Sleeping is one of my favorite things to do. I’ve never had any trouble falling asleep. In fact, I could probably doze off right in the middle of this sentence, given the opportunity. As much as I love it, I never get enough of it. So when I’m finally snuggled into bed, with the pillows just right and the covers tucked tight… that’s when it happens. Where’s the remote? Hey, I can’t quite reach my glasses. What did I do with the magazine I was reading last night? Yes, there is a night stand at the side of the bed, but it’s already covered with other important flotsam and jetsam, and there’s not a square inch of space to spare. Solution: our pretty bedside caddy. It holds everything you need within arm’s reach. Where you want it – when you need it. Sweet dreams!

There are two large pockets and three small pockets – each sized to hold a variety of magazines, books, remotes, pens, and more.

Slip the flat end of the caddy between the mattress and the box springs. An extra strip of gripper fabric helps hold it in place even when loaded up.

We originally used a combination of fabrics from FreeSpirit Fabrics’ True Colors collection. This is an ongoing multi-designer collection available from many in-store and online outlets. Since it is being added to on a semi-regular basis, the exact fabric we used may not be available. However, when it comes to designer quilting cotton, finding four coordinating fabrics to love is never difficult!

We give you all the easy steps for the best way to layer and bind, as well as cutting notes on how to get a perfect diagonal cut for the lower pocket panel.

The back panel is lightly quilted. We used a diamond pattern to match our chosen fabric, but you could substitute any quilting pattern.

The caddy finishes at approximately 13″ wide x 18″ high.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Sewing Machine and standard presser foot
• Walking or Even Feed foot; optional but good for thicker or tricky substrates – or use your machine’s built-in fabric feeding system, such as the Janome AcuFeed Flex™ system

Fabric and Other Supplies

• 1 yard of 44″+ wide quilting weight cotton for the caddy back and binding
• ½ yard of 44″+ wide quilting weight cotton for the caddy front
• ½ yard of 44″+ wide quilting weight cotton for the two main pockets
• ½ yard of 44″+ wide quilting weight cotton for the angled pocket
  NOTE: Depending on your motif, you may be able to get away with less for the angled pocket. It is designed to be precisely fussy cut, so with a larger motif (as we used), you need extra in order to perfectly center the design.
• ½ yard of 44″+ wide medium weight fusible interfacing; we used Pellon Décor-Bond
• ½ yard of fusible fleece; we used Pellon Thermolam Fusible Fleece
• Scrap of ⅛ yard of non-slip fabric; we used ONE package of Dritz® Anti-Skid Gripper Fabric
• ⅓ yard of ½” satin ribbon for the accent bow; we used a soft pink satin
• All purpose thread to match fabrics
• See-through ruler
• Fabric pen or pencil
• Seam gauge
• Seam ripper
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Iron and ironing board
• Straight pins
• Hand sewing needle

Getting Started

1. From the fabric for the caddy back and binding (Pink Gingham in our sample), cut the following:
   ONE 13″ wide x 18″ high rectangle
   TWO 2″ x 13″ strips for the pocket binding
   From the remaining, cut enough 2″ strips to equal at least 64″ in total length for the outer binding
   NOTE: With all the gingham cuts, be careful to keep your cutting lines precise so the squares of the gingham are even.
2. From the fabric for the caddy front (Sand Diamond in our sample), cut ONE 13″ wide x 18″ high rectangle.
3. From the fabric for the two main pockets (Pink Diamond Geo in our sample), cut the following:
   ONE 13″ wide x 15″ high rectangle for the large pocket
   ONE 13″ x 13″ square for the small pocket
4. From the fabric for the angled pocket (Pink Kiss and Tell in our sample), carefully fussy cut ONE 10½” wide x 14″ high rectangle – make sure your “feature motif” is centered top to bottom and side to side.
5. From the gripper fabric, cut ONE 4″ x 13″ strip.
6. From the medium-weight fusible interfacing, cut the following:
   ONE 12″ x 7″ rectangle
   ONE 12″ x 6″ rectangle
   ONE 9½” x 6½” rectangle
7. From the fusible fleece, cut ONE 12″ x 17″ rectangle.

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

Caddy body

1. Place the caddy front panel wrong side up and flat on your work surface.
2. Center the fusible fleece on the wrong side of the caddy front. There should be ½” of fabric showing beyond the fleece all around. 
3. Following manufacturer’s instructions, fuse the fleece in place. Set aside.
4. Find the strip of gripper fabric. Finish the two long edges with a zig zag stitch.
5. Place the caddy back panel right side up and flat on your work surface. 
6. Place the gripper fabric right side up (gripper side up) across the top of the caddy back. The top edge of the strip should be 4″ down from the top raw edge of the caddy back panel. The ends of the strip should be flush with the sides of the caddy back panel. Pin the strip in place.
   
7. Edgestitch the strip along both long, finished edges.
   
8. Place the caddy front panel and the caddy back panel wrong sides together, sandwiching the fleece between the layers. All four edges of all the fabric layers should be flush.
   
9. Pin the layers together at wide intervals, giving you ample room for your quilting stitches.
   
10. Thread the machine with a neutral color in the top and bobbin. We used an off-weight thread that blended with both the Sand Diamond on the front and the Pink Gingham on the back. 
11. If possible, attach a Walking or Even Feed foot or engage your machine’s built-in fabric feeding system. We engaged our Janome AcuFeed™ Flex fabric feeding system. 
12. Slightly lengthen your stitch. 
13. Quilt across the entire caddy, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, following your motif.
    
14. We followed the pretty diamond pattern in our fabric, which created cross-hatch quilting lines 3″ apart. We also made a fancy mini diamond at several of the intersection points – totally optional, but cute.
    

Large caddy pocket

1. Find the 13″ x 15″ pocket panel. Fold it in half horizontally, wrong sides together, so it is now 13″ x 7½”. Press to set a center crease.
   
2. Unfold, wrong side up, so the crease line is visible. 
3. Find the 12″ x 7″ piece of fusible interfacing. Center the interfacing side-to-side and place one 12″ edge along the fabric’s center crease line. You should have ½” of fabric showing on both sides and along the bottom of the interfacing. Following manufacturer’s instructions, fuse the interfacing in place. Re-fold the pocket wrong sides together.
4. Find one of the two 2″ x 13″ binding strips. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press to set a center crease. Unfold so the crease line is visible. Fold in each long raw edge to meet at the center crease line. Press in place. Re-fold along the original crease line and press again, creating a finished binding strip.
   
5. Slip the binding strip over the top raw edges of the pocket panel and pin in place.
   
6. Edgestitch in the binding in place, keeping the same slightly lengthened stitch as used above for the quilting. Stitch slowly, making sure you are catching both the front and back of the binding in this one seam.
   
7. Find the main quilted caddy panel. Place it right side up on your work surface. 
8. Place the large pocket on the caddy panel. The bottom of the large pocket should be 1″ up from the bottom raw edge of the panel. Pin in place across the bottom edge of the pocket.
   
   NOTE: The folded edge of the pocket panel is the bottom of the pocket. If you are using a directional fabric, make sure you flip the pocket to the correct side prior to pinning in place.
9. Edgestitch the large pocket in place across the bottom edge. We used a quilt guide bar to keep the stitch precise.
   

Small caddy pocket

1. Find the 13″ x 13″ pocket panel. Fold it in half horizontally, wrong sides together, so it is now 13″ x 6½”. Press to set a center crease. Unfold, wrong side up, so the crease line is visible. 
2. Find the 12″ x 6″ piece of fusible interfacing. Center the interfacing side-to-side and place one 12″ edge along the fabric’s center crease line. You should have ½” of fabric showing on both sides and along the bottom of the interfacing. Following manufacturer’s instructions, fuse the interfacing in place. Re-fold the pocket wrong sides together.
3. Find the remaining 2″ x 13″ binding strip, and following the same steps as above for the large pocket, create a top binding strip and edgestitch it in place. 
4. Set the small pocket aside.

Angled caddy pocket

1. Find the 10½” x 14″ decorative pocket panel. Fold it in half horizontally, wrong sides together, so it is now 10½” x 7″. Press to set a center crease. Unfold, wrong side up, so the crease line is visible. 
2. Find the 9½” x 6½” piece of fusible interfacing. Center the interfacing side-to-side and place one 9½” edge along the fabric’s center crease line. You should have ½” of fabric showing on both sides and along the bottom of the interfacing. Following manufacturer’s instructions, fuse the interfacing in place.
3. When the interfacing is securely fused in place, refold the pocket panel right sides together. Unlike the other two pockets, on this pocket, the raw edges are the pocket bottom and the folded edge is the pocket top. Place the folded pocket on your work surface. 
4. Find and mark the center of the top fold (5¼” in from each raw side edge).
   
5. Along both raw side edges, measure 5″ up from the bottom (the raw edge) and make a mark.
   
6. Using your see-through ruler and a fabric pen or pencil, draw a diagonal line from each side point to the center point.
   
7. This creates a peak along the pocket’s top folded edge.
   
8. Trim along the drawn lines.
   
9. With the pieces still right sides together, pin together along both sides and across the angled top.
   
10. Re-set the stitch length to normal. Using a ½” seam allowance, stitch along both sides and across the angled top. Remember to pivot at the corners and at the center point of the angled top.
11. Clip the corners and grade the top seam allowances down to approximately ⅛” on the interfaced side.
    
12. Press open the seam allowances and turn the pocket right side out through the bottom opening. Using a long, blunt-end tool, such as a chopstick, point turner or long knitting needle, gently push out the corners and the top point so they are all nice and sharp. Press flat. 
13. Find the small pocket. Place it right side up and flat on your work surface. Place the angled pocket right side up on top of the small pocket. The angle pocket should be centered on the small pocket, approximately 1¾” in from each side. Pin the two pockets together.
    
14. Using a fabric pen or pencil, draw a vertical line down the center of the angled pocket, from the top point to the bottom raw edge. This splits the angled pocket into two sections.
    
    NOTE: Remember, you are working on the right side of the fabric. Make sure you use a fabric pen or pencil that will easily wash or wipe away or vanish with exposure to the air or the heat of an iron. 
15. Draw a second vertical line 1¼” in from the right edge of the angled pocket. This creates the narrow pen pocket.
    
16. If necessary, re-thread the machine with thread to best match the angled pocket (we used a chocolate brown). Slightly lengthen the stitch again. Topstitch along each drawn vertical line, then edgestitch along both outer edges of the angled pocket.
    
17. This secures the two pockets with four vertical seams.
    

Final assembly and binding

1. Find the main caddy with the large pocket sewn in place. Place it right side up and flat on your work surface.
2. Place the double lower pocket right side up on top of the caddy panel. The bottom and side edges edge of the caddy panel should be flush with the bottom and side edges of the double pocket. This means the double pocket is overlapping the large pocket, leaving a large pocket reveal of approximately 2″.
   
   
3. Machine baste the double pocket to the main caddy panel along the sides and across the bottom, staying close to the outer raw edges.
4. Find all the remaining binding strips. Re-set the stitch length to normal. Stitch the strips together, end to end, at right angles to create small diagonal seam lines. You should end up with approximately 64″ of binding.
   
5. As you did above for the pocket binding strips, fold the strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press to set a center crease. Unfold so the crease line is visible. Fold in each long raw edge to meet at the center crease line. Press in place. Re-fold along the original crease line and press again.
6. Starting at the center of the caddy bottom, slip the binding over the raw edges and continue wrapping around the entire perimeter.
   
7. Miter each corner for a crisp turn.
   
   NOTE: When pinning through so many layers at once, things can easily shift. We found it helpful to pin the front side of the binding to the caddy top first, then flip the caddy and pin the back in place. This helps keep everything lined up.
   
8. Once again re-setting for a slightly lengthened stitch, edgestitch the binding in place around the entire perimeter of the caddy. As above with the pocket binding, go slowly to insure you are catching both the front and the back of the binding in this one seam.
   
9. Stop approximately 2″ from the end and lock your stitch.
   
10. Overlap the head of the binding by about 1″ and trim away any excess binding. Turn under the raw end of the binding tail and lay it back down into position to create a finished overlapped end. Drop your needle back down exactly where you stopped and finish the edgestitching seam.
    
    NOTE: If you are new to binding, we have two handy tutorials: A Complete Step-by-Step For Binding Quilts & Throws and Bias Binding: Figuring Yardage, Cutting, Making, Attaching.
11. Find the satin ribbon and tie it into a pretty bow. 
12. Hand stitch the bow in place at the top point of the angled pocket.
    

Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation and Instructional Outline: Debbie Guild