EASY SERGER EYEGLASS CASE
Recently I became an eyeglass wearer. What I mean is I got a real prescription and I’m really supposed to wear my glasses so I can see better. The problem has been the fact they are progressive bifocals and I feel loopy most of the time. I’m going on about 5 weeks of these things and finally am getting used to them so decided to treat myself to a pair of prescription sunglasses. Now all I need is a sunglass case to go with them and since I’ve been using my serger a bunch lately I decided to make the serger eyeglass case for my new prescription shades. Let me show you how to make my easy serger eyeglass case.
Tools and Materials
- Fabric Shears
- Flower Head Pins
- Clips – Quilters Perfect KLIPS
- Lil’ Hookey Serger Seam Hook
- Marking Pen – Frixion Highlighter
- Seam Sealant – Fray Block
- Iron and Pressing mat – June Tailor Cut n Press
- 2 spools of Maxi-Lock serger thread
- 2 spools of Pearl Crown Rayon (Aqua and Sea Green)
- Fabric:
Prepare Materials
Press cotton fabrics individually. Sandwich the outside and lining with the batting in the middle.
With fabric, shears cut a slight curve on the upper right corner, eyeball the curve, or cut around a plate or circle ruler as desired.
Prepare Serger
Set up serger for 4-thread overclock with standard serger thread in the two needles and Pearl Crown Rayon in the upper and lower looper.
Set the tension on the two needles and upper looper to 4 and the lower looper to 5 or adjust as needed. I always begin testing the thread/material combination with tensions set to 4 and then adjust from there a little at a time, usually adjusting the lower looper first. That did the trick on this stitch, with these threads. Now let’s set the length and differential feed.
Set the length to 2-3 and the differential feed to 1.5. This will help move the fabric along while using the heavier thread.
With a scrap sandwich of fabric, cut a similar curve, and test the stitch, adjust tensions, length and differential feed as needed.
Create shape
Fold the sandwich in half widthwise so the curve is on the front upper right corner. Place a flower head straight pin through all layers to secure, this is a temporary hold to help decide placement. With the fabric marker, place a mark at the straight pin.
Open the case to show the lining and place a mark on the front portion. This is where the stitching will begin.
Let’s Stitch
There are three seams on this eyeglass case.
- Flat, along the top curve to the upper right corner, lining side up.
- With case folded, the side seam, outside facing up.
- With case folded, the bottom seam, outside facing up.
Stitch One
The first is from A to B, lining side up through all layers. Begin at A, around the curve, and finish off on the corner, B.
Raise the presser foot and pull all the threads, toward the back of the machine, off the stitch finger. This will allow you to feed the fabric right up to the fabric without the threads getting jumbled or in the way.
Place the lining right side up with mark A under the presser foot and directly under the needles.
Lower the presser foot, sink needles, and slowly serge around the curve cutting a little at a time.
Serge up unto the corner, B. Leave a 1-2″ tail.
Stitch Two
Fold the case in half, lining side together, and align the bottom right corners. Use clips, I like the Quilters Perfect KLIPS because they are large, easy to open, and brightly colored so you won’t accidentally serge over them.
Stitch two is the side seam, through all layers, outside facing up. Shown below from B to C, remove clips as needed. When you get to the original point A, slow down to make sure you are catching the beginning stitch and cutting off the thread tail.
Stitch Three
The third and final stitch will be the bottom seam, through all layers, outside fabric facing up from C to D. Leave 1-2″ thread tails.
Note: The side seam isn’t stitched in this photo below, this is only a diagram of where to stitch.
Thread tails and Finish
There are many ways to finish the thread tails on a serger stitch. I wrote an entire blog post about it here: 5 Ways to Finish a Serger Seam. We are going to use the third method of Feed tail into the finished seam. It does require a handy little notion called the Lil’ Hookey Serger Seam Hook. Basically turn the eyeglass case to the back. Slip the Lil’ Hookey Serger Seam Hook about 1/2″ under the serge stitching towards the thread tail. Wrap the thread tail around the hook and gently pull the extra tail under the serge stitching.
Use seam sealant at the end where the thread tail is coming out of the seam. Let dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once dry, cut the extra thread tail off.
Repeat for all three thread tails. This is the ideal method for regular use and wear and tear to help prevent the threads from coming out.
Your eyeglass case is finished! Have fun with decorative threads and mixing and matching fun cotton prints. Make one match every holiday. These make great fast gifts!
Hope you enjoyed my serger blog series and I can’t wait to see what you do with your Easy Serger Eyeglass Case.
Have a Creative Day,
Sue
