As travel-obsessed as we are, we are champions of packing a whole lot of style into not a lot of luggage! Even if we’re taking only the basics for clothing, we never underestimate the power of a bright scarf or bold accessory to make any outfit substantially more chic. Mexicali ladies know that we can easily bring a sense of creative fun or sophisticated elegance to even the most bare-bones travel ensembles with the addition of a well-chosen pair of earrings, but–man!–they are SO hard to keep organized, especially when we’re on the go. If you can relate to this problem, we’ve got a clever solution that will cost you around $2 to make!
The DIY Travel Earring Holder!
You will need:
- 2 9″x12″ pieces of craft felt in coordinating colors
- 1 9″x12″ piece of craft foam
- 6 inches of velcro
- 6 inches of ribbon
- scissors
- a sewing machine OR a needle and thread and a bit of patience!
Step 1:
Cut the main piece of felt and the craft foam in half. This will be the cover and “pages” of your earring travel case. If you’d like to put any kind of decorative shape on the cover, cut that out of the second piece of felt and sew it onto the main felt before you begin further construction. Remember that your case will be shaped like a little book, so you may want to keep your design smaller than half of the piece of felt and off to the right side.
Step 2:
Cut a strip from the other piece of felt that is about 5 inches long and 2 inches wide. Fold in half the long way, and then sew the two sides together. This will be the tab that closes your case. You could use just one layer of felt for the tab rather than doubling it up, but craft felt tends to pull apart pretty easily and you want this case to last for a while!
Step 3:
Put your decorated (or not) cover facedown, and then line up the other half of that piece of felt on top. Slide the tab in between these two pieces so it is coming out of the right-hand side. Stitch the two big felt pieces together all the way around, making sure to stitch over the piece of the tab that is between them, so it stays securely in place.
Step 4:
Sew a 1 inch piece of velcro to the inside of the tab. Then fold the booklet shut and sew a coordinating (1 inch) piece of velcro to the front cover. Sew it close to the edge even if it looks like the tab is sticking out too much; once your case is filled with earrings, it is apt to be quite bulky!
Step 5:
Time to create the foam pages! Fold one piece of foam in half to create a crease. Sew a 1 inch piece of fuzzy velcro to the center edge of the left-hand side. Cut your ribbon in half so you have two pieces of 3 inches long. Take one 3 inch piece and fold it in half, creating a loop. Tuck it under a 1 inch piece of rough velcro and sew it onto the center edge of the right-hand side. This creates a handle so the foam won’t rip when you open the pages.
Repeat those steps on the other piece of foam, so you have another page that is identical to the first.
Step 6:
Lay one of the foam pages (open) inside the cover of the booklet, with the loop pointing towards the left. Lay the second page on top of the first, but with the ribbon pointing to the right. The velcro tabs should match up, securing the two foam pages together.
Step 7:
Sew a seam down the center of the booklet, using the creases you made earlier as a guide.
You did it! To use your sweet new travel earring holder, pull on a ribbon loop to undo the velcro. Poke an earring through the foam and secure with an earring back on the other side. Your earrings will slide easily through the foam, and you can use this case to hold either stud earrings or french hook dangling earrings. Fill it with your favorite earrings, toss in your suitcase, and you’re ready to take on any adventure in crafty bohemian style!
Hooray! That’s one thing that is easier to pack now!
Watch the how-to video if you like moving pictures!
Do you have any clever travel solutions?
The post Mexicali DIY: Travel Earring Holder Tutorial appeared first on Mexicali Blues Blog.
