We were very excited to attend Create Whimsy’s very first Quilt Market in Portland, OR! We knew there would be so much creative energy that we would want to share a bit of our own, well, whimsy. So I set out to learn how to make a custom ID badge holder that would hold our CW identities as well as essentials like business cards, pens, notebooks, credit cards and a bit of cash. Beck & Lundy have an easy-to-follow tutorial that was almost exactly what I had envisioned. With a little customizing, it was just right for us!

I made our neck straps longer with a slide to adjust the length as needed – so we could show off special jewelry! And I moved the zipper to the back of the pouch to make room for our logo on the front and added a couple of easy pockets.

From past experience, I knew that certain features would be essential: clear vinyl to hold the printed paper ID tag, a zipper pouch, pockets for business cards, notes and pens and an adjustable neck strap. But most important, I wanted a place to embroider Create Whimsy’s logo on the front! Moving the zipper to the back created the perfect space.

Job 1: Digitize our logo for machine embroidery. Between my Bernina Embroidery Software and my embroidery machine, I converted a .jpg file to stitches with a perfect stitch-out. And the color nerd in me was very happy to be able to pull the hex values for the colors to get correct thread matches!

Using the dimensions recommended in Beck & Lundy’s tutorial, I did some easy straight-line quilting on the front and stitched a narrow fabric binding for the top of the vinyl pocket. Vinyl is easy to find in fabric stores – you might even find a small piece in a remnant bin. I re-purposed a small vinyl bag from pillowcase packaging. Just right for the task – and FREE!

I highly recommend a Teflon or nonstick foot for sewing on vinyl. I was so glad I had this foot! The vinyl stuck to my regular feet and made sewing so frustrating! Teflon glides easily over the vinyl.

The instructions for inserting the zipper were spot on. Everything lined up perfectly to allow easy access during the show.

I designed the back pockets to hold two stacks of business cards – some to give out and some to collect. The larger pocket can hold a phone or pen and small notepad.

I used grosgrain ribbon for the strap, but you can make one from fabric to match the bag. With right sides together, stitch around the bag with a narrow seam. (Leave the zipper open so you can turn the finished bag!!) Then turn the bag to the right side and poke out the corners. Done! Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom!