Saturday, January 6, 2024

Valet Tray: FREE pattern & printable gift tag



On a recent Disney cruise, I participated in a Fish Extender (FE) gift exchange. One of the gifts that I gave out were fabric valet trays. They are one of my favorite gifts to give because they are so useful, so portable, and are easy to make.


Here are instructions on how to make a simple valet tray yourself:
  1. Cut two 10”x10” squares from fabric.
  2. Cut two 9.5”x9.5” squares from fusible interfacing. Alternatively use just one square of fusible fleece.
  3. Iron the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric squares, making sure it’s centered.
  4. With right sides facing, using a half-inch seam allowance, sew along all 4 sides but leave a 5” space open on one side.
  5. Turn the item right side out using the opening from Step 4.
  6. Top stitch the opening and then around all 4 sides of the square.
  7. Stitch “fold lines”1.5” in from the outside edge. Do this on all 4 sides.
  8. Attach a pair of KAM snaps to each of the 4 corners.
  9. Voila! Ready to gift or use!
Any fabric can be used, and you can customize it any way you want. You can even use up your scraps to make a crazy log cabin patchwork tray. This is one that I gave to my Mom for Christmas a few years ago, made from upcycled courduroy pants.



Another customization that I made a few years ago was to make a complex version that converted into an envelope clutch.  I made this by eliminating the sewn “fold lines”, adding a slip pocket, adding a pen loop, and making sure that the KAM snaps matched when folding the clutch in half. 

I typically gift these trays with a gift tag that says:
“This versatile valet tray is a solution for organizing personal items like wallets, keys, watches, and jewelry, effortlessly decluttering your bedside table, desk, or countertop. It’s designed for portability — snap the corners to assemble the tray; unsnap the corners to flatten it for easy travel or storage. Also great as a dice rolling tray for game night!”

To make things easy for you, here is a printable set of 6 gift tags that you can print out onto an 8.5”x11” sheet of paper:


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