Featured Fabrics: The Blank Quilting Corp. Jardin de Lune by Lea Yunk | Episodic Drawing

Pattern Design by: Amy Simmonds of Stitched by Starlight (@stitchedbystarlight )

Sewn by: Amy Simmonds of Stitched by Starlight (@stitchedbystarlight )

It’s late, and you want to do a little reading… but it’s cold and you don’t want to get out of your warm bed to fetch your book… you need a Bedside Caddy!!

If you’re anything like me there are things you always want to keep on hand for when you’re in bed.  My personal list includes my Kindle, lotion, a bottle of Advil, hair ties, and a sleep mask.  Since some of my necessities are used during times when I have a migraine, it’s really nice to know that everything I need is always within reach.   The bedside caddy has 6 pockets to keep your necessities close at hand and helps ensure your nightstand is clutter free!

Skill Level:  Confident Beginner

Skills Learned:  Basic Sewing Skills, adding a binding

Finished Size: 10” hanging length (25.40cm) x 19” width (22.86cm), including a variety of pocket sizes

Fabric Requirements:

1 Yard (.91m) Main Body Fabric

½ Yard (.46m) Pocket Fabric (or *3/8 Yard of 1 fabric & 1/8 Yard of a second fabric -*as used in the two examples below)

¼ Yard (.69m) Binding Fabric

19” x 43” (.48m x 1.09m) piece of Fusible Fleece such as Pellon 987F (approx. 5/8 yard or .57m)

Get these Looks by using Blank Quilting Corp. Jardin de Lune by Lea Yunk |Episodic Drawing!

Above image prints used:

• 1 Yard (Body)  Crescent Moons with Butterflies (3832G-99 Black)
• 3/8 Yard (Tall Pockets) Mushrooms with Houses (3829G-99 Black)
• 1/8 Yard (Short Pockets) Mushrooms (3833G-99 Black)
• 1/4 Yard (Binding)  Crescent Moons with Flowers (3830G-99 Black)

Above image prints used:

• 1 Yard (Body)  Tossed Small Floral (3825G-99 Black)
• 3/8 Yard (Tall Pockets)  Butterflies with Thistle Flowers (831G-99 Black)
• 1/8 Yard (Short Pockets)  Butterflies with Greenery (3828G-99 Black)
• 1/4 Yard (Binding) Small Floral (3826G-99 Black)

Additional Supplies & Equipment Needed:

Sewing Clips

Marking Pencil or Pen

Thread

Scissors

Rotary Cutter and Cutting Surface, such as a self-healing mat

Clear Quilters Ruler

Sewing Machine with standard sewing foot (or walking foot)

Iron and Ironing Surface, such as an ironing board or wool pressing mat

Seam Ripper   *With luck you won’t need it*

Before you begin:

I highly recommend reading the instructions completely, before starting your project.

NOTE:  a ½” seam allowance is used at all times, unless otherwise noted.

Abbreviations:

RST = Right Sides Together

WOF = Width of Fabric from selvage to selvage – typically this is 40” or more.

Tip!  Always backstitch every time you start or stop sewing.  This will improve the integrity and strength of your Bedside Caddy.

Step 1:  Gather fabrics and supplies

Step 2:   Pre-wash and iron your fabrics (Optional)

Whether or not you prewash your fabrics won’t necessarily change the outcome of your project, however I choose to always pre-wash fabrics for 3 reasons.  To identify any possible color bleeding, to handle any possible shrinkage ahead of time, and to eliminate the manufacturer’s creases.

Tip!  A Color Catcher will help save your fabrics if any bleeding does occur.

Step 3:  Cutting

From Body Fabric cut the following pieces:
(2)  19”w  x 30”h

From Pocket Fabric(s) cut the following pieces:
(2) 19”w x  9 ½”h
(2)  19”w  x  4 ½”h

From Binding Fabric cut the following pieces:
(4) 2”  x  WOF

From Fusible Fleece cut the following pieces:
(1) 19”w x  30”h
(1) 19”w x  9”h
(1) 19”w x  4”h

Step 4:  Apply Fusible Fleece Interfacing

Following the manufacturer’s instructions, apply the 19” x 30” fusible fleece to the wrong side of (1) 19” x 30” body piece.

Apply the 19” x 9” fleece 1/2” away from the bottom edge on the wrong side of (1) 19” x 19 ½” fabric piece.

Apply the 19” x 4” fleece 1/2” away from the bottom edge on the wrong side of (1) 19” x 4 ½” fabric piece.

Step 5:  Quilting

Quilt the Body:  Layer the fleece-lined Body Fabric, with the second Body Fabric, wrong sides together.  Quilt as desired.  (Optional:  Spray adhesive between the fleece and the second Body Fabric will help keep fabrics from shifting.)

Quilt the Pockets:  Layer each fleece-lined Pocket Fabric, wrong sides together, with the second piece of the same size. Quilt as desired.

Pro Tip!  Using a decorative stitch on your machine is a fun and easy way to add interest to your quilting!

Step 5:  Make Double Fold Binding

Marking:  Align the ends of (2) 2” x WOF fabrics RST at a 90 degree angle.

Draw a diagonal line on the top fabric that goes from the top corner of the overlapped fabrics, to the bottom edge of the overlapped fabrics.

Sewing:  Sew along the diagonal line.  Cut off excess fabric to create a ¼’ seam allowance.

Repeat this process one more time to join 3 of the 4 fabric strips, the finished size will be 2” x 118”.

Pressing:  Press diagonal seams open.

Press the 118” long fabric strip in half along the length, wrong side together to create a crease in the center.

Open the folded fabric, along the length press one side of fabric strip towards the center crease.

Press the second side towards the center crease.

Once both sides have been pressed to the center, re-fold the strip in half and press one more time for good measure. (Note:  the “finished binding in the 4-part photo shows the end un-folding, simply to show that everything is folded to the center.  The finished binding end should look like the second photo.)

Pro Tip!  After pressing about 3 or so feet of finished binding, wrap the binding around an old wooden spool to cool.  Pin the loose end after winding to ensure the binding is organized and stays tightly wound which helps to set the fold. 

Using the 40” fabric strip, repeat the process of pressing the fabric to create binding, then cut into (2) 2” x 19” pieces of binding.

Step 6:  Making Pockets

Install Binding:  Using (1) 19” piece of binding, insert the top edge of (1) Pocket Piece into the folded binding, encasing the top edge from side to side.  Clip to secure.

Repeat the process of clipping binding onto the second pocket piece.

Stitch near the loose edge of the binding.  (After you finish, be sure to check the back side of the binding was caught by all the stitches.)

Repeat this process to sew binding onto the top edge of the second Pocket Piece.

Pro Tip!  When using sewing clips, look at the clip alignment on the front and back side of your project!  If the clip edge is near the binding edge on both sides, that means your binding has been placed evenly and decreases the chances that you’ll miss the back side of the binding when you sew!

Marking: 

On the front of the 19” x 4 ½” Pocket Piece, mark vertical lines at 4 ¾’, 9 ½”and 14 ¼”.

On the front of the 19” x 9 ½” Pocket Piece, mark a vertical line at 9 ½”.

Sewing:

Lay the 19” x 4 ½” Pocket on-top of the 19” x 9 ½” Pocket Piece, lining up the bottom edges.  Clip on 3 sides to secure.

Starting at the bottom edge, stitch along the line marked at 4 ¾’ stopping at the binding on the Short Pockets.

Do a few backstitches when you stop at the binding, to ensure they stitches won’t break when you fill the pockets.

Repeat this process to stitch along the line marked at 14 ¼”. 

Align the Pockets with the bottom edge of the Body.  Clip on 3 sides to secure.

Starting at the bottom edge, stitch along the line marked at 9 ½”, stopping at the binding on the Taller Pockets.  Backstitch thoroughly at the top edge of the pockets.

Before removing the clips, sew along the 3 sides of the Pockets to attach them to the Body.

Step 7:  Binding

Leaving a 5” loose tail,  encase the top edge of the Body with the binding,  start clipping 5” from the top-right corner of the Body.

For the 5 inches that are clipped, stitch close to the loose edges of the binding until you reach the very edge of the Body, backstitch and cut thread.

Manipulate the front and back sides of the binding to create a mitered corner with the binding.  Clip to secure.  (A mitered corner will have folds at 45 degrees and a point at the corner.)

After the corner is secure, encase the side edge of the Body with binding. Clip as you go to secure.

Stitch close to the loose edge of the binding until you reach the very edge of the Body.  Backstitch and cut thread.

Repeat the process to miter the remaining 3 corners, and encase the bottom edge and second side of the Body.  After mitering the fourth corner, only sew on 5 more inches of binding, backstitch and cut thread.

Using the 5” starting tail, position it to encase the top edge of the Body.  Mark the exact end of the tail by pinning to the body at the very edge.

Spread out the long tail along the top edge of the Body, the two binding tails will “overlap” starting at the Pin.

Measure 2” of overlap (this will be 2” past the pin that marks the end of the lower piece) at the 2” mark, carefully cut the Top Piece of Binding ONLY.

At this point rotate the Body, if necessary, to ensure the top edge is facing of you.

Unfold the binding tail on the right side, lay it flat, with the edge pointing roughly to the left, as shown.  (Note, I had to tape it down for the photo, it won’t actually lay that flat naturally).

Unfold the binding tail on the left side, then lay at 90 degree angle at the end of the right tail, as shown.

Flip left tail up onto right tail, as shown.  Insert pins to join the two tails together at a 45 degree angle.

Without removing the pins, spread the binding out and confirm there are no twists in the binding.  You will be certain of this if the center crease is visible all the way across the top edge.

After confirming there are no twists, gather the Body together and add a clip to hold it in place.  By doing this, you shorten the distance between the binding tails hence giving you more wiggle room to work as you sew the two ends together.

Remove the pins that were inserted at the 45 degree angle, mark a 45 degree line with a pencil, pin in place to secure, and sew along the diagonal line.

Cut the excess fabric to create a ¼” seam allowance.

Press the seam open, then re-press the newly joined binding section to ensure the folds are crisp.

Align the last bit of binding to encase the remaining top edge.  Clip to secure.

Stitch close to the loose edge of the binding to finish.

When the finished, do a check to make sure the binding on the back side was caught by the stitching all the way around.

Congratulations!  Your Caddy is Complete!

To install your Bedside Caddy, tuck the top 18-20” of the Body under your mattress, the pockets should hang down the outside of the box springs or bed frame.  The weight of the mattress combined with friction will keep your Bedside Caddy securely in place!

Washing and Care Instructions: 

Machine was on cold with like colors, tumble dry on low heat, press with a warm iron if desired.

But Wait There’s More!

This makes a great Couch Caddy too, simply increase the size of the body to 40” x 19”(*). To install, drape pockets over the outside of the arm of the couch, run it down the inside of the arm of the couch, then tuck all additional length underneath the couch cushion.

*For extra large or overstuffed couches, you may need more than 40” length. To calculate your own personalized measurements, add the following together:

10” (Pocket Drape)

+  X” (Width of Couch Arm )

+  Y” (Height of Couch Arm - measured from top edge of arm to bottom of seat cushion)

+ 15” (to tuck under cushion)__________________               

= Body Length Measurement

A final note to the eagle eyed sewists who spotted the fabric changed during the “binding” portion of this tutorial.  Just know it’s impossible to get good photos the first time, every time. So rather than using confusing photos, I chose to start over and take new photos in order to make the process as easy to understand as possible!  Thank you for understanding!

Fabric Details:

To view the complete The Blank Quilting Corp. Jardin de Lune by Lea Yunk | Episodic Drawing, click here.

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Learn more about Amy here.