Sewing Tutorial: Travel Caddy

This is a great way to keep your things organized when on a trip, and being made of fabric and foam stabilizer, it compresses nicely for packing and is also machine-washable. It's especially useful when there are multiple people in the same room, to keep your things from spilling into each other's.

Want to try to guess my favorite color?

SUPPLIES

1/2 yard of fabric (I used cotton quilting fabric)

1/3 yard foam stabilizer (I used Pellon Flex-Foam 1-Sided Fusible Stabilizer)
Iron

DIRECTIONS

Wash and iron your fabric. Cut six pieces:

-One 9 inches by 30 inches (Piece A)
-One 9 inches by 4 inches (Piece B)
-Two 9 inches by 8 inches (Pieces C)
-Two 8 inches by inches (Pieces D)

Cut five pieces of foam:

-One 4 inches by 30 inches (Foam A)
-One 4 inches by 4 inches (Foam B)
-Two 4 inches by 8 inches (Foams C)
-One 7.5 inches by 7.5 inches (Foam D)

Fold Pieces B and C in half horizontally ("hot dog style") right sides together, so that Piece B  now measures 4.5 inches by 4 inches and Pieces C now measure 4.5 inches by 8 inches. Sew down both short (4.5 inch) sides. Turn the pieces right side out and press them.

Sew Piece A right sides together at the short (9 inch) side, making a long circle. Fold in half horizontally and right side out, making your circle 4.5 inches tall and about 29.5 inches around. Press to make a nice edge where the fabric is folded.

You're now going to make several creases around Piece A to use as references. The first creases will be on the seam you just sewed and directly across from it. Then, match those creases up and use them as your new middle, allowing you to press new creases equidistant from the first set. Iron two more sets of creases in the middles of these first four, for a total of eight. You also need to iron a crease in the middle of one Piece C.

You may want to mark these creases with
disappearing ink or tailor's chalk

The construction gets finicky here. Line up Piece B with the crease in Piece C and fold Piece C over Piece B--it should nearly completely envelope it. Open Piece C so that you're only sewing one layer of fabric Sew along the crease to firmly attach Piece B to Piece C. 

Both layers of Piece B are being sewn, but only one layer of Piece C,
the layer closer to Piece B.

Now match up the other seamed edge of Piece B with the seam on Piece A, where you sewed it to make a tube. Fold over as you did in the previous step and sew Piece B to Piece A--again open Piece A so that you only sew the layer closer to Piece B. With the creases you ironed and the pieces you've sewn together, should now have a box with three compartments.

Like an unsettling jack-o-lantern

Next, sew the remaining Piece C to the outside of your box. Line up the seamed edges of Piece C with the creases that are at the top corners of the picture above, fold them over Piece C as in the previous two steps, and sew. This creates a place to hold a phone, tablet, or book.

Another off-putting jack-o-lantern!

Now for some easier sewing. Center Foam D between Pieces D, with the fabric rights sides out. If the foam is fusible, give it a quick press to hold it in place and make things easier for yourself. Sew around the perimeter.

Now it's time to insert the rest of the foam into the fabric: Foam B in Piece B, and Foams C in Pieces C (the As will be in a bit). It will probably be a little too big, but it's better to trim some bits here and there than have it too small. 

Zig-zag the raw edges to enclose the foam.

You could use a serger here, but I'm not skilled enough
to trust myself to not cut off important parts.

Now insert Foam A into Piece A. Before you cut any excess foam, sew a straight line along the corner creases--this ensures not only that the foam stays in place, but that you don't cut off too much.

Now sew Piece A closed. I just did a straight line rather than a zig-zag, because I'm use my serger for the last step.

Finally, using either the widest zig-zag your sewing machine has or a wide flatlock stitch on your serger (my preference, as this also cuts off the excess fabric and foam as you stitch), attach Pieces D to Piece A.

Trim any loose threads, and it's done! It's a finicky pattern, but now you have an easy way to store your things on the vacation you deserve after plodding through the steps.