Lavern Utensil Holder Sewalong

Being that it is nearly April and unofficially (or possibly officially somewhere) eco-month, I wanted to offer a free pattern & sewalong for a product I find super useful to have in my #ZeroWaste arsenal:

A Utensil Wrap



You might be wondering what the purpose of a utensil wrap is and why you'd ever want to sew one for yourself. For me, a utensil wrap has proven super helpful for the days I find myself in need of something to eat but also at a crossroads with utilizing wasteful products such as single use plastic utensils or paper towels.

Sure, I have been able to take home many a paper towel in my purse to later compost it, but I always feel so odd sneaking them out of a restaurant, like I'm stealing something precious and not something that will be tossed away. But striving towards a #ZeroWaste life is all about diverting waste before it gets to you. Refuse is the first tenant of being a zero waster.

And with my utensil holder, I always have any utensils I might possibly need at the ready so that my job of refusing single use items becomes easy and less of an inconvenience (It's not super easy drinking a milkshake without a straw or spoon and gets very messy very quickly, haha!).

I have actually made a utensil holder and placed one filled with thrifted utensils (minus the stainless steel straw which I got from local shop Coco & Mischa) in both mine and Arlen's cars as well as my purse and my carry on luggage in case we are ever about to travel. It keeps everything neat, clean, and compact and eliminates my need to scrounge around the bottom of my bag looking for something to eat with or wipe my hands. Plus, no matter where I am or what car I am taking, I know I have utensils for my needs!

But I've chatted enough about my love for utensil holders- it's time to get to sewing one for ourselves!

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

• FREE Lavern Sewing Pattern (Zero Waste/ Paperless Option Included)
• A little over 1/2 YD (0.4 Meters) of 45" wide Fabric
• Pins
• Fabric Scissors
• Ruler
• Marking Chalk, Pen or Pencil
• Iron & Ironing Board
• Sewing Machine (Threaded with matching threads)
• Small screw driver, point turner, or chopstick
• Coffee or Tea for added comfort!

Let's Get Started!

Before we dive in, I wanted to mention that there is a small mistake on the pattern pieces! Under the Tie pattern piece, it says Cut 1 when it should say Cut 2. And on the Pocket piece it says Cut 2 when it should say Cut 1! My apologies for getting those two mixed up!

First we need to cut out all out pattern pieces & fabric! If you are using the downloadable PDF pattern, simply stick those pieces together and then pin your pattern to your fabric and get to cutting! If you'd like, I've got a cutting guide below:

If you are opting to create this utensil roll 100% zero waste with no pattern pieces, you will need to mark directly onto your fabric with the measurements provided in your Lavern Sewing Pattern Download. Once your fabric is all marked, you can cut out your pattern pieces and then dive right in to sewing!

Once you are done cutting out your pattern pieces & fabric, we are going to simply iron the top edge of our pocket by 1/4" (0.6 cm) towards the wrong side (WS) of our fabric.

And then again by another 1/4" (0.6 cm).

Stitch along the edge of your new "seam" to hold your ironed edge in place.

Place the WS of your newly sewn pocket piece to the right side (RS) of one of your two wrap pieces. Make sure you are lining up the bottom three raw edges and not your sewn pocket edge.

Baste your pocket in place following 1/4" (0.6 cm) seam allowance.

Now is the time to sew down the stitch markings for your utensils. I included all of my favorite utensils when making this pattern, but feel free to omit/ add/ change around where you'd like your utensils to sit inside your wrap! There is no right answer to this project- just what works best for you!

Once you have sewn in your utensil slots, set aside your utensil wrap for now and grab your ties. Head on over to your ironing board because we are going to make some bias tape!

Fold in both of the long edges of your ties so that they meet in the center (almost like they are kissing). Iron both edges down simultaneously, working slowly so as not to burn yourself!

Now iron your ties in half so that you are enclosing all the raw edges.

Sew right along the edge of your ties to enclose your raw seams.

Tie a little knot at one edge of each of your ties and trim off any excess fabric you don't wish to see.

Grab your utensil wrap with the utensil slots and place it in front of you with the RS facing up.

Line the untied edges of your ties up to the notches on your utensil wrap. Baste these in place.

Alrighty, things are heating up and we are not to far away from having a completed wrap! Feel free to stop and take a mini break to stretch or have a sweet treat before diving into the next portion of this sewalong :)

Now that you are all refreshed, let's get back to work!

Place your utensil wrap with the ties in front of you facing upwards so you can see all of your amazing progress.

Place your second utensil wrap piece on top of the one in front of you with the RS touching each other.

Once  you've got everything pinned in place (and have made sure the ties aren't caught between the seams anywhere other than at the notches), you can sew around the entire piece with a 1/2" (1.3 cm) seam allowance. Make sure to leave a 3 - 4" (7.6 - 10.2 cm) opening at the bottom of your project to later turn it out.

Trim up your corners to help reduce the bulk and get them nice and sharp later on!

Turn your entire project RS out through your little opening.

Using your chopstick, point turner, or tiny screw driver, poke out your corners so that they are nice and sharp!

Give your project a nice press and....

Topstitch all around the edge of your project, about 1/4" (0.6 cm) from the outer edge.

And fin! You are done with your very own utensil wrap! Wasn't that fun? And a great use of your larger scraps?

Now you can fill it with all your favorite/ most used utensils! In my wrap, I include a metal straw & cleaner, a set of chopsticks, a fork, a knife, a spoon, and a linen towel. Everything I could ever possibly need while out and about :)

I'd love to see your version  of this utensil wrap! Feel free to tag me on IG at @untitledthoughts or #UTLavernWrap #UTLavern .

As always, bonne couture!