Gathered Coin Pouch Tutorial with Templates

A family member requested a small coin pouch that could hold ID and credit cards and would look nice for putting into her purse at parties.  I felt that my usual coin pouches were too casual looking and I wanted something a little prettier since she said it was for dressing up.

I came across the gathered clutch tutorial by Noodlehead, I liked the look of the gathered fabric with a band across it, so I created my own pattern for a smaller coin purse.

I chose a large patterned floral fabric that I thought was suitable for a dressier look.  My family member seems to like her red purses, so I figured I would go with something with red in it while not being overpoweringly so.  Rather than have a different coloured band, I went with a band in the same fabric for a more subtle, dressier look.

The end result is rather appealing.  I added a satin ribbon in a matching bronze colour to dress it up a little more.

The back I left simple.  The fabric was pretty enough that I didn't feel the need to make it so complicated on both sides.

I created a tutorial with templates.  If you would like to make a gathered coin pouch of your own, you can download the pattern instantly from my store.  The pattern is 15 pages, has lots of photos, and has easy-to-follow instructions.

Happy Sewing!

xoxo

Pouch Making Extravaganza

I'm a pouch making machine! I am running out of time to make all of my Christmas presents before I see my friends for various gatherings so I am sewing late into the night to get them all done! Yikes!

This one has been long waiting. I have had a small piece of this lovely dogwood bloom fabric in pond colour, but I wasn't sure how to use it. With the arrival of this checkered grey fabric and the addition of a black satin ribbon, it was finally ready to be showcased.

I managed to make two rows of pockets for the interior, so there are 4 useful pockets inside!

The back also has the same design as the front, but with more simple flower patterns.

I know just the person to give this to for Christmas, but I have no idea if she will like it. I have my fingers crossed.

This is another zipper pouch with a similar dogwood bloom print in berry. It is such a delicious colour!

It matched perfectly with a pale pink fabric with black dots, so that became the interior lining. I found that this colour of zipper looked much better than a pink zipper because that would have been too much pink! This colour of zipper matches with the flower stems, so that the overall look is more sophisticated. I did, however, choose a rose coloured thread for the stitching beside the zipper so that it blends in.

Both of the pouches have heavy interfacing for the exterior, but the pond coloured pouch has microfleece for the interior and the berry coloured pouch has quilting batting.

I find that heavy interfacing is relatively stiff so I like to have something soft under it to soften the overall look and feel. Microfleece creates a thinner pouch and quilting batting makes a slightly more padded pouch. I'm not sure yet what the preference will be on the user-end, so hopefully I can get some feedback from my friends about that.

Here are some more pleated pouches using the same design as Joanne's pleated pouch from yesterday. I was only planning to use this yellow floral print called "Simply Sweet" as an interior lining, but I found that it made a really pretty exterior fabric.

My dad really liked this pouch. Too bad it's too girly for him to use :)

He especially appreciated the chestnut print on the interior. I think this chestnut print is adorable.

Finally, here is a pleated pouch in a wonderful fabric by Tina Givens. I adore it. It is my favourite fabric out of all of my new fabric stashes. There's something about this fat bumblebee and the patterns around it that is just perfect. The colour is quite nice too!

I used that same yellow floral pattern on the inside because it made me think of honey, which is very fitting for a bee-themed pouch!

I'm still trying to decide if I want to put wristlet straps onto these pleated pouches. It is a lot more work to add them, and I would need to buy the supplies for loops and other attachments. I didn't like the sewn-on fabric strap that I made for the first pleated pouch because it seemed too flimsy and it can't be removed.

So, for now, it's more of a clutch pleated pouch than a wristlet.

Okay, so one last one. This is a flat bottomed pencil pouch. This is the first time I have made a flat bottomed pouch, and I have discovered that it is very time-consuming to get the corner made just right.

However, with a little time and patience, it turned out great. Since this pencil pouch is for my sweetie, it's very manly. No cutesy fabrics for him! He chose a dark grey wool. The interior is a lovely, thick black fabric that is smooth almost like satin, but not shiny. It's thick texture makes it great for the lining because it doesn't need any kind of additional padding. It's a little harder to work with though because it has some elasticity.

Okay, time for some rest.

Have a great weekend!

UPDATE 04/30/2011

If you would like to make the pleated pouch, the pattern and instructions can be found in my shop http://bluepandemonium.etsy.com

You can also purchase the PDF sewing pattern through this secure link to Paypal

Joanne's Pleated Pouch

My friend Joanne came over today and we made her Christmas present together! I wanted to try a softer interfacing for the pleated pouch design, so this was the perfect time for it. I went with microfleece this time instead of heavy interfacing.

As you can see, the pleated pouch turned out terrific! I LOVE this Trefle Alice in Wonderland fabric in purple. Jo loves purple so I was trying to make a patchwork pouch for her, but my collection of fabric didn't seem to have the right combinations of purple. This fabric from Fresh Squeezed Fabrics was a perfect fit though, so I snapped it up.

I had chosen a different coordinating fabric for the interior, but Jo spied a cute birdie fabric and she wanted that one instead. I must say, it's pretty adorable in there! There are also two pockets inside for her to store things.

All in all, a very nice pouch. It's my favourite one so far.

I hope Jo likes it too :)

Want to make a pleated pouch of your own?

The pattern and instructions can be found in my shop http://bluepandemonium.etsy.com

You can also purchase the PDF sewing pattern through this secure link to Paypal

Once you're finished making a pleated pouch, don't forget to post your photos to the Flickr group here!

New Pleated Pouch Design

Now that school's out, I have time to try out some new sewing tutorials! Today's experiment was a pleated pouch.

I used the tutorial from Skip To My Lou as a guideline, but I changed it. I didn't like how flimsy the finished pouch looked in the tutorial, and I didn't want such a tall band on the top. Also, I wanted the pleats to fan out from the center.

So I cut my own templates out of cardboard (from cereal boxes, no less!) and just guessed on the correct dimensions and shapes. I made the top band thinner, the bottom section wider to allow for more pleats, and I used heavy interfacing to make the exterior more sturdy. There is also micro fleece sewn to the backside of the inner lining to give it softness and some support.

I think the hardest part was figuring out the correct places to make the pleats, and how to make them even.
I also added a little wristlet strap to the pouch, and I changed the shape of the inner lining from a U-shape to a shape that more closely matches the outside look of the pleated pouch.
The end result is very pleasing! I think it looks really pretty, and especially in this fabric combination (which is part of a new fabric stash from Fabric Bee).
If I was to change something, it would be to use medium interfacing or the microfleece for the outer fabric. I feel that the heavy interfacing is too "crunchy" for the pleats. I want a bit of a softer look and feel for future pleated pouches. Nevertheless, this pleated pouch is a winner in my books.

What do you think of it?

Have a happy day!

UPDATE 04/30/2011

If you would like to make this pleated pouch, the pattern and instructions can be found in my shop http://bluepandemonium.etsy.com

You can also purchase the PDF sewing pattern through this secure link to Paypal