Sewing some useful things is a great way to practice sewing skills while simultaneously saving money and having the joy of owning and using self-made objects, which can be very satisfying. This organizer is an open bag that can be used to organize storage space, but also to organize things on your desk, or in any other space.
As a whole, sewing an organizer is a great beginner’s project. Only a few things are needed and it is easy enough for beginners to follow along and create a custom organizer.
In the following, you will learn how to sew an organizer through a detailed step-by-step plan.
How do you make an organizer step by step for beginners?
Sewing a pillowcase is a great project for beginners. The step-by-step guide comes with lots of pictures that make it easy to follow.
These are the things you will need to sew an organizer:
- Two different fabrics (8 inch x 16 inch each / 20 cm x 40 cm each)
- Thread (preferably a matching color to the fabric)
- Needle
- Scissors
- Some kind of fabric marker
- Ruler
- Some pins or clip
- Sewing machine if possible
Step-by-step tutorial
Step 1
Choose two different fabrics for the inside and the outside of the organizer. Keep in mind that both fabrics can be seen in the end, so the fabrics should look nice together. You can use cotton, but also thicker materials such as denim or upholstery fabric.
Use the ruler and the fabric marker to trace the four-sided figure on both fabrics. The length is 8 inches (20 cm) and the width is 16 inches (40 cm). There is no need to add an extra seam allowance to these sizes.
If you have issues tracing the lines directly on the fabric, you can also cut a piece of paper into the desired form, and use it as a pattern. Put your pattern on the fabric to trace around it.
Cut out the fabric for the inside and the outside of the organizer.
Iron the fabric if necessary.
Step 2
Put the right (pretty) sides of the fabric on top of each other and sew along one of the longer sides with a normal straight stitch. Always use some backstitches before and at the end of every seam to anchor the seam.
Step 3
Fold the fabrics open and iron the seam allowance in the middle apart from each other so that the seam allowance lays flat on the fabric and does not get in the way during the following steps.
Step 4
Now fold the fabric in the middle with the right sides on the inside. The seam from before should lay exactly in the middle of your folded fabric.
Step 5
Mark an opening for later to turn the whole thing around of around 2 inches / 5 cm. Pin or fixate the rest of the edges and sew the fabric together. Make sure that the seams in the middle are on top of each other when you sew over them.
Keep in mind that every seam has to be anchored with some backstitches at the beginning and end of every seam, even when you stop and start at the opening.
Step 6
Now cut all four edges off without cutting the seam.
Step 7
The next step might seem confusing, but it’s easier than it looks. The edges need to be sewn to make a good bottom for the organizer. Therefore you need to lift the fabric and fold it like origami in a way that leads to four triangles.
Step 8
Mark 3 inches / 8 cm and pin these new edges down on all 4 sides and sew along the marked lines. Use a normal straight stitch and always use a backstitch at the beginning and end of every seam.
Step 9
Now you can cut off the spare fabric without cutting the seam.
Step 10
Turn the organizer around through the opening. Make sure to push all the edges properly out because once you close the opening, you cannot reach the edges anymore.
Close the opening with a few stitches by hand.
Step 11
Put the inner fabric inside, turn the edged down to show a bit of the inner fabric, and you are done!
Congratulations on your finished sewing project!
Lisa is a freelancer from Germany who loves to create new things. She enjoys painting and drawing, as well as sewing. In the past few years, she has learned how to upcycle and build furniture, create colorful objects with mosaics, work with clay and glass, and even make her own shoes.