The Perfect Little Gift

Here's how to make a cute little pocket-size tissue holder.  First, cut the following:

6" x 7 1/4" outer fabric

6" x 7 1/4" lining fabric

6" x 7 1/4" batting 

(2) 6" x 2" for binding

Make a quilt sandwich with outer, lining and batting. 

Baste using pins and quilt in desired pattern.  Don't be deterred by this step.  It can have as little or as much as you would like and can even be in a simple grid pattern. I don't have a quilting foot so I just traced a swirl pattern and then sewed over it.

 Fold binding strips in half lengthwise with wrong sides together.  Press.

Pin raw edges to short edge of quilted piece, catching both layers of bind.

Stitch, using 1/4" seam allowance.  Repeat with 2nd piece of binding on opposite edge.

Pull binding piece around edge and pin in place.

Here you should hand stitch the bind down, but I was too lazy and machine stitched it instead.

At this point, your tissue holder should look like this.  Find and mark the center of long sides with a pin.

Fold bound sides into center and pin into place.  (Outer fabric will be enclosed, and lining will be showing)

Repeat on other long side to resemble picture below.

Stitch across both short sides using 1/4" seam allowance.

Now, here's the tricky part.  Cut out a 3/4" square from white paper.

Place square on corner and trace around using a washable fabric pen.  You don't see the tracing since it is in the inside so I just used a regular pen.  Repeat on all four corners.  Then flip over and trace on all four corners on the other side.  You will have traced the square a total of 8 times.

This picture illustrates the corners I am referring to in the next step.

Pick up tissue holder as shown in photos below.  Press together.  You will then sew a straight line from the corner on the front, to the corner on the back.

Repeat on all four corners.

Clip corners.

Turn inside out.  Ta dah!  You have a perfect little tissue holder.

A sweet friend of mine gave me one of these with lots of refills after my mother was in a car accident.  It really touched me and was just the perfect thing.
Love the fabric used in this tutorial?  You can purchase it here:  www.metroquiltcompany.com