Last year I made Madison a super cute pint sized kid’s pleated apron out of pink retro Wizard of Oz fabric. I added fun numbers cookie cutters and wrapped both in cookie jar wrapping paper. Madison loves the apron and calls it her “pretty.”

This year’s handmade gift is inspired by the fabric memory game idea at Chicago-based Elizabeth Anne Designs originally featured in the book “Stitched in Time.” Madison lives in Arizona and visits Chicago once a year so I made her a kid-friendly Chicago-themed memory game (and it gave me a perfect excuse to use printable ink-jet fabric. Great stuff …you gotta try it). And I wrapped it in super cute Madison Street Wrapping Paper.

First, my friend Heather and I explored the city looking for kid-friendly photo ops such as a bubble gum machine in a corner burrito joint…

…a colorful Chicago hot dog sign…

…yellow fish swimming on a graffiti brick wall…

…and — of course — a “Madison Street” street sign. To fill gaps, Elena Kovalevich graciously allowed me to me use some of her gorgeous Chicago Flickr photos. Elena takes fabulous photos …do check them out!

This template makes 48 memory tiles which is a pretty advanced game but kids can choose to play with fewer tiles to make it fit for all age groups.

Supplies for memory tiles:

• Kathy’s free Chicago-themed memory game template with 24 photos (each sized at 2 x 2 inches)
• Four sheets ink-jet-printable cotton fabric by Electric Quilt Printables (use the Joann.com coupon to the left)
• Four 8.5″ x 11″ rectangles of printed blue cotton fabric (for tile backs and outside of bag; I used my friend Susan Curtis’ stash)
• Four 8.5″ x 11″ rectangles of stiff hatband interfacing (recommended) or 8 sheets white felt
• Thread
• Good fabric scissors
• Zigzag pinking shears
• Sewing machine
• Rotary fabric rotary cutter, clear fabric ruler and self-healing mat
• Computer
• Ink jet printer (laser printers won’t work)

You’re welcome to use these instructions and Chicago template for free for your own personal use. Anyone using the project simply post a comment below or email me to track its usage.

These tile instructions are different than the original craft; I modified to make them easier and more efficient. Open my free Chicago-themed PDF template. You can use my photos or use my original Photoshop file to add your own. Print out two copies of each sheet on photo fabric using an ink jet printer on high quality. Let dry for at least 15 minutes; I let mine dry overnight.

Peel off plastic backing. Soak for 10 minutes in room temperature water to remove extra ink, ideally in distilled water. Swirl around during that time to keep the fabric moving if you notice a lot of bleeding.

Lay flat to dry on towels. You can blot with paper towels so that water doesn’t pool on your fabric.

Stack the fabric layers as follows: Place the blue fabric printed side down. Place your hatband interfacing (or two layers of wool felt) on top of the cotton. Put photo fabric image side up on the stack.

Machine-stitch through the tile layers around the outline of the photo. Smooth as you go to avoid puckering.

Cut out the images using pinking shears along the gray cut lines, leaving a white border around all sides.

To play the game, put the tiles face down on a table. Shuffle and line them up into rows. Each player must turn over two tiles per turn. If the two tiles match, then the player wins those tiles and can take another turn. If the tiles do not match, the player must turn them face down again and it’s the next player’s turn. The player with the most tiles at the end wins!

I made my own pattern for the ribbon drawstring storage bag. See how to make it after the jump.

Supplies for memory game ribbon-tie storage bag by Kathy

• One 7″ x 25″ piece of blue cotton fabric (for bag outside; I used my friend Susan Curtis’s stash)
• One 7″ x 25″ piece of yellow cotton fabric (for bag lining and contrasting trim; I used my friend Susan Curtis’s stash)
• 2 feet of 5/8″-wide grosgrain ribbon
• Rotary fabric rotary cutter, clear fabric ruler and self-healing mat
• Thread
• Good fabric scissors
• Sewing machine

Seam allowance: 1/2 inch (13 millimeters), unless otherwise noted

The bag instructions are different than the original craft …with my handbag past, I humbly think my pattern for a drawstring storage bag is better. Fold the outside blue fabric lengthwise right sides together to make a 12.5″ x 7″ rectangle. Stitch the long edges of the bag using a 1/2″ seam allowance. Repeat with the lining fabric.

Make the bag bottom. Now this part is sort of hard to explain but when you’re done, the bag will be able to stand up. Take your blue piece and fold a triangle where the side seam meets the bottom. Your triangle should be 1.5 inches wide and 1 inch tall with the seam flattened open. Mark with a pencil and sew across the bottom of the triangle. See how it’s already creating a soft bag bottom?

Do this on both sides of your blue and yellow pieces. Now line up a blue triangle with up a yellow triangle, matching one triangle from the outside to one triangle on the inside. Sew. Now your front is attached to your back. Turn the bag so that the blue is on the outside and yellow on the inside.

Sew tops together. This step just makes it easier to do the next two steps. With the top edges even, stitch around the top of the bag through both layers. Fold the top down 1/2″ (the yellow will be showing on the front). Fold down again about 1/5″ inches.

Make ‘ribbon holes.’ On the one side of the bag, zigzag two rectangle buttonholes large enough for the ribbon to fit into, one on each side of the seam (I eyeballed it just a bit larger but you could measure 7/8″). Using a seam ripper, cut a hole in the middle of the buttonhole through all fabric layers.

Secure ribbon ties. Pull the ribbon through one buttonhole. Slip the ribbon under the 1.5″ yellow trim, around the bag and through the other buttonhole.

Sew the yellow trim close to the edge to encase the ribbon inside, being sure not to stitch through the ribbon itself. Cut the ends of the ribbon with your pinking shears to give them a pretty zigzag. Tie a knot in the end of the ribbon.

Now you can pull the ribbons to close your drawstring memory tile bag.

Comments (24)  | Permalink  | By Kathy on 5/2/2009