Sewing Tutorial: Minky Washable and Reusable Tissues

Brooke is really enjoying sharing these little sewing projects with you!  Is there something you would love to know how to make? Drop us a line at modernrosies@gmail.com and let us know!

Around my house these past 2 weeks, it has been getting chilly, and little noses (and big ones) have started to drip. We don't use conventional tissues because of the cost, the environmental impact, and well, they make our noses RAW! So we use these "tissues" (we lovingly call them "snot rags" or "booger wipers") and just toss them in the laundry when they get too dirty, wash them, then use them again and again! I usually toss them in with my whites, because I wash those in warmer water, and I feel it kills any germs that are on there a little better.
Now, I DO know that being backed with minky, some of you might be a little hesitant, because minky is sometimes pretty difficult to work with. It is a bugger when it slips and slides while you sew. I know sometimes even *I* have a problem, and battle the stuff when making baby blankets. BUT! Fear not. Not only will I show you how to control the slippery fabric a bit easier, you can also rest assured that this is a project where perfection is negligible. Cause you are BLOWING YOUR NOSE ON IT! Seriously, no one needs a perfect hankie!

You will need:
fat quarters of cotton fabric (each fat quarter will get you about  tissues) *You can even get a fat quarter at Joanns for around 99 cents!
Minky fabric *Remember when I told you where to get minky seconds, and slightly flawed minky? Now is the time to use it!
Scissors
Pins *I use Clover pins. Seriously, THE BEST PINS EVER. Hands down.
Sewing machine

With your fat quarter fabric, fold the piece in thirds, and cut down the folds. You will have three long strips.

Then fold those long strips in half, and cut on the fold. This will leave you with 6 rectangles of cotton fabric.

Here is my pretty selection. I have a blue geometric pattern, Seuss, and red and black jacks.

Now spread your piece of minky out on your floor, and place your cotton squares on top. You want to make sure that the right sides are touching. That means the side that is printed on the cotton should be touching the side of the minky that is printed.

Cut the minky into squares the size of the cotton squares. Now, here is the TRICK to keeping the minky from slipping and sliding. You have to PIN LIKE CRAZY! Seriously, pin more then you really think that you need to.

You can do all of this in a sort of production line, I usually make about 16 at a time. Now, to the sewing. The way that works for me, is to sew with the minky facing down towards the feed dogs on my machine. The feed dogs are the little treadle looking things with teeth on your machine, the ones that move your fabric for you. I usually sew with the edge of the fabric on the edge of my machine foot. When sewing with your fabric pinned, I usually just sew straight over my pins, but a lot of people get nervous about this. So if it makes you feel more comfortable (or if you do not have low-profile pins like my Clover ones here) then just stop and unpin once you get to a pin in your fabric!

You want to leave about 1" or 1.5" gap in your square of sitching. Remember to go foreward and backwards at the beginning and the end of each stitch length to lock the thread in place. This little gap will be how you can turn the square inside out.

Now, you want to make sure the square is all flat, and the corners are all turned out (I usually just poke a finger into them to get hem to pop out!). Start on one corner, and topstitch around the whole square again.

I usually keep the edge of the fabric on the edge of my foot. This topstitching will close off that 1" gap you left to turn the square! And you are DONE!!!

I usually store these in old wipes cases, so they are easy to find. They are also awesome for cloth diaper wipes, washcloths for bathtime, or chalkboard erasers on easels!

This is a really simple project for your family, that takes very little time and money. These are also awesome for gifts for new parents, or to send with the kids to school. These also were a LIFESAVER for me when we had a teething baby. We always keep a few in the diaper bag, and they really have saved the day more then once!

Brooke is the owner and seamstress at Brooke Van Gory Designs. She lives in The Chicago suburbs with her two kiddos, and her rock star husband! You can shop BVG here, and follow her on Google+ here.