Made It: A whole lot of Tissue Cover goodness + Tutorial

These were so much fun to make! They are for each of the girls in my ward that are going up to girls camp, along with the leaders. 17 in all. Some of the fabric was super easy to pick out and I knew they would love it, but other girls were impossible! I was surprised by what a hard time I had guessing what they'd like when I feel like I know them pretty well. I think they were happy with them though. :) And I ABSOLUTELY LOVED seeing their cute smiles as I handed them out and they saw which one was theirs. :) (I'll admit that I like a little reassurance here and there that I've done a good job on something.) :)

Anyway, here's my little photo shoot of them:

And these are kind of weird looking, but I flipped one side out so you can see how the inside fabric coordinates (or doesn't) with the outside fabric. They are also fully reversible, so they can pick whichever fabric they like. :)

And... since these were so lickity split easy to make, and since there are a million different tissue cover patterns on the web already, but mine is a little different than any I've seen, I'll share my little tutorial with you right here right now. :)  So pick out your fabric and get ready to sneeze I mean sew! :)


First pick your fabrics that you want to use. You can also piece some fabrics together for a quilted look.

Cut your fabrics so they are 7.5 inches by 6.5 inches.

Then lay your fabrics Right Sides (RS) together.

Next, pin your fabrics in the corners and along the sides to help keep the fabrics aligned correctly.

(don't mind that this is different fabric. I forgot to take these shots with the other set.)

Sew the edges with 1/4 inch Seam Allowance (SA)

Leave about a 1-2 inch opening on one of the long sides. I like to leave it more in the middle than what is shown in this picture - then the opening is on the back rather than the flaps and seems to be easier to sew closed, as well as looks neater.

TRIM YOUR CORNERS (click on link for more detail on this step)

Turn RS out.

This is going to be the fabric that I want on the outside of my tissue cover.

Next fold it in half so the inside fabric is on the outside:

Place a pin in each end where the crease is so you know where the center of your fabric is.
Then unfold it and fold one edge over so it is 1/4 inch past the center line (where you pinned).

Now fold the other edge over so it is 1/4 inch past the pin on the other side. Your folds will now overlap each other by 1/2 inch.

Place a couple pins in each end to hold everything in place.

Both ends should be pinned the same.

Now sew along each end, sewing back and forth a couple of times where the fabric overlaps to help reinforce that part. I like a straight stitch the best.

sorry I didn't do the best job keeping my fabrics lined up on this one. But you get the idea.

You can also sew with the decorative stitch since the cover is reversible, but I would suggest using a contrasting thread color so it shows up better than this does:

it is fun though!

Now you can turn it RS out (or keep it on which ever side you want)

and you're finished!! :)

Super easy and ready for some tissues!

as well as ready to be thrown in your purse, gym bag, backpack, whatever, to keep your tissues safe and ready to use! Yay! No more ripped up tissue mess in the bottom of your bag!

I've made a whole lot of different versions of tissue holders in the past year or so, even making up my own patterns, but I think I like this one the best. It's fast and easy, and I LOVE the overlap of the flaps on the front. Some of them that I've made I feel like the tissues are going to fall out once they are in them, but this keeps everything neat and tidy without adding extra steps of adding tabs or velcro or whatever else to keep it closed. :)

Some other variations or details that would be nice to add:

• before you fold the flaps over, do some simple stitching along each of the short ends to add a finished look to the edges. I think straight stitches are my favorite, but any stitch would be cute (or double lines of stitches. You can see what I mean on this inside pocket of this pouch I made - look at where the stitches go through the bird or trees to see it best.)
• like I said, you can sew multiple fabrics together, make hexies, or other patchwork for your pieces of fabric.
• you could quilt it before folding the flaps over to add some design to it
• add embelishments like ricrac or ribbon or something.

the possibilites are endless!

Have fun!

and if you make some I'd love for you to share them in the flickr group!