Sew your own shoe organizer.
Instead of storing shoes at the bottom of a closet, storing them in pocket on an over-the-door shoe organizer keeps them at hand and off the floor. Make your own shoe pocket holder out of sturdy fabric. You only need to know basic sewing skills to accomplish this project. Hang the finished shoe pocket holder over the back of your bedroom or closet door for easy access any time. The pockets in this particular holder hold two shoes, not just one, and is designed to hold 24 pairs. It's finished dimensions are 26 inches wide by 74 inches tall.
Instructions
1. Cut a piece of heavy-duty fabric for the back piece of the shoe pocket holder to measure 27 inches by 79 inches.
2. Cut six rectangles of the same heavy duty fabric to form the pocket rows. Each rectangle should measure 8 inches by 47 inches.
3. Cut six smaller rectangles of the same or slightly lighter weight fabric for the trim pieces. Each trim piece should measure 4 inches by 47 inches. The trim can be an accent or contrasting color or pattern.
4. Sew a zigzag stitch around all four sides of the back piece. Turn the edge under, or toward the back side of the fabric, 1/2 inch on all four sides. Press with an iron as you go to form a hem. Topstitch this hem down with a matching or contrasting thread all the way around the piece.
5. Pin one of the trim pieces to a pocket row piece with right sides together and one long edge on each piece lining up together. Stitch them together ¼ inch from the edge. Remove the pins and unfold the fabric. Iron the seam toward the trim piece on the back. Now the trim piece is sewn to the pocket piece, forming a pocket row piece.
6. Fold a ½-inch hem all the way around the pocket row piece and press. Topstitch this hem all the way around near the cut edge of the hem. Topstitch along the folded edge of the trim piece ¼ inch from the folded edge.
7. Repeat Steps 5 and 6 to make 5 more pocket rows.
8. Mark intervals with tailor's chalk at the top and bottom edges of each pocket row piece every 10 ½ inches starting from the left side. The last segment will be 14 ½ inches.
9. Mark a spot on the background piece 4 ½ inches below the upper left corner. From this spot, mark intervals straight across the back piece every 6 inches. The last segment will be 8 inches instead of 6.
10. Pin the left side of a pocket row piece to line up with the back piece starting at the spot 4 ½ inches below the top left corner of the back piece. Pin the pocket row piece at each chalk mark along the top to the chalk marks on the back piece. Pin the right sides to line up.
11. Make a chalk mark at the bottom left corner of the pocket row piece. Measure and mark every 6 inches across the back piece. Now pin the bottom of the pocket row piece at the chalk marks along the bottom at the corresponding chalk marks on the back piece. Pin the right edges to line up.
12. Topstitch straight, vertical lines from the chalk marks along the bottom of the pocket piece to the corresponding chalk marks at the top. Reverse stitch the beginnings and ends of the vertical lines to keep them from raveling. The vertical lines form the sides of the shoe pockets.
13. Tuck the bottom left corner of the first shoe pocket under itself 1 inch to make a pleat. Pin in place. Tuck the bottom right corner under itself to make a pleat that flattens the pocket segment against the back piece. Pin it in place. Repeat this pleating procedure for each shoe pocket.
14. Topstitch across the bottom of the shoe pocket row piece to secure the pleats. Remove the pins.
15. Begin 3 ½ inches from the bottom of the first pocket row and repeat Steps 9 through 14 to sew on the other five pocket row pieces.
16. Use a grommet punch to place a large grommet at the top two corners of the back piece. Hang the shoe pocket holder on over-the-door hooks.
Tags: pocket piece, back piece, shoe pocket, chalk marks, left corner
