Clippy Lotion Holder Sewing Tutorial

A little bit of handmade turns a small gift into something special. This lotion holder is quick to make but turns a small bottle of lotion into a great gift for teachers or coworkers. And with all the dry winter air, they’re sure to be appreciated!

I’ve got a free pattern and tutorial for you for the lotion holder below.

This little lotion holder is sized just right to hold a travel size Bath & Body Works lotion. And while Bath & Body Works can be kind of spendy, those little travel size lotions are pretty inexpensive. That’s a good thing if you’re needing to make multiples for friends at the office or for your kids’ teachers!

The swivel hook makes it easy to attach the lotion holder to a bag handle! The small size is perfect for taking along in a purse. And that smaller size also happens to be quite inexpensive, making this a great option for teacher or coworker gifts.

And if you don’t want to spend as much as the lotion, or if you’re giving a gift to someone who can’t do the scents of the lotions, it turns out that these little pouches are also the right size to hold a travel pack of tissues. Just open them at the side before putting them in there. BOOM. Travel tissue holder!

The long skinny pouches have a simple plastic snap closure on the flap. (If you don’t have plastic snaps, you can sub hook and loop tape instead.) A swivel hook at the side makes it easy to attach to a bag handle, so it’s always easy to find.

Supplies

Main fabric – large scraps quilting cotton

Lining fabric – large scraps quilting cotton

Fusible fleece – large scraps

1” wide twill tape – 2”

1” swivel hook

1 set plastic snaps (and snap setting tools to set them)

Free pattern

All seam allowances ¼”, unless otherwise stated. RST = Right Sides Together

Prep Your Pieces

Follow manufacturer’s instructions to fuse the fleece to the back of your main fabric pieces and one of your flap pieces.

Sew the Flap

Place the flap pieces RST. Sew around sides and bottom. Leave the top open.

Clip curves. Turn right side out. Press.

Center the flap across the top of Pouch Back, RST and raw edges touching. Baste in place with 1/8” seam allowance.

Add the Swivel Hook

Thread the twill tape through the end of the swivel hook and bring the ends together, creating a loop.

Place the twill tape (with swivel hook) to the left edge of the Pouch Front, 1” from the top. Then, baste in place with a 1/8” seam allowance.

Assemble the Pouch

Place Pouch lining pieces on top of main fabric pieces, RST. Sew across the top.

Press open.

Place the Pouch pieces RST with main fabric pieces together and lining pieces together. Sew down the long sides. Leave the top and bottom open.

Turn right side out, then press.

Now, turn the lining to the inside. The top of your pouch will look finished, but the bottom of your pouch will still be open.

Give it a good press, then turn the whole thing inside out so the lining is now on the outside and the main fabric is on the inside.

Sew across the bottom, stitching through all 4 layers of fabric.

Zig zag over the raw edge of the seam allowance to prevent fraying. For best coverage, use a wide stitch width and a short stitch length.

Box the corners to create a 1” bottom. If you haven’t boxed corners before, here’s a good tutorial showing how.

You can use the markings on the Pouch Interlining pattern piece (dashed lines) to give you an idea of where to stitch. While the bag is still flat, mark the lines on your pouch with an erasable fabric marker. When you open out the corners, you’ll have a straight stitch line marked for you.

Trim off the points, leaving a 1/4″ seam allowance. Zig zag over the raw edge of the seam allowance to prevent fraying.

Turn your bag right side out. You’re almost done! All that’s left is to install the snaps.

Follow your snap setting tool instructions to set the stud snap on the flap, where indicated on the Flap Interlining pattern piece. The smooth side of the snap should be on the outside of the flap and the stud side on the inside of the flap.

Set the socket snap on the front of the pouch, where indicated on the Pouch Interlining pattern piece. The socket side of the snap should be on the outside of the pouch and the smooth side on the inside.