Happy Little Sewing Project - Dog Under My Desk's Circle Zip Earbud Pouch

If you can have a crush on a sewing project, then I am totally going steady with Dog Under My Desk's Circle Zip Earbud Pouch! This has been my absolute favorite thing to sew recently and I am now covertly watching friends and family members to see who uses earbuds.

First, I made a black & white zebra striped case with red polka dot lining for the granddaughter ..

Because I'm working on a 45-year-old Bernina sewing machine, I've had to make a few adjustments to the instructions. Ashley's had a layer of flannel to pad the case and I really struggled to top stitch around the edge of the case -- obviously. 

I made another one the next day for my youngest daughter. I could not make it all the way around on the top stitching. My machine just doesn't have enough clearance under the foot to go over all of the layers.

And I would suggest that you not try to quickly make one while getting ready for work, eating breakfast, making lunch, putting on makeup, etc., because you know, The Hurrier You Go …

The odds go up that you'll put the bottom on upside down so the lining is on the outside. Ahem, lesson learned.

The next one was made to match a tote bag given to a friend in January …

On this one, I switched from flannel padding to fusible interfacing (Pellon 809 Décor Bond), which I ironed on to the outer fabric. I also tried using my serger to finish the inside seam but didn't like the way it worked enough to do it again.

One trick I've found is to use a plastic lid to trace the 4-1/2" circles for the pattern. Many of the food containers we buy -- pretzels, nuts, candy, peanut butter -- come with a 4-1/2" lid. You can use a small rotary cutter to cut out the pieces around the lid.

However, what works best for me is to double my piece of outer fabric, lay the lid on top and draw around it with a chalk pencil, pin the two layers together, then cut them out with pinking shears just outside the drawn line. Do the same with the lining fabric. 

And again with the fusible interfacing but cut with regular fabric scissors right on the line. This makes the interfacing circles slightly smaller than the fabric circles and helps reduce bulk in the seams.
Iron the interfacing circles to the outer fabric circles before cutting the top piece in half. 

Since the inner seams are pinked, I'm not worried about them fraying and I don't do any top stitching on the outside. I use a wooden turner to really push those seams out and then press them well for a crisp outer edge.

These make the best birthday gifts! The friend I made this one for said she was going to tell her kids this is a coin purse so they'll quit swiping her earbuds (if they can't find them, they can't take them) …

Here's the one I made recently for the granddaughter's friend …

She has a cat named Nana and the kids call me Nana so it was doubly appropriate to make her one with kitty fabric. The lining is black with tiny white polka dots.

You seriously have to make at least one of these cases. Bet you can't make just one. Erin at Dog Under My Desk rocked it with this tutorial but if that wasn't enough to bring on adoration, said Dogs under her desk are …

So many projects, never enough time ...