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

[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.

[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.

[Roseann]

Make one for the travel size now.

[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!

[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!!

[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!

[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!

[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!

[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

[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!!

[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

[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

[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!

[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!

[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!

[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!

[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.

[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.

[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?

[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/

[RED GERANIUM COTTAGE]

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

[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

[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!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Eileen]

this definitely dresses up a bottle. I'll have to make one for the Best Press and one for water. Thanks!

[Pat from FL and MI]

This is really nice! I'm always looking for places to put yo-yo's!

[Jane McCarthy]

I've been looking for the perfect gift to show appreciation to my hairdresser, dog groomer, etc.--all those folks who make my life easier-- and voila! here it is!! Thanks so much.

[Leslie Schmidt]

That's what I need...something to dress up my sewing room. I could sure use a little class, to distract people from the mess! Great idea. Maybe I'll put a pretty dyed silk ribbon on it.

[Marta]

Amiga gracias por sus propuestas, haré una para mi uso personal. Durante esta época enmi pais hace calor, mucho y siempre ando con una o dos botellas de agua casi congelada en bolsas de nylon, se moja toda y encima es contaminante. La haré sin dudas en cuanto terminen las clases, pues esta epoca laboral es intensisima.

[Debbie Richards]

I like button so I would probably do one yo-yo with a button and more buttons the rest of the way around the top. I should make one for my Mom too, she likes to iron so she would probably like some good smelling starch!

[SewLindaAnn]

I love this idea. Why not put a pretty designed bag around something we use all the time! I have that fabric line too, I'm so excited to use it the same way.

[Vicky Varga]

I'm decorating mine with ribbon and hand embroidery. Terry, thank you for all the great patterns and ideas.

[Colene Russell]

I think I will stick with the ric rac. I love how it looks.

[Peggy]

I love Best Press and my favorite is the Caribbean Beach fragrance. I think I'll put small seashells on mine...always a Florida girl. Great idea. Thank you.

[Debbie Evans]

I will decorate mine with charms picked up from the Minnesota Shop Hop. Thanks for the patterns

[Jenice]

You have such fun ideas.

[Cherry Glazer]

Assume that permission from you is required to make these to sell in boutique at local quilt show. Are you willing to grant this permission? Our quilt guild is non-profit 503(1)(c) (may have the numbers wrong), and we use the proceeds from the quilt show to fund our programs, as well as our quilts for others. Would certainly appreciate your consideration.

[buy viagra]

I love these press bag to keep me hands clean and safe I simply love them.

[bag girl]

Great design. This lovely little cover bring me happy feeling~ i want to use them to change the color of my room~~

[wine bags]

Im so excited to have it. Perfect for me.

[Jeri]

Those bottle covers are so dang cute! I love seeing these wonderful projects that I can make myself! Love your fabrics, too! Good choices.
Jeri

[Carolyn]

What a great gift idea. thanks for the pattern.

[Invertir en oro]

I think that this post is very good, i would like to read more information about this topic.

[Nancy B]

Thanks for the instructions for the Best Press cover. I'm going to put a yo yo on mine also as I like making them!

[Pam T.]

What a cute idea - - - I have lots of ribbons and cotton lace that would dress up my cover-up!

[Sherry Ferber]

I haven't checked out the wine cover yet, but if it is as cute as your Best Press cover I know I will want to make it. I just love your fabric pattern lines. Thanks, Sherry F.

[Cheryl]

Love this. Maybe I'll make one for each holiday so it can stay out on the counter!

[Charlotte Casey]

Really nice project. I'll be making some for my quilting friends for sure - thank you. Also love your photo with your tuxedo cat. He (she?) looks huge! Is he?

[Terry]

Sylvester, our black and white kitty is not as big as he looks in the photo!

[Sharon]

Do these fit water bottles? They are so cute!