DIY Toothbrush Travel Wrap – Easily Make Your Own

 

A toothbrush travel wrap caught my eye on Pinterest.  How clever is this?  We probably all have one of those with plastic, a Ziploc bag, or a plastic toothbrush holder, and the wet toothbrush leaves yuk on the plastic.  The toothbrush doesn’t dry out so well in these either!  The terry absorbs the dampness, dries out, and the great part, you just throw it in the washer! 

Just imagine the plethora of options you have for the cover fabric!  I’m thinking of a plaid pattern for Dave.  You can customize these for everyone!

Saving Money!

With vacation coming up, I decided to make some of these.  Sophie says she wants one.  A trip to the Joann Fabric and Crafts was needed.  The yellow dragonfly fabric jumped out at me.  These are two things Sophie loves, yellow and dragonflies.  Using an extra 25% off coupon, including sales and regular prices, this is pretty affordable.

But do you know about Ibotta?  ◄You can find out more about Ibotta on my resources page.  Ibotta is an app, which you can use at a lot of groceries, Target, Walmart, and a multitude of other stores.  Instead of taking money off at the cash register, cash accumulates and you can redeem the cash accumulated for gift cards.  Right now Joann Fabric and Crafts is giving 15% of the total sale on your receipt!  If you shop here as much as I do, click here to get the app! ►Ibotta.

 

Supplies You’ll Need

• 1/2 yard of fabric or 18″ x 21″ fat quarter size fabric
• 1/2 yard of terry cloth or a towel
• scissors
• ruler
• water-soluble marking pen
• matching or coordinating thread
• sewing machine
• turning tool

 

How To Make The Travel Wrap

First, cut the fabric to an 18-inch square.  Next, cut the terry cloth to an 18-inch square.  It is not imperative that this is an 18″ square.  If your fabric is not an exact 18″, you can cut it 17″ or 17.5″ square.  Whichever size you choose, the fabric and terry cloth need to be cut the same size.  

Be sure you cut off the selvage edge!  You don’t want to use the selvage!  Usually, the threads in the selvage are under greater tension than the rest of the fabric.  Unfortunately, when washed, this edge may shrink more than the fabric resulting in a puckered seam.

 

If you are using a new towel, wash and dry it. Before you begin cutting the towel, remove the selvage edge, the hem, and any tightly woven decorative inset.  You want to work with a flat piece of fabric.

If you are using terry cloth from the fabric store, first wash and dry the fabric.  In order to cut down on the lint and raveling from cutting the fabric, I washed and rinsed the terry cloth gently in the sink and then, dried it in the dryer. 

Click here ►for tips for working with terry cloth.

Measure, Mark, and Cut Sides

Measure 9″ (or the halfway mark) from the top of the square on both sides.

On one side, measure 3/4″ from the cut edge and mark at the top and at the 9″ mark you made.

Make another mark 4.5 ” below the 9″ mark, which should be 13.5″ from the top.  Repeat on the opposite edge.  Draw a line 3/4″ from the top edge to the 3/4″ mark in the middle and then, from the middle, diagonally to the mark at 13.5″.  See the picture above.

Repeat folding, measuring, and marking the terry cloth in the same way you just cut the fabric.

 

Cut, Pin, and Sew

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Using sharp scissors or a rotary cutter, cut along the lines you just drew on the fabric and the terry cloth.

Place the terry cloth on top of the fabric, right sides together.  Pin around the edges.

Set the presser foot about 6-1/2 inches from one edge on the bottom.  Begin by backstitching and then,  sew a 1/2″ seam toward the closest corner.  Continue sewing to the corner, leaving the needle in the fabric, lift the presser foot, turn at the corner, and sew to the next corner.  Leave a 4-inch opening at the bottom.  Backstitch.  Trim threads.

Turn Right Side Out

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Turn right side out and turn corners out.  This can be done with a turning tool.  There are a lot of new tools on the market.

After turning the right side out, press.  Tuck the seam allowance into the opening and press.  Aside from making it easier to topstitch, pressing with a steam iron is imperative to making a nice finished product.

Topstitch along the top and the bottom only.  The topstitching will close the 4-inch opening you left in the bottom.  I like to topstitch about 1/8″ from the edge rather than 1/4″.  I think it looks neater.

 

Making the Bottom Pocket

Fold 4 inches up along the bottom edge,(the wider edge.)   On one side, line up the edges, pin, stitch, and backstitch on each end.  You want the ends to be secured.  Repeat on the other side.  

The little pocket you just created should not lie flat.  The extra fabric will give a little extra room to accommodate your toothbrush, etc.

Creating Individual Pockets

Measure halfway along the top edge of the pocket and the terry back.  Use a straight pin to mark the center on the pocket and the terry cloth back. Measure to make the pocket 4 inches.  Pin these two points together along the top edge of the pocket.  Decide how many pockets you want and how wide you need them for your personal care items.  Use a ruler to keep the pocket an even 4 inches and pin along the top of the flap to mark sewing lines for the individual pockets.  (We created 7 little pockets.)

 

Next, fold the bottom edge back against itself, matching up the lower edge.  Use a straight pin to mark where the stitching line should be.  Set the presser foot on top of the pin with the needle 1/4″ from the top edge.  Remove the pin, and backstitch, then stitch to the bottom edge using the other pin as a guide.  Remove that pin as you approach it with the needle.  Backstitch when the needle reaches the edge of the pocket.  Repeat this process until all of the pockets are sewn.

 

Securing The Top Flap Sides

Place the tallest item you’ll be storing in your travel bag, probably your toothbrush or toothpaste, in one of the pockets.  

Loosely, fold the top down over this item.  Measure both sides to match, pin, and then, topstitch.  The inspiration pin did not secure the top flap on both sides but I like the idea of having it secured.  You can leave it loose if you like.

Adding A Tie

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Now, add a tie.  The terry cloth we chose matches the blue in the dragonfly.  A pretty blue grosgrain ribbon coordinates perfectly.  You can see that the blue ribbon is sewn to the fabric on the outside on the right side of the travel wrap.  Place the middle of the ribbon halfway along the right side of the travel wrap.  Sew a rectangle of stitches and stitch a second time on top of those stitches.  Backstitch to secure.  You might want to use Collins Fray Check on the ends of the ribbon or tie a knot to keep them from fraying.  The wrap is done!

We cut the ribbon 24-inches long.  Cut your ribbon as long as you like.  You might like it longer.  The 24" ribbon wrapped around the bundle twice and allowed enough to make a small bow.

I think Sophie is going to love this!

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MiloTree

 

 

 

 

 

 

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