home grown DIY panel from blend fabrics

Why?…For more fabric of course!

To help me stay on budget and keep track of my spending, I thought I’d use a cash envelope system. Bigger expenses are debited straight from my checking account, but for $$ spent on hobbies, entertainment, groceries and things like Daisy and hair/salon appointments, I decided to make fabric envelopes so I didn’t overspend.

No one said that being more responsible couldn’t be stylish and crafty. I found a tutorial on Moda Bake Shop and, being more responsible, dug into the scrap fabric bin to make me & the girls a set of fabric envelopes.

So simple. Using just two 7.5″ scrap pieces, white fabric for the label & fusible interfacing per envelope, I made 13 envelopes in a couple of hours time.

For mine I picked the Home Grown DIY panel from Blend Fabrics.

I wanted to use the words “Sew”, “Ride” & “Bake” for the front of the envelopes and use the pictures for the back. I cut the piece in half and sewed them back together so that when I was finished, the “word/picture” would be right sides up.

I used a black Sharpie to write my labels.

I made my set last and actually ran out of interfacing on the “Bake” one so I left it out since the instructions say it’s optional. Don’t skimp on the interfacing. It’s so much better with the extra firmness.

I believe they are adorable if I do say so myself!

I tried to pick fabrics from the bin that I thought each of the girls would like. I choose Heirloom by Joel Dewberry for Wendy.

And used coordinating Oval Elements for the inside of these.

For Paige, I chose Art Gallery prints. She loves Blue!

Now we just need to put these to good use. Head over to the Moda Bake Shop tutorial and start sewing up a plan to save for yourself so that you can save more money for fabric too!