Wall Organizer - Free Tutorial

Wall Organizer - Free Tutorial

We love a good reason to bring a little leather into a project, and this wall organizer seemed like a fun new way to use it! Believe it or not, not a ton of men come through the doors of Modern Textiles, but the ones that do have noticed our organizer! We think it's the perfect mix of fabric and leather that will make it appealing to just about anyone. Here's how we did it:

SUPPLIES:

1-1/3 yard Solid Canvas in Black

1/2 yard Graphite linen from Euclid

Leather (roughly one square foot) or check out the leather scrap bags in the shop!

Leather sewing machine needle

(2) 1/2" Grommets

CUT:

Solid Canvas:

(2) 21" x 31" Piece #1

Graphite linen:

(2) 4" x 6-1/2" Piece #2

(2) 10" x 5-1/4" Piece #3

(2) 18-1/2" x 7" Piece #4

Leather:

(1) 9" x 4-1/4"

(1) 2-1/2" x 6-1/2"

(1) 5" x 6"

Place the two canvas Piece #1's right sides together and pin. Stitch around the outside, leaving a section un-sewn in the middle of one side for turning right side out. We highly recommend THIS method for turning the corner. (Basically, sew all the way off each side and break the thread, pivot the fabric to sew the next side, but first flip down the seam allowance of the last seam. You may have seen this in our drawstring bag video!)

Turn the piece right side out and press. Take your time to push out the corners (with our fold over method it maybe helpful to think of it as layering the fabric smoothly instead of pushing out). Tuck in the raw edges of the opening and press in place. (We'll close those up when we attach the pockets.) Repeat these steps for Pieces 2, 3, and 4.

Position your pockets as shown in the sketch. Pin the fabric pockets in place. Be sure to position the pockets so the opening is along the sides or bottom. Top stitch in place.

Position leather pockets. Change your machine needle to the leather needle and lengthen your stitch length. Think of sewing leather more like sewing paper...the more stitches the more you have perforated it which would make both paper and leather easier to tear away. Less is more with leather. Slow your machine way down and take your time. You'll break fewer needles and have a much tidier pocket (seam ripping and leather are not friends).

Insert grommets in the top two corners. The rivet and grommet press in our classroom is always available for this step! Stop in and we'll show you how it works. You may need to add scrap fabric to the back of your organizer or batting in between the layers to create a thicker surface for your grommet. That's it! Hang up your wall organizer and fill it up!

Here's a few ideas to change it up!

  • Switch up the pocket shapes and sizes to fit your specific needs! Do you get really excited about being organized? Embroider the contents on each pocket so no one messes up your stuff!
  • Could this be the thing that helps your kid clean their room?? Doubt it, but it's worth a try! Use a fun colored canvas and switch out the leather for felt.
  • Shrink up the size of the organizer and make small pockets for pens, pencils and markers for your very own art caddy. Hang it on the wall, or roll it up for some art on the go.

However you do it, we hope you love it and find a way to make it your own.

Happy sewing!

Connie and Roxanne

UPDATED 12/20/18: Second Rendition of the Wall Organizer

Who doesn't love to get organized? Here is great wall organizer that will get yourself or maybe your messy counterpart organized for at least a day!

Sew you wanna know how much time it's going to take?

About 2 hours, this comes together quickly!

Finished product size: Approximately 20" x 30"

Supplies:1-1/3 yard Solid Dusk Canvas1 sheet of gray wool felt (or 1/2 yard linen, canvas or cotton)1 square foot of leatherLeather sewing machine needle(2) 3/8" Grommets

Cut:Solid Canvas:(2) 21"x 31" Piece #1Felt:(1) 4" x 6-1/2" Piece #2(1) 10" x 5-1/4" Piece #3(1) 18-1/2" x 7" Piece #4*If using fabric, double the quantities and sew like a pouch (right sides together, leaving a portion of the side or bottom open to turn right side out)Leather:(1) 9" x 4-1/4"(1) 2-1/2" x 6/1/2"(1) 5" x 6"Place the two canvas Piece #1's right sides together and pin. Stitch around the outside, leaving a section un-sewn in the middle of one side for turning right side out. We highly recommend THIS method for turning the corner. (Basically, sew all the way off each side and break the thread, pivot the fabric to sew the next side, but first flip down the seam allowance of the last seam. You may have seen this in our drawstring bag video!)Turn the price right side out and press. Take your time to push out the corners (with our fold over method it maybe helpful to think of it as layering the fabric smoothly instead of pushing out). Tuck in the raw edges of the opening and press in place. (We'll close those up when we attach the pockets.) Repeat these steps for Pieces 2, 3, and 4.

Position your pockets as shown in the sketch. Pin the felt or fabric pockets in place. If using fabric, be sure to position the pockets so the opening is along the sides or bottom. Top stitch in place.

Position leather pockets. Change your machine needle to the leather needle and lengthen your stitch length. Think of sewing leather more like sewing paper...the more stitches the more you have perforated it which would make both paper and leather easier to tear away. Less is more with leather. Slow your machine way down and take your time. You'll break fewer needles and have a much wider pocket (seam ripping and leather are not friends).

Insert grommets in the top two corners. You may need to add scrap fabric to the back of your organizer or batting in between the layers to create a thicker surface for your grommet. That's it! Hang up your wall organizer and fill it up!

Tips to avoid the dreaded seam ripper:

-Take your time sewing the leather. Seam rippers and leather don't really mix, since the leather doesn't heal from puncture wounds.

-Make sure to clip the leather in place, really well....if you don't, you'll just have a unique finished wall organizer

-Follow this tutorial for sewing the perfect corners! They'll make turning your wall hanging right side out a breeze.

Ideas to change it up:

-Switch up the pocket shapes and sizes to fit your specific needs! Do you get really excited about being organized? Embroider the contents on each pocket so no one messes your stuff up!

-Could this be the thing that helps your kid clean their room?? Doubt it, but it's worth a try! Use a fun colored canvas and switch out the leather for felt.

-Shrink up the size of the organizer and make small pockets for pens, pencils and markers for your very own art caddy. Hang it on a wall, or rollout ups or some art on the go.

However you do it, I hope you love it and find a way to make it your own.

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