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Crafty Embroidered Tool Belt

Woman wearing completed Crafty Embroidered Tool Belt, featuring Filigree Sewing Machine 3 and Filigree Pin Cushion designs

Keep all your embroidery and sewing tools close at hand with a tool belt just for crafting! This handy little apron has pockets to hold an air-erase pen, sewing gauge, tape measure, a box of pins ... there's even a "hammer loop" for your scissors!


Read below for these free project instructions.

Supplies & Materials:

Supplies Needed:


  • 1/3 yard canvas for main body of apron
  • 2/3 yard canvas in contrast color for pockets, waist tie, and scissors loop
  • Medium-weight cutaway stabilizer
  • Temporary spray adhesive
  • Air-erase pen or dressmaker's pencil

Finished Size:


17 inches wide by 10 inches high, plus waist tie

Designs used:


Filigree Sewing Machine 3 (Large) 

Filigree Pin Cushion (Small)


This design is also available in the following design packs:


A Flourishing Stitches Design Pack - Lg

A Creative Filigree Design Pack - Sm


Project tip:


Choose one embroidery design that's 5 inches wide by 7 inches high or smaller (for the tall pocket), and one design that's 4 inches wide by 3 inches high or smaller (for the main apron body). The design for the main apron body can be up to 7 inches wide by 3 inches high (Sew Many Swirls would work nicely), but you'll need to adjust the placement from these instructions.

Gather Materials:

Using an air-erase pen or dressmaker's pencil, mark out rectangles in the following sizes on your fabric, but do not cut them out yet:


Main fabric:


2 rectangles 18 inches wide by 10.5 inches high, for body of apron


Contrast fabric:


1 rectangle 9 inches wide by 13 inches high, for tall pocket


1 rectangle 10 inches wide by 9 inches high, for short pocket


2 rectangles 5 inches wide by 42 inches long, for waist tie, or other combination to total 84 inches long


1 rectangle 3 inches wide by 10 inches long, for scissors loop

Close-up of a red pencil on teal fabric with small white polka dots, alongside a clear plastic grid ruler marked with red measurement lines.

Mark embroidery placement as follows:


On the tall pocket piece, draw a line down the middle of the rectangle (6.5 inches from the short edge); this will be the folded top edge of the pocket. Draw another line 3 inches from this line, and draw a perpendicular line down the center of the fabric (4.5 inches from the long edge) - this marks the center point of your larger embroidery design.

Close-up of dark gray fabric with a fine, uniform grid pattern in white, stitched with pink thread along the left edge and forming a rectangular border near the right side. The fabric edges appear frayed.

On one of the main fabric pieces, draw a horizontal line 8.5 inches from the bottom of the piece. Draw a vertical line 3.5 inches from the right edge of the piece. The point where these lines intersect is the center point for the smaller embroidery design. Choose a design that's 3 inches tall or less. If the design is wider than 4 inches, you may need to move this center point so that the design doesn't stitch too close to the edge of the fabric rectangle. You can use a paper template of the design to help with placement if you like.

Blank piece of grayish-beige fabric with faint pencil grid markings forming rectangles and squares on the surface. No embroidery or objects present.

Start Embroidering:

For each embroidered piece: Spray a piece of medium-weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary spray adhesive, and smooth the fabric on top. Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric. Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Move the hoop so that the needle is directly over the center point on the fabric. Embroider the design.

Close-up of brown embroidered pincushion with pins, accented by light blue and white swirling thread designs on a blue fabric background.

Trim excess stabilizer from the back of each embroidery design.

Small piece of light fabric with blue and silver embroidery forming a floral and scroll design with three pins stuck in the center, all on a blue background.

Cut out all rectangles using the lines you marked earlier.

Pieces of fabric laid out on a wooden surface include blue, gray, and white squares. One gray square and one blue square have embroidery with a black and teal dog silhouette surrounded by blue swirls.

Fold the tall and short pocket pieces in half, right sides out, and press.

Two blue fabric pieces on a wooden surface; one has black and white embroidery of a sewing machine with decorative swirls, the other is plain.

Stitch close to the fold on each piece.

Close-up of a sewing machine foot stitching brown fabric with a pattern of small purple and blue dots. Metal parts of the machine are visible.

Pin the short pocket piece in the lower right corner of the embroidered front body piece, aligning the edges carefully.

Blue fabric with a small embroidered spool of thread and needle in dark and light brown, cream, and blue thread. A piece of pinned beige fabric with a small checkered pattern partially overlaps the bottom right. The background is a wooden surface.

Lay the tall pocket piece embroidery side down, with the left edge aligned with the left edge of the short pocket piece. Pin in place.

Light blue fabric base with a smaller piece of gray and white striped fabric pinned near the center, edges held by colorful straight pins on a wooden surface.

Stitch 1/2 inch from the raw edge of both pockets, down the center of the main fabric piece, to attach pockets to main body fabric. It may help to use an air-erase pen to draw on the 1/2 inch seam allowance - it's important to be exact for this seam.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching fabric with a red-headed straight pin holding two layers of fabric together, one blue and one brown with white dots.

Flip the tall pocket right side up and press in place. Stitch close to the fold.

Blue and beige fabric pieces pinned together, each with black cat embroidery embellished with floral and swirl designs in light blue, white, and lavender.

On the short pocket, draw lines 1.5 inches, 2.5 inches, and 3.5 inches from the free edge. Stitch pocket to main body piece along these lines to create narrow pockets.

Blue fabric with embroidery of a brown bee surrounded by light blue swirls on the upper section, and gray fabric with white dots below.

Lay unembroidered main body piece face down over the pocket side of the first main body piece. Stitch 1/2 from edge along sides and bottom. Clip corners.

Rectangular piece of teal fabric laid flat on a wooden surface, edges slightly frayed, no embroidery or patterns visible.

Turn the apron right side out and press. Topstitch close to the edge of the sides and bottom of the apron.

Blue fabric with grid pattern sections, featuring two embroidered designs: a large black dog with white and blue swirls and a smaller dark face with blue swirls.

To create scissors loop, fold the scissors loop rectangle in half the long way and stitch 1/2 inch from the edge. Turn right side out and press.

Close-up of a strip of blue fabric with evenly spaced small white diamond shapes arranged in a grid pattern, laid on a plain white surface.

For the waist tie, stitch pieces together at ends to make one long 84 inch strip. Press under 1/2 inch on long edges of this strip, then fold in half the long way and press.

Close-up of fabric strip with green and white polka dot binding along the edges, laid flat on a neutral surface. The fabric underneath is light-colored with a subtle textured pattern.

Also press under 1/2 inch on each end of the tie, as shown.

Beige fabric tool belt with small white polka dots, bordered by gray fabric with larger blue polka dots, laid flat on a light gray surface.

Insert top of apron into folded waist tie, matching centers. Pin in place.

Close-up of a blue fabric tool belt with a fold-over pocket and a long strap with white velcro on a wood surface.

Make scissors loop into a curve as shown. You can use your scissors to help shape the loop. Pin to hold it in shape.

Black scissors with large handles have fabric covers in light blue with white polka dots on the blades, resting on a wood grain surface.

Insert the scissors loop between the apron body and the front edge of the waist tie. Pin in place.

Close-up of a gray fabric tool belt with white polka dots, showing red-headed pins holding layers together. Blue fabric and embroidered bicycle design are partially visible.

Stitch near the folded edge, all the way along the open edge and ends of waist tie, to close it and attach the apron and loop.

Close-up of beige fabric with white polka dots sewn onto dark gray fabric, placed on a wooden surface. Two fabric pieces overlap neatly.

And you're done! This versatile project can be adapted for all kinds of hobbies and activities. Enjoy your handy new tool belt!

Gray and blue fabric tool belt with black and white embroidered designs, laid flat on a wooden surface, featuring multiple pockets and straps.