag and a stem stitch for the bon voyage tag.

Step One: Cut the two body pieces of your tag and a piece of batting into 3.5 by 5.5 inch pieces. Cut the vinyl into a 4.5 by 3.5. Cut one piece of fabric into a 2 by 15 inch strip and a small strip that is 2 by 3.5 inches.

Note: Make sure to measure your fabric accurately, keeping the embroidery at the center of the 3.5 by 5.5 piece of fabric. As you can see, I messed up a little with my Happy Trails tag, so I cut the stitched piece out of the fabric and stitched it onto the center of a correctly measured piece of fabric. 

Step Two: Fire up your iron. Fold the 15-inch strip of fabric in half, lengthwise and press.

Unfold the strip and fold the two long edges in towards one another, and press them in place.

Fold the strip in half using the first fold you made as your guide, and press again.

Stitch close to the edge and set aside. This will be the strap of your tag.

Step Three: Take the 2 by 3.5 piece of fabric and press it the same way as you did the strap above. Before you stitch it, place the clear plastic into the fold and stitch it into place.

Step Four: To construct the body of the tag, place the batting and the blank piece of fabric wrong sides down. Then add the plastic with the trim, aligning the bottom with the fabric and the batting. Place your embroidered piece of fabric face down on top of the plastic piece. 

Stitch along the sides and bottom using a 1/4 inch seam, making sure to catch all the layers.

Clip the corners, and turn.

Step Five: Fold the open seam inward and place the strap in the center. Top stitch all around the tag, making sure to seal the opening.

Note: I found that it was easier to stitch this in the sewing machine with the plastic side down.

A business card slips very nicely into this tag.

Step Six: Attach the tag to the handle of your bag by looping the body of the tag through the tag strap.

Hope you are able to take this on your next trip. This should also help distinguish your bag from someone else's at the airport baggage claim. 

Hope you have a happy Tuesday!