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Crafty Tool Belt

Keep all your embroidery and sewing tools close at hand with a tool belt just for crafting! This handy little apron has pockets to hold an air-erase pen, sewing gauge, tape measure, a box of pins ... there's even a "hammer loop" for your scissors!

Read below for these free project instructions.

Supplies Needed:

**1/3 yard canvas for main
body of apron

**2/3 yard canvas in contrast
color for pockets, waist tie,
and scissors loop

**Medium-weight
cutaway stabilizer

**Temporary spray adhesive

**Air-erase pen or
dressmaker's pencil

Designs used:
Filigree Sewing Machine 3 (Large)
Filigree Pin Cushion (Small)

This design is also available in the following design packs:
A Flourishing Stitches Design Pack - Lg
A Creative Filigree Design Pack - Sm

Project tip:
Choose one embroidery design that's 5 inches wide by 7 inches high or smaller (for the tall pocket), and one design that's 4 inches wide by 3 inches high or smaller (for the main apron body). The design for the main apron body can be up to 7 inches wide by 3 inches high (Sew Many Swirls would work nicely), but you'll need to adjust the placement from these instructions.

Finished Size:
17 inches wide by 10 inches high, plus waist tie

Using an air-erase pen or dressmaker's pencil, mark out rectangles in the following sizes on your fabric, but do not cut them out yet:

Main fabric:
2 rectangles 18 inches wide by 10.5 inches high, for body of apron

Contrast fabric:
1 rectangle 9 inches wide by 13 inches high, for tall pocket

1 rectangle 10 inches wide by 9 inches high, for short pocket

2 rectangles 5 inches wide by 42 inches long, for waist tie, or other combination to total 84 inches long

1 rectangle 3 inches wide by 10 inches long, for scissors loop

Mark embroidery placement as follows:

On the tall pocket piece, draw a line down the middle of the rectangle (6.5 inches from the short edge); this will be the folded top edge of the pocket. Draw another line 3 inches from this line, and draw a perpendicular line down the center of the fabric (4.5 inches from the long edge) - this marks the center point of your larger embroidery design.

On one of the main fabric pieces, draw a horizontal line 8.5 inches from the bottom of the piece. Draw a vertical line 3.5 inches from the right edge of the piece. The point where these lines intersect is the center point for the smaller embroidery design. Choose a design that's 3 inches tall or less. If the design is wider than 4 inches, you may need to move this center point so that the design doesn't stitch too close to the edge of the fabric rectangle. You can use a paper template of the design to help with placement if you like.

For each embroidered piece: Spray a piece of medium-weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary spray adhesive, and smooth the fabric on top. Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric. Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Move the hoop so that the needle is directly over the center point on the fabric. Embroider the design.

Trim excess stabilizer from the back of each embroidery design.

Cut out all rectangles using the lines you marked earlier.

Fold the tall and short pocket pieces in half, right sides out, and press.

Stitch close to the fold on each piece.

Pin the short pocket piece in the lower right corner of the embroidered front body piece, aligning the edges carefully.

Lay the tall pocket piece embroidery side down, with the left edge aligned with the left edge of the short pocket piece. Pin in place.

Stitch 1/2 inch from the raw edge of both pockets, down the center of the main fabric piece, to attach pockets to main body fabric. It may help to use an air-erase pen to draw on the 1/2 inch seam allowance - it's important to be exact for this seam.

Flip the tall pocket right side up and press in place. Stitch close to the fold.

On the short pocket, draw lines 1.5 inches, 2.5 inches, and 3.5 inches from the free edge. Stitch pocket to main body piece along these lines to create narrow pockets.

Lay unembroidered main body piece face down over the pocket side of the first main body piece. Stitch 1/2 from edge along sides and bottom. Clip corners.

Turn the apron right side out and press. Topstitch close to the edge of the sides and bottom of the apron.

To create scissors loop, fold the scissors loop rectangle in half the long way and stitch 1/2 inch from the edge. Turn right side out and press.

For the waist tie, stitch pieces together at ends to make one long 84 inch strip. Press under 1/2 inch on long edges of this strip, then fold in half the long way and press.

Also press under 1/2 inch on each end of the tie, as shown.

Insert top of apron into folded waist tie, matching centers. Pin in place.

Make scissors loop into a curve as shown. You can use your scissors to help shape the loop. Pin to hold it in shape.

Insert the scissors loop between the apron body and the front edge of the waist tie. Pin in place.

Stitch near the folded edge, all the way along the open edge and ends of waist tie, to close it and attach the apron and loop.