Thursday, April 3, 2008

Making a Crochet Hook Case: A Tutorial


I made myself a crochet hook case last month, and my daughter Autumn has become obsessed with it. Finally I asked her, "Would you like for me to make you a case of your own?" Without blinking she nearly shouted, "Yes!" I asked her what she wanted it to look like, and she said, "I want it to be groovy." Okey, dokey then! Off I went to the fabric store, and brought home some groovy fabric. She was thrilled.


And so, to make your very own crochet hook case that will be coveted by people everywhere,
you will need:

♥ Two fabrics: one main fabric, and a complimentary fabric for the pockets
♥ quilt batting or fusible fleece
♥ complimentary ribbon
♥ two buttons

Let's get started!

Cut a rectangle from your main fabric 20 x 34 inches.


Cut a rectangle from your quilt batting or fusible fleece 20 x 32 inches.


If you are using fusible fleece, fuse the fleece to the wrong side of the main fabric according to the manufacturer's directions.



If you are using batting, baste it to the sides of the main fabric. Your batting or fleece should be flush to the one end of the main fabric, and two inches short on the other end.

Cut two rectangles from your complimentary fabric. One rectangle should be 11 x 20 inches. The other should measure 16 x 20 inches.

Cut one piece of quilt batting or fusible fleece 5 1/2 X 20 inches.
Cut a second piece of quilt batting or fusible fleece 8 x 20 inches.


Press the rectangles of complimentary fabrics in half, making one rectangle 8x 20 inches, and one rectangle 5 1/2 x 20 inches.


Open the rectangles, and fuse or baste the lining to one side of the rectangle.


Press the rectangles closed once more.


Place the rectangle of your main fabric, right side up, so that the end with the batting flush to it is facing you. Place the complimentary 8 x 20 inch rectangle on top of it, with the open side towards you, 2 inches from the edge of the main fabric. Pin in place along each side.


Now take the remaining 5 1/2 x 20 inch rectangle of complimentary fabric, placing it on top of the first one, but only 1/4 inch from the edge of the main fabric. This will create two rows of pockets. Pin in place.


Take the whole thing to your machine, and stitch the sides that you have pinned using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Do not stitch along the bottoms of the pockets.


Now you get to decide how big you want to make the sections in your pockets. It's a good idea to vary the sizes to accommodate scissors, a stitch gauge, crochet hooks, or circular knitting needles. Divide the width of your case in thirds, and mark that. From there, you can mark stitching lines to suit your needs. Marking the thirds is imperative, as your entire case folds into thirds.
Stitch along the marked lines, making sure to back stitch at the beginning and end of each line.

Press. Fold the entire project nearly in half, right sides to the middle. Remember that you have a two inch section with no batting or fusible fleece? Only fold to the end of the fleece.

Pin the sides, so as to make your project look like a pillowcase. Stitch each side, from the folded end toward the open end, using a 5/8 inch seam allowance. Do not stitch on the fabric with no lining.
Turn your fabric so the right side is out, making sure the corners are nice and square, and not bunched up. Press.


Press the extra fabric without lining so the the bottom edge meets the bottom of the pockets.


Fold it up over the bottom of the pocket to create a nice hem.




Pin and stitch.
In order to make the flap that will fold down to keep all of your tools from falling out lay nicely, you may machine or hand quilt it.
In this case, I machine-quilted flowers to match the fabric.

Do not quilt the pockets!


Fold the flap down, and fold the right side of the case in toward the center. Find and place a pin in the seam that falls there to mark it. Cut two lengths of ribbon, about 18 inches long. Place the ribbons flat on your work surface, and lay the case on top of them in a way that the ribbons are about 1 1/2 inches from the top and bottom of the folded case. Pin the ribbon in place, and stitch from the inside following the lines that are already there.



click to enlarge

This hides the stitches that attach the ribbons.


Fold your case in thirds again, so that the left side of the case is on top. Bring the ribbons up so as to help place the buttons. Hand sew the buttons onto the left flap.

To close your case, simply bring the ribbon around the button, and tie it closed!


You're done! This pattern could easily be adapted to make a longer case for traditional knitting needles. Happy Sewing!

32 comments:

Matt said...

This is SO cute Tracy! I love the button and ribbon enclosures and the fabric is perfect! No wonder why Autumn was enamoured!

Wanted to tell you too-I had a looksie at your Etsy store the other day and what a TREMENDOUS variety of beautiful things you have created! You are amazingly talented. I don't know HOW you get so much accomplished! But everything is beautiful-I really admire your hardwork and handiwork! :-)

randi said...

Great tutorial, Tracy. I think you should win!

Your case came out groovy, for sure!

I will link this in my next links post, if that is OK. Maybe we should check with Mac first? ;)

Tracy said...

Hey Randi,
Sure you can link and Thank you! That Mac~ He's a funny one!

Tori Leslie said...

Oh I love it, yours is SO much better than the one I just tried to make. I have a habit of not following instructions and you know what that can lead to. Your's is lovely and I love the buttons!

Wonderful Tutorial!!

Tori Leslie said...

Hey Tracy,
One more thing, I forgot!
I used one of your images to link to your tutorial, I hope you didn't mind!

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, I'm in awe...you are one talented lady Tracy! I LOVE your choice of fabric for Autumn's crochet hook case...gorgeous! Thank you for the step-by-step instructions too!

Love, Tina :)

~~Deby said...

I love the fabric, the tutorial but yet I know it is probably ABOVE my talent...right now especially...so do you plan on making these for ETSY???
Inquiring minds (mine) want to know.
You are in the club of those very talented bloggers...
Deby

Emily said...

That is beautiful, Tracy! No wonder Autumn loves it so much!
Just to let you know that I am subscribed to your blog and still read it, just haven't had much time to comment. I hope you and your family are well! Blessings to you all :)

Jodie Wolfe said...

Clever idea.

I wanted to let you know that I am having a book giveaway. To enter all you need to do is post ten struggles you face as a Christian woman and also your age. If you have a few minutes, come check out my blog. Thanks and God bless.

sherry said...

wow. You make this look SO easy, Tracy! How 'bout I send you material and you make it FOR me?! Okey Dokey?

btw, groovy is a 'boss' word. :o)

Jordin said...

That is so cute! Makes me want to take up crocheting--just to have an excuse to get a bag like that! ;)

Stacie said...

Hi, Mrs. K!

That is adorable! I'm sure Autumn was thrilled. It is definitely groovy. =) lol

Gena said...

I'm so happy you shared the tutorial. I loved the first one you made and I can see making a "groovy" one for Whitney's knitting needles.

Your work is so pretty!

Karen said...

Great tutorial, Tracy! I really love the material you used, too.
Oh, Christie's blog is not private now, just click on her name in my comments. :o)

Unknown said...

Tracy, I can't see your pictures. I am so sad. Perhaps it is temporary or perhaps it is blogger. Grrrrr.

I'll check back. It sounds groovy. I bet it looks groovy too :)

Karen said...

Thank you, Tracy, for the wonderful tutorial! I'm going to adapt this for my circular knitting needles. They don't fit well into the crock I use for my knitting needles or the flower pot that I use for my crochet hooks. And I'm going to add labels with the length and size of each set of circular needles, since I'm always nervous about mixing them up.

Short Stop said...

Oh, this is just awesome! I LOVE this fabric! What a cute idea!

A Spoonful Of Sugar said...

Great Tute (found it via the Sew mama Sew site). Love your use of ribbon/buttons in the closure.

angharad handmade said...

This is really gorgeous - and a really clear tutorial, thanks - the pictures are great! I love the double ribbon and button tie closure - I think it really makes the case!

Caitlin said...

I really loved your tutorial, especially all of the detailed photos. Your instructions were great and I love the finished product. I might just have to make this to give a home to all of my crochet hooks. Thanks!

MM said...

How cute! I can't wait to make one! Jan

tid bit said...

What a great tutorial! Thanks so much, Tracy. Now I need to make one..so I can be inspired to actually learn how to crochet!

Kittee said...

Once again your sewing skills are amazing me! Beautiful and practical!

Melissa Price said...

What a wonderful tutorial! I wandered over here from Sew Mama Sew and I'm loving your work. Thanks for the tutorial - I'm bookmarking your site!

Nathalanes Place said...

Hi great totorial. I made myself one not to long ago altough a bit different,I like yours it is made in a very cool color combo. Keep up the good work.

Anonymous said...

This is the cutest crochet case ever! Thanks for the excellent tutorial! ;-)

Elisa said...

Tracy, I happened upon your blog through Whip Up and am adding your to my list of Sites of Inspiration! I love your crafting/sewing posts and a great recipe blog too. :) Your Proverbs woman of the Lord scripture caught my eye, thank you!

Blessings,
Elisa

Zu said...

What a cute case! You are really talented. :-)

HMaas said...

This is so cute - I can't wait to get all the supllies and make my own - thanks for such a great tutorial.

Anonymous said...

what a beautiful project and a wonderful site.
blessings,
Teresa Carns

Anonymous said...

This is so cute Tracy..I suggested this tutorial to the moderator of a sewing group I participate in..
you can look it up- http://sewchicandunique.com

Tracy said...

Thanks, Trish!