How To Make Oilcloth (and a cover for your iPod!)

I've been using oilcloth for various projects for some time now, but sometimes you just can't find a cute enough pattern for what you're wanting to make. Today I thought I would show you how to make some at home using anything you can get your hands on! Whilst you can buy that heat n bond laminate stuff, if you're using vintage material I find the friendlier you treat it, the longer it'll last!

Oilcloth is really easy to make, and once you know how you'll never look back...

All you need to do is soak your material in boiled Linseed Oil and let it dry. 

That's it!! 

Pour out some boiled linseed oil into a bowl or old tub (oil is a pain to clean remember!), pop on some rubber gloves and submerge the material in it. Let it sit for a couple of minutes to soak in then hang it outside to dry. 

This project is very messy so make sure to do it somewhere you can wipe easily incase you get oil drippings everywhere! It will take a long time to dry, but the results are worth the wait (I recommend a couple of days drying time - less if you live in a country with good weather!) 

Test the process using a scrap of material first; this will give you an idea of how long it'll take to dry out. It'll also show you if the amber colour of the oil will taint your material. I have had no issues with this, but you never know what can happen if you're using old fabric!

I used an old remnant of this awesome ice-cream material to make a protective case for my iPod. Oilcloth is great for lots of things is it's quite tough and water resistant, so you'll often find it in kitchens, bathrooms and nurseries etc. I've used it for pencil cases and passport cases amongst things as it's really versatile (and I'm messy!)

To make a little sock for your mp3 player, all you need to do is cut out a rectangular piece of material that is double the height of your device and around an inch wider. Add on an extra few centimeters to each and you're ready to go. Once you've cut out your pretty pattern for the outside, use it as a template to cut out some lining. Here I've used a quilting fabric to make sure my ipod is really protected!

Pin the two fabric's together. Do this so the 'right side' of the fabric (the one you want to look at) is facing the 'right side' of the lining material. We're pinning them back to back as we'll be flipping the fabric inside out. That means all the threads and horrible stuff will be tucked away. Perfect!

Using a sewing machine (or your hands if you're patient), stitch all the way around, but leave a small gap of around a couple of inches so you can flip it inside out. Remember to double stitch at the start and finish as you're next step is to tug it all through that little hole and you don't want it to rip! Once you're done, hand stitch the gap closed. Easy!

Your fabric will now be the right way around (both inside and out). Place your ipod on the pretty fabric and pin the sides together so it will slip inside and out of the pouch easily. Using your sewing machine again, stitch the sides together. When you're done, simply flip it inside out and you've made yourself an awesome new little case!

 *Ta*Da*
Wasn't that easy! And it's so cute!
Now you can make one for each of your handbags and no one can judge you as they're so cheap to make. Mind, as soon as your besties know you have a talent for making these things you'll probably be getting lots of orders. Make sure you charge a reasonable price for one of your custom handmade accessories ;) hee hee!

I hope you found our Oilcloth and iCase tutorial really helpful! What do you plan to create?

Happy Making!
xox