DIY Tutorial and Pattern – Fold-over Zippered Pouch with Wrist Strap

This fun little pouch is the perfect size to carry just the bare essentials. Or unfold it and you have a pencil pouch. Don't want to carry a purse? Just slip the wrist strap on and you're ready to run about town. The removable wrist strap allows you to move the pouch from your bag to wrist with ease. 

This pouch is the perfect size for using a single swatch of fabric. The fabric I used here is a swatch from a fabric I designed and had printed by Spoonflower. Visit my shop on Spoonflower to see the whole collection. This little pouch is really surprisingly quick to stitch. Within an hour a two, you'll be ready to go! Read the tutorial and download the pattern after the jump.

Fold-over Zippered Pouch

Supplies

• Main Fabric: One 8 x 8 inch swatch for pouch body

• Contrast fabric: One 2 x 2 inches for loop, One 2 x 15 inches for wrist strap

• 1 7" zipper

• 1 Sew-On Snap

• 1 Metal Clasp

• 2 Sturdy 1/2 inch Jump Rings

• Fold Over Pouch PDF Pattern (UPDATE 2021: We’ve put all of our pdf downloads on one resource library page. When you sign up for the newsletter, you’ll receive the password and link to the resource library. Sign up is below. You can unsubscribe at any time.)

I found these large jump rings at a jewelry making supply store. Jump rings have an opening so that you can pry it apart a little bit and then close again. You won't want to open and close it repeatedly because it will wear down the metal. If your metal rings don't have an opening, slide them onto your fabric pieces before you start to stitch the loops together.

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Instructions: 

Step 1: 

Download your paper pattern. Print with page scaling set to "None". You can also make your own pattern by drawing a 4 x 8 inch rectangle with one corner rounded. Cut two pieces from your fabric swatch. Make sure that when you put the fabric wrong sides together, the shapes match.

(Confession: I actually cut mine a little bit bigger than the pattern as you can see from the white edges below. The size of this pouch is very adjustable. The one I showed you yesterday was cut 5 x 7 inches. Get a big zipper and you could make a big old pouch.)

Step 2:

Finish the edges of your fabric using a narrow zig zag stitch.

While you're at the machine, fold the strap piece in half, right sides together with short sides meeting. Stitch a 1/4 inch seam along short end. Press seam open. (If your rings do not open, slide one on now.)

Step 3:

Fold the strap in half lengthwise and press. Fold raw edges to center, meeting first fold and press again. Topstitch through all layers. Attach jump ring and lobster clasp to strap. Above ring, stitch wide zig zag to hold jump ring in place.

Step 4: 

Pin zipper along one curved edge with the right side of fabric facing the outside of the zipper and aligning top of zipper 3/8 inch from edge as shown.

Stitch in place. Repeat with other side of zipper. Open zipper as needed to stitch in a smooth line.

Step 5:

Fold 2 x 2" contrast fabric in half and press. Then fold raw edges to inside, meeting first fold. Top stitch through all layers. Fold in half to make a loop and pin to side of pouch about 2 inches from the bottom edge. (If your jump ring does not open, slip it on the loop now.) Baste in place. This loop will hold another jump ring so you can attach the wrist strap.

Step 6:

With right sides together, stitch around remaining sides using a 3/8 inch seam allowance.

Step 7: 

Open zipper and turn right side out. Attach jump ring to small loop. Then clip clasp on wrist strap to jump ring.

Now you're all done! I hope you enjoy your new pouch. 

Free Tutorial Pattern - Ombre Clutch

 I've worked up a cute little clutch with some elegant ombre dyed fabric. Inspired by the current

ombre trend

and looking for a way to spruce up some drab muslin-ish fabric laying around, I decided get myself a-dyeing. But more on that later. Today, I'll show you the basics of making one of these clutches yourself.

This is a very easy project, just a pocket with a fold over flap. It is very similar to the

D-ring clutch

I made a while back. I'm thinking about trying one sized to fit my kindle too. (Mostly because I think I should be able to take my kindle with me everywhere.)

Ombre Clutch Tutorial / Pattern

Materials:

Ombre Fabric

Lining Fabric

Interfacing

Batting (optional)

Thread

1 Magnetic Button Closure

Gold fabric paint (optional)

Artists Tape (optional)

NOTE: Use a .5 inch seam allowance for all seams.

Step 1:

 Cut 1 piece sized 13 x 11.5 inches for flap (outside) and 1 piece sized 13 x 6.5 inches for pocket each of fabric, lining, interfacing and batting (if using). 

Note:

This pattern can easily be adapted to any size you want. I'd start with determining the desired finished size of the clutch. Next decide how much overlap you want and add that to the height for the flap. And don't forget to add a .5 inch seam allowance.

Step 2:

 Adhere interfacing to fabric. Baste batting to fabric, if using.

Step 3:

With right sides together, stitch lining pocket to lining flap along sides and bottom, starting .5 inch from edge of inside pocket (see below).

 Repeat for ombre fabric.

Step 4:

Trim the corners of the lining and ombre fabrics.

Step 5:

Next, stitch ombre fabric to lining fabric. Place lining fabric and ombre fabric right sides together, one bag inside of the other. Stitch top edge of front pocket lining to ombre fabric, leaving an opening for turning (see above).

Step 6:

Stitch sides of clutch flap lining to sides of ombre fabric flap, keeping seam allowance free (see below). Round corners of flap if desired.

Step 7:

Turn clutch right side out through opening. Hand stitch or top stitch opening closed and attach magnetic closure.

And all done! This version is a subtle hand-dyed version made using batting. The batting provides a little extra (very soft) heft to the clutch but is not necessary. Using a heavy interfacing and heavy weight fabric also helps bulk up a project.

For this version, I pieced 3 pieces of fabric together for the flap and used gold fabric paint to create a geometric design. Piecing fabric strips together is a great way to use up smaller pieces of fabric that might otherwise find themselves in the dustbin.

If desired, you can also square off the bottom corner of the bag as shown above. This step is done before attaching the lining to the fashion fabric. I'll be posting more soon about fabric dyeing and fabric painting so please check back. I hope you like the tutorial. Please let me know if you make a clutch. I'd love to see it. Cheers!