Pocket mirrors are always handy to have around. You just never know when you’re going to need to check yourself out before a date or an important appointment, and let's face it, those phone cameras aren’t always the best. I’ve never been one to carry around a compact. I picked up this little 3 inch mirror in a pack of them at a craft store. The thing is, it’s plain and kinda ugly at the back, and when I’m digging around in my purse for it, I find the corners sort of harsh to grip. But it was cheap, and it’s useful... so how to we make it a little nicer?
Designs Used
Freestanding lace to the rescue once again! Through the magic of your machine, you can stitch this little pocket mirror cover that fits all 3-inch round mirrors. It’s a snap to get together and you can make it in any color you'd like! Here’s what you need:
- Your two freestanding lace pieces (if you need a refresher on how to stitch lace,click here.
- 3 inch round mirror (you can often find these in packs at your local craft store)
- Matching thread (you can even use the same stuff you stitched your lace with)
- Needle
Doing this is pretty self explanatory; the only tricky part can be keeping your mirror in place when you’re stitching it. Luckily, I have a little trick for you.
Sandwich your mirror in between your two layers, making sure the reflective side is facing up, through the lace circle. Grab your needle and thread and just tack together one side of your circle. Nothing too neat, just make a stitch and tie it shut.
Keeping the mirror in place, now move over to the opposite side of your mirror and add another tack stitch, so you have the two opposite corners tied in place.
Finally, tack down the other two sides, the top and bottom of your mirror. Your mirror will still be pretty loose in its frame, but now all the edges line up, and you should be able to start stitching down the sides without worrying if everything is going to come out even at the end.
Once you have those corners ready, you can start stitching the two halves together, using small, looping stitches. Continue all the way around your mirror.
If you have really, really good fabric glue, you could also glue the two edges together, but I find stitches to be the most secure and durable, especially for something that’s likely to take a beating in my purse.
Once your stitches are all the way around, carefully tie off and trim the end, and then you can cut away those original tackdowns you used at the edges.
That’s it! A beautiful new compact cover from a cheap little craft store mirror! The lace edging makes it much friendlier to grip and much prettier to look at.
Make a bunch for yourself in all different colors. I don’t know about you, but for me mirrors are like pencils and sunglasses. I never seem to have one around when I need it, so you might as well have a whole lot of 'em!
