Thursday, July 9, 2009

Hanging Bedside Organizer


I love crafting with felt! I found inspiration for this project while searching in the dollar bins at Target. There was a cheesy cheapo version for sale & I immediately thought, "I can do this! Only WAY cuter!"
To make this handy-dandy little organizer, you'll need felt, scissors, & a sewing machine. Pinking shears are optional. And, though I didn't use any in this tutorial, you could completely make this project "no-sew" by using some fabric glue.

The first thing you'll need to do is measure how long you want your organizer to hang. Ultimately this will slide right between your box spring & your mattress. So, measure from your box spring down.
I chose to have about 11" hang down. Add 18" to whatever measurement you have. (The 18" is what will slip between the box spring & mattress.) My final piece of felt measures 29" x 11".

I traced a scallop design on the edges & then cut it out. I didn't create the scalloped edges all the way up---since 18" of the piece of felt will not even show.

Next I cut out different shapes for the pockets. There are 4 pockets total.
I tried making this easy by labeling the pieces with letters---from biggest to smallest. The largest piece, "A", is the main felt piece that all the other felt pockets will be sewn onto.
"B"--measures 8 1/4" wide x 6 1/4" tall
"C"--measures 4 1/2" wide x 5 1/4" tall
"D"--measures 8 1/4" wide x 2 3/4" tall
"E"--measures 2 3/4" wide x 3 1/4" tall
Once you have your pocket designs laid out, sew the embellishment onto each of the individual pockets:


Now, sew the finished smaller pockets onto the larger pockets:
These pieces will now be sewn onto the largest scalloped felt piece. Pin & sew them in place. Remember to keep the tops of the pouches open. You know, for the whole "pocket" effect to work. I also added 3 vintage button embellishments before this largest pocket was sewn on.
Now you're ready to slide the excess under your mattress. Fill the pockets with a diary, pencils, a small flashlight, a favorite toy, a love letter, a dream journal, etc. My 6 year old adored this one I made for her!
Here is another version that is more simple. Cut a large piece of felt approximately 29-30" long & 14 1/2" wide. Cut 9 pieces of smaller felt 4" wide x 3" high. Use pinking shears on the sides & bottom.
Pazely & I picked out a rainbow of felt. She had fun helping me find matching buttons in my stash of vintage buttons.
After sewing on each button, pin the felt pockets in place onto your large felt piece.
I took a more time consuming route & even matched the thread in my sewing machine to the felt & buttons.
Once finished, it'll look something like this:
Pazely loves all things tiny, so that's why I made her organizer with a bunch of smaller pockets. Kids could help make this version in a snap---with the fabric glue.
Have fun!

26 comments:

  1. oh i love crafting with felt to. the stuff sews up like budda. this looks awesome. I am going to have to give it a go.

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  2. LOVE IT! I would have been obsessed with arranging and rearranging this when I was little. Mmmm...pockets... I'll be linking.

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  3. Wow! This is a rockin' idea. Great tutorial. My boys will love it, I'll send my finished project pic. Thank you so much for sharing. Now there is hope I won't be stepping on little pirates and cars as I kiss them goodnight.

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  4. What a fun idea and so cute!! That was very nice of you to include directions in your post. =)

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  5. Oh, cuteness! Looks like I'm playing with felt tomorrow! :)

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  6. "I can do that...only WAY cuter!"d

    I now have a new motto!

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  7. hey lady! you never disappoint =) while many of us retreat & rest & recover from tossing birthday shindigs you are mad-busy at work with creativity bursting from ever seam (or orifice, lol...whichever you prefer there---sorry if that sounds gross)! so, creative queen, i was TOTALLY bragging to someone about you and how amazingly talented you are this afternoon! (actually a couple people, one was my stylist...about the poladroid gadget you turned me on to for daisy's party)
    i happened upon a little consignment/vintage shop on the edison side of the marine-land village called "Threads" today (right next to the bookworm book shop), and the gal had cute bottle cap magnets for sale. i couldn't resist them, so while checking out i asked her about the movie "up" (which she LOVES) and i mentioned your bottle cap badges....that you were local....that you're CONSTANTLY crafting phenomenal stuff...that you're on etsy....your book sculpting....and your vintage button rings! she was EXTREMELY intrigued and asked that i write some etsy info on how to find you...she has several local people's work she features in her shop....so THERE! she's celebrating her shop's 1st anniversary the weekend of the 18th, EVERYTHING'S supposed to be on sale in the shop! so, yeah, hopefully you hear from her soon. perhaps great things will come of it. if not, you may atleast pick up some fun, cool, affordable duds if you get a chance to visit. anyhow, just so ya know, you were thought of today! cute bed organizers btw!!!! =)

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  8. Does you "awesomeness" ever stop? I love these pocket organizers. I gotta make one.

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  9. i love that these type of projects can be made sans sewing. :) i don't know how and i don't have a machine. but this project is so cute!

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  10. I've seen the cheesy store bought versions of these too. Yours are WAY cuter! Great job!

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  11. Super cute! Phoebe needs one too!

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  12. LKP--Thanks for the word-of-mouth love! That's awesome & WAY sweet!

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  13. This is really creative & cute!! Thanks for sharing the tutorial!

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  14. This is fabulous - thank you for sharing :)

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  15. That is so cute. My daughter has almost the same bedskirt and those same sheets! LOL!

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  16. This is absolutely the cutest idea. I have 2 girls in a bunk bed and the older one is forever complaining about the younger one and all the stuff falling from the top bunk. Plus I can create one of these to hang from the bars underneath the top bunk for my older one to hold her books and things instead of throwing them all on the floor.

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  17. These are really cool! I'll have to try it sometime. Where do you get your felt?

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  18. This is adorable & oh, so functional!

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  19. I love it! What a super idea. I love working with felt. It is just so quick and easy! I think my daughter would love the bedside organizer! Going off to look at the rest of your fun blog now!

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  20. I just found your blog and I am your newest follower! I love quirky, whimsical anything! I really like this post, I have been kicking around the idea of doing the same thing for my boys' beds...thanks so much for the inspiration! come by and visit me sometime, I would love the pleasure of your company :)

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  21. I just found this via The Crafty Crow. What a great idea! I can't wait to look through your site. Thanks for sharing!

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  22. My girls would love this!! I am filing this at thecraftersfilebox.com. Thanks so much for sharing!

    (and I love your blog header!)

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  23. This are great Nikki!!! Looks like I'll be playing with felt this week too. I think I need on to hold my romance novel, tissues and reading glasses..
    It's sooooo on!!!

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  24. I love all of your creations! are wonderful!

    Laura from Italy

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  25. What a cute idea. I love it. Just pinned it so I can remember to make it for my daughter. Thanks for sharing.

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  26. Nice! My daughter would really be able to use one of these. Thanks!

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