Get the new Great British Sewing Bee book worth £30 when you subscribe to Simply Sewing magazine
When they finally appeared, many people thought they were unnecessary, impractical and even scandalous
It’s time to prop open the doors and let in the sunshine and the fresh air. The prettiest way to do this is with homemade fabric doorstops in your favourite fabrics, so we’ve invited Natalie Santini of Hungry Hippie to guest blog for us today and show us how to make one.
A big welcome to Natalie Santini from Hungry Hippie.
“This door stop is pretty simple for the advanced beginner. It does have a zipper, but no special sewing feet or tools were used to put the zipper in. As an option, you could leave out the zipper and just attach ribbons or ties for closure. Read through the directions once before beginning, as it makes the process much easier to understand. If you have any questions, feel free to email me and I will get back to you as soon as I am able. Have fun!”
You will need:
• 10-12″ zip
• 2 pieces of 10 x 10″ fabric of your choice
• 2 pieces of 10 x 10″ interfacing
• 9 x 2.5″ piece of interfacing for the handle
• 9 x 5″ piece of fabric for the handle
How to make your fabric door stop
You will need
- Fabric
- Zip
- Sewing machine
Method
Making the fabric doorstop handle
1
The first step is to iron fusible interfacing on the wrong side of your fabric squares. Then set this aside.
2
Next take the handle piece of fabric and fold it wrong sides together towards the middle and press.
3
Now fold it over itself in half so that the edges are tucked inside and you have a double thickness handle. Top stitch down both sides so it’s really polished looking.
4
Press well before sewing.
5
The handle is finished. You can now set this aside.
Making the fabric doorstop
1
Now take one of the fabric pieces that measure 10 x 10″ and fold the top down by half and inch. Press and repeat this for the other square of fabric.
2
Pin the folded edge to the zipper tape. Sew in place. If you have a zipper foot on your machine, it does make life easier. But I don’t, so I’ll wing it!
Repeat for both pieces and then open the zipper at least half way…
3
Pin the sides and bottom together and sew around. Go slowly over the zip teeth. Sew around the edges again for extra strength, especially if you are planning on making this a heavy doorstop.
4
Mark the corners in 1″ (2.5cm) squares.
5
Then cut them out.
6
Put the seams together and then sew across the edge about half an inch in. I’ll explain with pictures…
7
Sew across the seams about half an inch in. I always sew three times back and forth to ensure this seam is strong. Try to line up the seams as best you can, so that when they are done they are lined up on the outside too. This takes practice. I goof it up often enough!
8
This is what you come out with, once it’s turned right side out again. I didn’t get it perfectly lined up, but you get the idea.
9
Trim off the excess zipper.
10
Pin the handle onto one side, right sides together. (You will flip it later.) Sew it on, passing over it several times. I use a double stitch for extra measure.
11
Flip it up and sew down again to hide the raw end.
12
Repeat with the other end of the handle. Make sure the handle is not twisted.
13
Now it’s time to fill it. I used a combo of cat litter and polyfill. The polyfill makes it nice and full looking, while the cat litter weighs it down nicely and cheaply. You could use beans but they are more expensive!
Now you’ve learnt how to make your own fabric door stop you can whip up loads and place them all over your house.
Thanks to Natalie for sharing this useful doorstop pattern with us today. You can keep in touch with Natalie via the Hungry Hippie blog where she shares tutorials, patterns and crafting ideas on a regular basis. Natalie’s recent makes which are showcased on their site are her Zombie phone case and a waterproof picnic blanket. Go visit Hungry Hippie!
Share your fabric door stops with us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Oh and subscribe to Mollie for more sewing inspiration.
