Talented letterpress designer Cindy Taylor of San Diego-based LOL Letterpress is here today with a step-by-step DIY Tutorial for a creative bridesmaids gift set featuring a handmade jewelry pouch that’s perfect for holding a heartfelt note + earrings or necklaces. You can customize these  pouches with your own favorite fabric to coordinate perfectly with your wedding or special occasion.

Read on for the full DIY, which includes pictures of every single step… gotta love that! And once you’re done, be sure to check out the custom letterpress work on Cindy’s website – it’s AMAZING. I’m particularly smitten with the circus-inspired Curtain Call wedding invitation!

DIY TUTORIAL: BRIDESMAIDS GIFT SET {JEWELRY POUCH}

by Cindy Taylor of LOL Letterpress

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Sewing machine
• Iron
• Fabric, preferably silk, satin, silk brocade shown here
• Pair of beautiful earrings (drop earrings by TenThings shown here)
• Custom card, 3” x 3.5” with a personal message
• Measuring tape or ruler
• Fabric scissors
• Sharp hole punch
• Coordinating satin ribbon
• Coordinating thread
• Fabric pen
• Bone folder

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Let’s get started:

1. To create a super luxurious fabric jewelry pouch, start off by laying your fabric on a flat surface with the wrong side facing up.

2. Measure and mark two 7” tall by 6” wide rectangles. Cut.

3. With the wrong side facing up, fold the top 1” down towards the center and iron flat. Repeat with the other rectangle.

4. Sew a straight stitch about ¼” from the edge of your fold. Repeat with the other rectangle. This creates a channel for your ribbon.

5. Pin both rectangles with their right-sides facing each other (so the wrong- sides are facing out).

6. Sew both rectangles together with a straight stitch leaving a ¼” allowance. Start and end below the channel openings, being careful not to sew the channels or the top of the rectangles together.

7. Cut the corners at a 45-degree angle (be careful not to cut your stitch).

8. Turn your pouch inside out.
9. Use the bone folder (or any dull pointy object) to push out your corners.

10. Iron your edges flat.

11. Measure and cut two 18” lengths of ribbon.

12. Feed one ribbon length through both channels. I started with the left side, made a U-turn through the right side and fed it back so both ends ended up on the left side.

13. Feed the other ribbon length through both channels starting from the right side the same way as in step #12 so that both ends end up on the right side.

14. Tie ends together.

15. Using your sharp hole punch, punch two holes onto your pre-made card for your earrings. Feed your earring posts through these holes.

16. Insert jewelry card into your fabric pouch and impress your BFFs with an unexpected, handmade gift of gratitude!

ABOUT CINDY…

LOL Letterpress is a premier design studio and letterpress print shop that specializes in creating innovative and stylish stationery goods while practicing green principles from concept to completion.

San Diego-based engineer, designer, and owner Cindy Taylor loves touching her clients’ lives by translating emotion onto paper. Inspired by her own family history, Cindy founded LOL Letterpress in 2008 after stumbling upon the wedding invitations of her great-grandparents. This beautifully handwritten card proclaimed their love and demonstrated a unique personality all their own. When planning her own nuptial announcements, Cindy uncovered a skill for creating smart design with a touch of the unexpected. Her love for letterpress blossomed when she was gifted a meticulously restored 1890 Chandler & Price platen press from her husband on their one-year (paper) anniversary. Armed with a discerning eye, a devotion to contemporary design, a conscious effort towards eco-living, and strength in her craft, Cindy and her team take utmost pride in creating timeless pieces to commemorate life’s most joyous occasions.

{A few work samples are pictured below; check more out right here.}