Isn’t this the cutest way to take your nighttime ritual with you! Or why not just keep it nice and tidy to admire your exquisite got-it-togetherness on the nightstand? I am calling this the Elizabeth bag, because it reminds me of Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice.
The materials are the inspiration here. We start with a utility mattress ticking fabric. The great thing is that this isn’t just a ticking striped fabric, its actual mattress ticking. This is a very stiff, dense material that is meant to keep down feathers from escaping from a mattress. It’s tied up with a silk ribbon, and a tiny bow. Also, how adorable is it to use mattress ticking for a nightstand bag? I know. It’s painfully adorable. If you love this or any bag, btw, and want to see it the subscription, let me know.
This bag is pretty easy to make, so I recommend doing this project when your feeling kind of crappy but want to do something to impress yourself. It’s so quick because there is no lining needed. The mattress ticking really doesn’t fray so I didn’t even finish the seams. For this use, having unfinished seams basically never gets noticed because its essentially just keeping my eye mask from getting dusty, and I don’t really carry it anywhere. It’s wonderfully stiff all by itself, so you really don’t need interfacing, either.
If you don’t sew at all, and have no idea what I just said, this is the perfect bag to start with.
It’s really the perfect size for keeping a sleep mask, some ear plugs, a small night cream and a lip balm, maybe a make up wipe remover pack or a pen and small notebook, whatever your jam is these days.
I currently have a very involved and constantly growing nightstand situation. I’d like to discuss it at length but I’m going to hold off for now.
Read through the steps of any sewing project before you start. Seriously. Do not skip it. Have you ever made a recipe that needed two hours of chilling, but you didn’t know that before you bought all the stuff and decided to make it for some party that starts in 30 minutes? Here are the steps summed up to make it easy to decide if you are going to actually get out your sewing machine.
If you are thinking, hmmm looks easy, except there is a zipper. Well, that’s why this project is the perfect project to learn a great way to install a zipper.
- Cut out two exactly identical pieces, trim them up if they aren’t perfect after you cut them. Cutting is everything in sewing.
- Decorate one side with the ribbon, or both, if you are a wild child, before assembling.
- Install the zipper. This is going to be more fun than you think it will be. You will probably want to put zippers on a lot of things after this.
- Sew it together inside out with the two sides, don’t forget to leave the zipper halfway open before you do this.
- Turn it around, and put in whatever you can’t live without at your bedside table.
- Feel together and at peace with your life. Namaste.
What are your favorite things to keep on your nightstand?
