Hi Living With Punks readers! I’m so glad to have joined this series with Susan because this Hairbrush Keeper has been on my to-share list for a while and I finally had a deadline to make me do it! If you’re just hearing about the Home Sewn series, click through below to see more of the posts!
My own home sewing lately is pretty practical. This project is a great example.
Before I had kids with enough hair to make me tear my own out I visited a friend with three school-aged kids. I thought she was super clever to tie the handle of the hairbrush onto a string and attach it to the doorknob on the back of the bathroom door where the kids got ready for school. Everyone knew where to find the brush and there was no last-minute scramble to unearth it. Now that I have two girls with hair that needs serious brushing AND needs detangler, I decided we need our own go-to spot that would accommodate both.
An important side note: there is no hair brushing here without detangler. We’d just go GI Jane rather than suffer the screaming and whining. It’s easy to replenish – when the bottle gets low I refill it with 1/5 (ish) conditioner and 4/5 (ish) water and shake it up to get us rolling again.
So. Ready to make your own Hairbrush Keeper? Here’s what you need:
- 1 fat quarter home dec weight fabric (like canvas, denim, twill or maybe linen)
- 4″ length of 1/4″ elastic
- 5″ length of 1 1/2″ wide twill tape (or ribbon or bias tape)
- 1 hair elastic
- the pattern
Print the pattern at 100% and check that the 1″ square is indeed 1″ square.
Layer and fold your fabric so that you’re cutting two pieces on the fold at one time.
Place the two cut pieces right sides together. With a 1/2″ seam allowance throughout this project, start 1/2″ away from the edge and stitch across the curved side until you get 1/2″ away from the other edge.
Clip the curves and corners.
Find the center of the curve and pin the center of your piece of 1/4″ elastic there. Starting from the pin and sewing toward the edge, sew the elastic onto the seam allowance, pulling the end of the elastic as you sew. Backstitch when you get to the end, and then go back to the middle and repeat on the other side. If you haven’t sewn elastic before, this is a totally strange sensation. Because you’re stretching the elastic as you sew and not the fabric, the elastic is gathering the fabric as you sew and will help pull the front edge of the pouch in a bit but still keep the opening large enough to slide contents in and out.
Open your piece up so that you can fold it in the opposite direction and match the corners right sides together. Stitch the long side together.
Turn your piece right side out and finger press the seams. All of the “wrong sides” of the fabric will now be enclosed. Stitch the bottom of the pouch closed with a 1/2″ seam allowance.
Flatten the bottom of the pouch and press the seam allowance to one side. “Box” the bottom corners by sewing each side about 1″ from the edge.
Clip the excess leaving about a 1/2″ seam allowance.
Flip your pouch right-side out. Almost done!
Fold your twill tape in half and the ends under 1/2″. Slide your hair elastic into the center fold and sandwich the twill tape over the top edge of your pouch. Stitch through all layers in a rectangle shape. You’re finished!
Head over to Living with Punks to see more in the series and enter to win prizes!
Oh my gosh. I can’t tell you how much we need this. I know that last minute scramble to find the hairbrush all to well. And I had no idea you could refill the detangler with conditioner and water. That’s so clever.
Thanks! It’s already been pretty helpful around here. And refilling that bottle is 321 times easier (and cheaper) than remembering to buy another bottle!
This is awesome!! A misplaced hairbrush in the morning is full on crisis! I’ve got a Craft Gossip post scheduled for later today that links to your tutorial:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-hairbrush-keeper/2014/03/19/
–Anne
Thanks, Anne! CRISIS AVERTED. :)
Sunsan/Adrianna: I love the hairbrush holder but I have to tell you about the brush I got in my stocking last year! It’s the wet brush and they sell it at Target. Her is a picture of it on amazon if you don’t know what it is. http://www.amazon.com/Luxor-Pro-B830W-The-Brush/dp/B000L596FE . I have since bought for two of my friends in Germany. It is amazing on wet hair. It glides through much easier. You’ll still need detangler if your hair is really bad but you’ve got to try it! I sound like spam. I swear I’m not:) Just want to pass this on.
I really need this hairbrush keeper for the remote and my keys and my phone….:)
Thanks! In my cart to try. Have to go with Amazon because Target is six light-years away. ;)
**Susan not SUNSAN! Maybe that’s your Asian name?:)
Well at least I don’t have to wonder anymore.
I have an Indian name: Runs with Scissors.
What a neat idea! I might make one for my sister! Tanks for sharing!
This is such a neat idea. I’m a fan of anything that will streamline my morning routine (and let me sleep in!) I love that fabric also! Where did you find it?
It’s a print from Jo-Ann that I’ve had in my stash for a while. Maybe 2 years? I hate when I ask that question and get an answer like this. Boo. (Sorry! But, you know, anything Anna Maria Horner ever made in a home dec would be good too, eh?) :)
We are BIG fans of the Wet Brush around here. We tried the Smoobie, and it was okay, I guess. But let me tell you, we can no longer brush hair without the Wet Brush. This is a fantastic idea, because if we cannot find that stinkin Wet Brush (even if we can find 36 other brushing devices), there will be tears involved.
We keep a comb in the downstairs bathroom because the boys can never remember to brush their hair in their own bathroom. It always seems to go missing anyway (insert husband blame here). This might be the fix we need. And since each child inevitably wakes up with bed head, a water bottle would do us some good. I can always count on you for great organizational tools. This is perfect.
Love this! I just made one. Now I want to go through the house and hang one on all my doorknobs! Restraint, restraint! Thank you for the pattern and tutorial.
Thanks for making such an awesome tutorial (your images are FAB!!) and hanging out with me :) Now we have no excuse for lost hairbrushes!!