Fabric envelopes for Valentine’s Day - and beyond
missredfox shows you how to sew reusable, fabric envelopes for your love mail that could have a second life as a mini make-up pouch.
I like writing letters, which means I love paper and stationery products. I also love sustainability, so try to make as many homemade things that can be reused.
Today I am combining all of these to bring you a sustainable project. These fabric envelopes can be given as a gift with a pretty letter for Valentine's Day (instead of using a paper envelope), and then can also be used as a mini case for cosmetics, tissues or sewing accessories.
Materials needed
- Cotton fabrics in two different prints, each 15 x 30cm
- One solid red piece of fabric, 8 x 8cm
- 15 x 30cm fusible interfacing
- Snap fasteners – one set
Equipment needed
- Sewing machine
- Sewing thread
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Triangle ruler
- One fabric pin
- Fabric clips
- Pliers for snap fasteners
- Pen
- Iron and ironing board
How to
Step 1
Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of one of the fabric rectangles.
Step 2
Fold the fused, fabric rectangle lengthways in half, position the triangle ruler with the centre line on the fold and draw a 45-degree line across the corner.
Step 3
Keep the fabric folded and cut on the line you drew, removing the triangle fabric pieces. The main piece of fabric is now shaped like a house.Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the second piece of fabric - fold it, draw a corner and cut.
Step 4
Fold the small piece of red 8 x 8cm fabric double and freehand cut half a heart (about 3 x 4 cm) and unfold.
Step 5
Place the heart on the front of one of the two cut fabric ‘houses’.
Position so that the right edge of the heart is positioned 2cm from the right edge of the fabric and the tip of the heart is positioned 16cm from the lower edge. Pin the heart in place.
Step 6
Using sewing thread in a contrasting colour, roughly sew around the heart three times with a straight stitch. The stitches should not be perfect so it has a freehand feel.
Step 7
Place the fabric ‘houses’ with right sides facing and secure them with fabric clips. Stitch around all the edges with a 5mm seam allowance. Leave a gap of approx. 6-8cm open for turning.
Step 8
Trim all corners.
Step 9
Turn through the gap and neatly shape the corners with the closed scissors or a point turner. Press on both sides, making sure to roll out the seams and corners to get a sharp finish.
Step10
Insert the snap fastener at the point.From the outer side of the envelope, pierce a snap fastener cap (round head, pointed stem) through both layers of fabric. Place the matching socket (part of the fastener with a recess) on the inside of the envelope, over the stem, and fasten with pliers.
Step 11
Fold the bottom edge up by approx. 10cm. Fold the top triangle end over it and mark where the snap fastener touches the fabric underneath.
Step 12
At the mark, pierce another cap from the inside of the envelope so the tip comes out on the front side of the fabric. Place a stud piece (protuberance and rough back) over the pointed end and fix with the pliers.
Step 13
Close the snap fastener and clip the sides together with fabric clips.
Step 14
Undo the snap fasteners so the envelope is open. Edge stitch around all edges, closing the sides and creating a top stitch around the top and bottom.
Now it's time to insert a nice letter or card and gift it to the one you adore! Will you sign it, or keep it secret?
I hope you enjoyed sewing these Valentine's Day fabric gift envelopes.
I can’t wait to see what you make! Remember to tag in Brother on Instagram and Facebook, and myself too!
