Holiday How-to Series / W4: "Holiday in Paris" Spa Gift Set Tutorial and Giveaway!

Welcome to the fourth and final week of the Holiday How-to Series at Echinops & Aster! It's been fun for me this month posting each of the tutorials in the series and getting to read your lovely comments. Thanks for following along and for your awesome encouragement! 

To send things off in style, Chrissy from Sew Lux Fabrics and Gifts has generously offered to give one lucky winner a stack of 3 fat quarters plus a 1/2 yard cut of fabric, enough to make today's spa gift set tutorial! Sew Lux is one of my favorite online fabric shops and always has beautiful fabrics, great prices, and amazing customer service! I used the Etching collection by 3 Sisters, purchased from Sew Lux for this tutorial (I love that map print!). Make sure to stop by the shop this weekend for their amazing Thanksgiving sale (up to 25% off!) and to check out their great customer loyalty program, Sew Lux Bux. Thanks so much to Sew Lux Fabrics for sponsoring this giveaway!

Today's tutorial is all about giving the gift of relaxation this Christmas. The "Holiday in Paris" Spa Gift Set contains all of the essentials to pamper and soothe after a hectic holiday season. Essential oil infused bath salts, a lavender eye pillow, and a beautiful tote (featuring several gorgeous Parisian inspired prints) make the perfect set for anyone needing a vacation after the Holidays. ;) 

"Holiday in Paris" Spa Gift Set Tutorial

For the Tote:

Fabrics (I used Etchings collection by 3 Sisters to make my Parisian-themed tote):

            - 2 fat quarters of coordinating patterns (I used Paris Map and Script Handwriting)

            - 1 fat quarter of a coordinating solid (I used Slate from the Moda Bella Solids collection)

            - 1/2 yard of a coordinating pattern or solid for the lining (I used Etched Scrolls)

            - Small piece of coordinating fabric (I used Jardin Floral) to make 10.5" x 2.5" strips 

Other Notions and Special Tools:

            - 2 yards of fusible interfacing (20" wide, medium-weight)

            - Thread to match your lining and your solid fabrics

            - Large button or toggle

            - Hand sewing needle (to sew on your button)

            - Zipper foot (for your sewing machine)

            - Removable/Erasable fabric pen (I use a water-soluble pen made by Clover)

            - 7" zipper in a coordinating color

            - Double-sided tape or a tape runner (to install your zipper)

Cutting Diagram For the Tote:

- Cut from mid-weight interfacing

            - 2 pieces 4" x 22"

            - 2 pieces 14" x 13"

Cutting the Fat Quarters

Cutting the Half Yard

Piecing and Pocket Placement Diagrams

- All seams (unless otherwise specified) are 1/4"
- Seam allowance is already built into the cutting diagrams and the piecing diagram
- Backstitch at the beginning and the end of each seam

Making the Tote

(1) To begin making your tote bag, pin your 10.5" x 2.5" strips to your 10.5" x 7.5" pieces of fabric, right sides together. For this step, you will want make sure to pin and sew your strips to the OPPOSITE long sides of each of your 10.5" x 7.5" pieces. This will allow the strips to line up when the pieced front and back are placed on top of each other, wrong sides together. (2) Then grab your 10.5" x 4" pieces and sew them to your strips. (3) Press all of these seams open and check to make sure your front and back piece look like Picture 3 and line up when placed wrong sides together. 

(4) Pin and sew your solid colored 4" x 13" pieces of fabric to the top of the pieced front and back and press this seam up. (5) Grab your 14" x 13" pieces of mid-weight interfacing and fuse them (according to your manufacturer's instructions) to the wrong sides of your front and back pieces. (6) Top stitch 1/4" up from the seam on the attached solid piece, on both the front and back pieces of the tote. (7) Sew the front and back pieces, wrong sides together, using a generous 1/4" seam allowance around 3 sides, leaving the top open. Set aside.

(1) Grab one of your 14" x 13" lining pieces and one of your 7" x 9" pocket pieces. Lay your lining piece right side up and lay your pocket piece on top, wrong side up, positioning the pocket 3" from the top of your lining piece and 1.5" in from each side. (2) Draw a 7" long line 2" down from the top of your pocket piece using your removable/erasable fabric pen. (3) Draw two more 7" long parallel lines, 1/4" above and 1/4" below your first line. Connect these three lines end to end on each side. Draw a dot 1/4" in from the end on each side of your middle line. Connect the ends of your top and bottom 7" long lines to this point on each side making two triangles. Sew around the outside box you have drawn, backstitching at the beginning and end. (4) Using sharp scissors, cut along the middle line and the "legs" of your triangles, making sure not to clip your stitching. (5) Turn your pocket piece through the opening and press flat. 

(6) Hand baste the zipper pull end of your 7" long zipper together. (7) Apply a thin layer of tape runner, double stick tape, or glue stick to the edges of your zipper being careful to not get too close to your zipper teeth (you don't want the glue to show once installed). (8) Position the zipper in place within the lining opening, lining right side up. Stitch all the way around your zipper, 1/8" from the edge of your fabric opening, using a zipper foot.

(1) Flip your lining piece over (with the zipper installed) and lay your second pocket piece on top of the attached pocket piece, right sides together. Pin around the edge and stitch the pocket pieces together making sure to not catch your lining fabric. Take your second lining piece and stitch it to the first lining piece (with the zipper installed), wrong sides together, using a generous 1/4" seam allowance around 3 sides, leaving the top open. (2) Grab your sewn lining piece and your sewn exterior piece now to create the boxed ends. Flatten the bottom seam on either corner of both the lining and exterior pieces into triangles using an iron to press the seams flat. Measure and mark 1.5" drown from the outside corner point and 3" across from that mark to indicate where you will sew on all four corners. (3) Sew along your mark and clip your seam to a 1/4" on each corner. (4) Slip the lining into the open pocket between the front and back pieces of the exterior, right sides together. 

(1) Taking your two 4" x 22" pieces of solids fabric and your two 4" x 22" pieces of interfacing and fuse your interfacing pieces to the wrong side of your solid fabric pieces. (2) To make your straps, fold both of your interfaced pieces in half, length-wise and press. Open and press the outer edges of the fabric into the center. Fold and press in half length-wise again, making a 1" wide strap. Topstitch along both sides of both straps 1/8" from the edge. (3) Then take your 1" x 6" piece of solid fabric and press in half length-wise. Open and press the outer edges of the fabric into the center. Finally, fold in half again length-wise to make a 1/2" strip. Sew along the open side of the strip, as close to the edge as possible. You can then baste your newly made button loop together at the top, if you wish, to make the next step easier. 

(4) Pin both of your straps in place, 3" in from each edge of your fabric pocket, in between your exterior fabric and your lining. Make sure not to twist your straps as you pin. Also pin in place your button loop, centering it and placing it on the back side of your tote. (5) Straighten and pin all the way around the top of your sandwiched layers, lining up your side seams, and sew a 1/2" seam, starting at one of the side seams and ending leaving a 3" opening for turning. (6) Turn your tote right side out through the opening and push the lining back into the exterior of the bag. Press and topstitch along the top of the bag 1/4" all the way around. Do your final press and admire your work!

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Making the Eye Pillow

For the Relaxing Lavender Eye Pillow:

            - 2 pieces of fabric 9" x 4" (I made mine out of my leftover tote fabric)

            - 2 pieces of fusible interfacing 9" x 4" (light to medium weight)

            - 1.25 cups of flax seed or lentils (to fill your eye mask)

            - 10-20 drops of lavender essential oil

            - Dried lavender (optional)

(1) Cut two pieces of coordinating 9" x 4" fabric and (2) fuse your interfacing to the wrong sides. (3) Pin and sew your fabric pieces, wrong sides together, (4) leaving a 2" wide opening centered on one of the short sides for turning. Clip your corners. (5) Turn your eye pillow right side out, using a chopstick to push your corners out. (6) Mix your flax seed, essential oil, and dried lavender in a bowl. Fill your eye pillow 3/4 full and slipstitch your opening closed. (7) Your eye pillow is ready to enjoy!

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Making the Bath Salts

For the Lavender Infused Bath Salts:

            - 1 cup coarse salt

            - 2 tbsp baking soda

            - 10-20 drops lavender essential oil

            - 1 tbsp dried lavender (optional)

            - Small sized canning jar or other sealable container

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly and store dry in a sealable container.

For Rosemary Mint Salt Scrub:

            - 1 cup coarse salt

            - 1/2 cup olive oil (I use light olive oil because it has a more mild scent)

            - 10 drops rosemary essential oil

            - 15 drops peppermint essential oil

            - Small sized canning jar or other sealable container

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly and store in a sealable container that won't leak the oil. You may want to wipe the outside of your container to remove any oil residue before decorating or placing in your finished tote for giving.

Feel free to add pics of your completed "Holiday in Paris" Spa Gift Set project to the Echinops & Aster Flickr group and if you get a chance let me know how you liked the tutorial!

This tutorial is for personal, non-commercial use only. All text, diagrams, and photographs belong to Jenelle Clark.

 Copyright 2011. All Rights Reserved.

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To enter for a chance to win a kit of 3 fat quarters and a half yard cut of fabric from Sew Lux Fabrics and Gifts:

• Visit Sew Lux and leave a comment here telling me what fabric collection(s) you would use to make your own Spa Gift Set.

--For (3 additional) bonus entries (please leave a separate comment for each)--

• Be a follower or become a follower of Echinops & Aster (via Blogger, Google Reader, or RSS).
• Sign up for the Sew Lux newsletter or be a follower/ become a follower of the Sew Lux Blog. 
• Tweet/Facebook/Blog about the giveaway or grab my Holiday How-to Series button and post it on your website.

Giveaway ends Wednesday, November 30th at 12am EST. GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Winner will be chosen by random and announced on Friday, December 2nd. International entries are welcome.

Good Luck and Happy Holidays!

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