After reading my Aussie friend, Susan's blog post about the zipper pouch she made, I swapped a few emails with her to find out whether the pouch would be the right size for my purposes - to hold an EPI (epinephrine injector) pen for Luke, our four year-old grandson who is allergic to peanuts.
Since Susan is a teacher at an all-boys school in Melbourne, she has been trained how to use an EPI pen, and assure me this pouch pattern would work to hold all the parts. Here's the link to free pouch instructions by FelicityQuilts.
Basically, you can piece the exterior from a charm pack or 2-1/2" fabric squares. You need 42 of them to lay out in a 6 by 7 arrangement. Since I have a little Swiss fabric left over from my trip to visit my quilt-y friend, Edith in Switzerland in 2002, I thought to use it to give the pouch a sense of "emergency." I know. I know. It should be red crosses on a white background, but at least it's red with crosses!
After piecing together the outside, I positioned the layers, adding one more layer to the stack - Insult-Bright by The Warm Company. Because this pouch will be used in Texas, I thought it would be beneficial to add a layer of insulation to keep the heat out, and the epinephrine drug viable.
So the stacking order was: interior fabric, Insul-Bright, Annie's Soft 'n Stable, and the pieced exterior.
Here's it's all pieced and layered, and ready for walking foot quilting in a diagonal cross-hatch design.
Quilting and sewing through four layers was a little more than I'm accustomed to, but my Bernina was up to the task.
I added a handle at one end, that was not included in the instructions.
This pouch was in a box of presents we shipped to our daughter-in-law, as today is her birthday! However, the pouch wasn't gift-wrapped, nor meant as a present for her.
It's just something that she can use to carry an EPI everywhere, including leaving it a pre-school when Luke attends twice a week.
Makes me glad I know how to sew, and can occasionally make something that's actually useful! None of us who sew can deny... It's fun to sometimes pick up a project that's quick to sew. Quicker than making a quilt, anyway. Linda
Good thought to add the insulating material to the layers. This is handy indeed. I like the box pouches- easy to make and hold a lot of things, great gifts. That was certainly a lot of layers to get through, so you probably had to man-handle it to turn it, etc. Worth the effort!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very very nice bag. I love it!!
ReplyDeleteOh my, you have talked me up in this post Linda! I am now scared that the epipens made in the US are a different size to those downunder! Good thinking adding some insulation to keep the medication viable! And I also agree about making a quick and satisfying finish!
ReplyDeleteLooks the perfect size to me! What an awesome idea, Linda! You’re just so darned clever. You think of everything!
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