Coaches’ Gift

Because I work at the school my children attend, I am not allowed to volunteer to be the roommom, which would then give me control over any gifts the group might choose to give to the teacher. It is a conflict of interest. I actually think I would be the best person for the job since I have all kinds of insider information on what makes a good teacher gift *sigh*. So, to fill the void, I volunteered to collect the money for our end of season gift to our summer swim coaches. I helped out last year by donating the Swim Emergency Kit that held a cash gift and other items a coach might need in his/her swim bag.

We are giving the coaches cash again, and I needed a vehicle to deliver the money because a plain ol’ envelope is not that much fun. I found This Pattern for a business card holder. I thought it could easily be adapted to hold cash or gift cards, so I made a supply list and headed out to buy fabric in our team colors. I made a whole fleet of little gift card holders. We have four coaches, and I also made extra for teacher gifts this year because I always give a gift card to my kids’ teachers at some point during the year.

Materials (for one gift card holder)

• 1 piece of fabric measuring 4 1/2″ x 6″
• 1 piece of fabric measuring 4 1/2″ x 3″
• 1 piece of fusible web measuring 4 1/2″ x 6″
• 1 piece of fusible web measuring 4 1/2″ x 3″
• pinking shears (very sharp)
• iron
• sewing machine

Directions

• Apply each piece of fusible web to the wrong side of the piece of fabric that is the matching size. Iron the fusible web into place (follow the directions that come with the fusible web).

• Fold the larger piece of fabric in half making it 4 1/2″ x 3″ and iron until the folded edge of the fabric is pressed well, and the two pieces lay flat together.

• Cut around all 4 sides of the double layer of fabric with the pinking shears. Make sure the the two layers of fabric stay even and do not shift (pin together if needed).
• Cut around all 4 sides of the single piece of fabric with the pinking shears. Cut 1″ from the end of a side that is 3″, so the gift card will be able to peak out of the top.

• Lay the shorter single piece of fabric on top of the double piece of fabric and even up the edges. Pin into place and sew around the outside edge using a straight stitch and a 1/4″ seam allowance.

• Start and end the stitch at the top of the pouch, so the fabric will stay flatter and be less likely to pucker.

Notes

• The original directions on the Going Home to Roost website used a double sided fusible webbing, which I could not find. I adjusted my construction to make the single sided webbing work.
• I wanted to cut the zig zag edges once the holders were sewn together, but my pinking shears could not get through all of the layers of fabric. It works better to cut the two separate layers before sewing, and you still need really sharp scissors. Amazingly, the zig zags line up pretty easily when it is time to sew the front and back together.
• The holders are the perfect size for business cards, store loyalty cards, gift cards, and cash.
• I tried a few with coordinating fabrics, but I much prefer the look of all one fabric for the front and back.

What are other good ways to deliver gift cards that are a little more personal than a paper envelope?