Best Press Bag

Which bottle of Mary Ellen's Best Press would you rather use?
Or give as a gift to your best quilting buddy?
I decorated mine with a yo-yo and a button. Send me a comment about how you'll decorate yours and I'll enter you in a drawing to win my Let's Do Lunch book.  Two names will be drawn at random on December 1st so the winners can make some easy table runners or tote bags for holiday gifts.

Let's get started. Cut two 9-1/2" squares - one main color and one lining. I used two of the Paisley Party prints that Liz Lois and I designed for Red Rooster. Note from Sheila G in CA: If you have an older bottle, cut your squares 10-1/2" to accommodate the girth!

Stitch the two squares together using a 1/4" seam.

Fold it in half and stitch  a scant 1/4" seam along the long edge.

Fold the lining fabric over the main color - it will wrap around the 1/4" seam so that 1/4" of the lining shows next to the main color. The lining will be on the outside and the main color will be on the inside. Topstitch along the seam as shown.

Press the long seam. If you position the bag on the edge of the ironing board you can press it without making any creases in the bag.

Place the bag on your cutting mat with the long seam centered. Trim the raw edges even at the bottom of the bag. (the bottom of the bag is shown at the right in the photo) Stitch a 1/4" seam along the trimmed edge.

Fold each bottom corner as shown and mark a line 1" over from the point. Stitch on the lines. This will make the bottom of the bag flat.

Turn the bag right side out. Fold the cuff down about 2-1/4" and adjust it to fit the bottle. Tie a contrasting piece of rick rack or ribbon around the cuff for a quick gift or go hog wild and really doll it up! Believe it or not, it took me longer to find a matching button than it did to make the whole bag!

To make the travel size bag, cut two rectangles 7" x 8". Stitch them together along the 7" edge. When making the corners, measure over 3/4" from the point.
 

 Here's another quick gift for you to make .

 

The directions for this wine tote are on page 11 of my Let's Do Lunch book. I'm not good at pouring wine - just look at all the bubbles. I've had more practice pouring beer . . .  Look on the back cover of your book to see how nice it looks after the guys at the printer photoshopped the bubbles out. If you don't have the book yet, ask for it at your local quilt shop. 

 

Comments

[Jodi Sullenberger]

After making this for myself I love it....I adjusted the pattern by 2 inches .I made it to a baby bottle cover to give at a freinds baby shower.. I also made on the fit a water bottle to give to the mother... They were a GREAT HIT. Thanks for the great root idea!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Shannon]

I love the best press cover-such a neat idea! I just bought my second bottle of the stuff and it not only works, it smells great, too. :D

[SHARON]

I love the spray bottle pattern. My friend Cheryl made me and another friend one. We love them. Thanks for doing this.
Sharon

[Terry Atkinson]

Mary Ellen's Best Press is like magic sizing or spray starch but a little lighter. It makes everything crisp! Your local quilt shop can get this for you if they don't already have it (most do) or go to http://www.maryellenproducts.com/

[Lynn]

Obviously I have been living under a rock, but what is Best Press and where do you get it. I thought I was the sole remaining person who enjoyed ironing. Perhaps there is a support group somewhere?

[Sandy F.]

What a great idea! I would decorate mine with rick-rack, yo-yo and button combo. I can't wait to go make one. Thanks for the tutorial.

[Nancy E]

Your tutorial is great! I might add applique to it or make the bag with charm squares. I love the wine tote .... it is just way too cute. I would love to win one of the books.

[Jo]

Terry this is so cute!!
I am such a dinosaur about quilting....I still use the old niagara spray starch. So, not only am I excited about the cute little bag/cover, I'm excited about learning what product to actually use that doesn't leave all the white flicks...as for how I would decorate mine, I am a very hands on girl and would have to have it in my hand to see how the mood struck me!

[Bonnie]

This is the BEST tutorial! My sister loves to iron, as do I. I am gifting her with a bottle of Best Press and your bag for her stocking! I plan to put a jingle bell on it..to be removed with velcro! You do thenestest things,so useful! thank you form allof us!

[Sharon S]

I loxe patriotic fabrics & will use some of the fun red,white & blue bottons I have to decorate the bottle cover. Great tutorial!

[Busy Little Quilter]

I feel like I'm from another planet or something, but I haven't heard of Best Press! I'll have to get some so I can make it a cute cover.

I love the yo-yo an button idea. I think some rick-rack or ribbon would be cute, too. Dangly beads would be cute, too.

Thanks for the tutorial. I love that you have a blog!

[ter]

i am adding a little lace before i do the cuff seam. I also think this would be a great girlfriend gift to cover a water bottle and keep it from sweating if it is cold, like a coaster and also to mark which one belongs to who.. great quick and easy thank you for the urge to create
ter

[Carline Anthony]

What a good idea! I think I will make one with a ruffle on the top and maybe another with scraps and make it in stripes. Oh, the ideas just keep coming. Stop me, please! Carline in Vancouver, WA

[Cheryl]

Love that cover!! I have a gift I need to make and this is PERFECT. So glad to find your blog. I haven't met an Atkinson Design pattern that I don't like. Thanks for all the wonderful patterns you have designed!!

[lovetostitch]

Wow - how did you know I ordered a whole case of Best Press for my family??!!! We have a "thing" about ironing...LOL. Guess I better get busy now and make a holder cutie, and one for myself as well. It will look so much better hanging off the edge of the board!!! Many, many thanks!!! xo

[Terry]

The wine bottle fabric was from my stash - it's probably a couple years old by now - I don't remember what line of fabric it came from. And my husband drank the wine so it's gone too!

[Diane]

OK, I'd use Paisly Party - I really love that line! and I want Lets Do Lunch! AND I have a question...what line of fabric are the Christmas ones you have the wine bottle in??? I especially love the main one! I think good Christmas fabrics are hard to find this year! Thanks for the giveaway! here's hoping to win from Idaho!

[Karen In Breezy Point]

Your starch bottle bag is so cute--the only thing I might change is to add more yoyos. Since I got my Clover yoyo tools, I can't stop making them and putting them on everything! Love your fabrics too!

[Donna]

I love Best Press Bag. The tutorial is excellent and I can't wait to get back to my machine and make one for my poor "naked" bottle sitting on the ironing board. To decorate it - hmmmm, I can't think of anything cuter than a yo-yo and buttons. I have them on everything!!

[Terry]

I've added the travel size - very cute, but kind of tippy because the bottom is skinny. You'll have to make one for everyone on your list this christmas!

[Roseann]

Make one for the travel size now.

[MichelleB]

I love this little cover. I like the ric-rac idea! But I'd probably use ribbon - since I seem to have an abundance of that.

[Jackie]

I love your Best Press cover, especially in the Paisley Party fabric. The only thing that I might change is maybe adding a little ric-rac. I love the wine bag too!! Great gift ideas.