I made a lot of little pouches with my quilt-batting-backing trimmed pieces, so here’s a round up of my thoughts on the free pouch patterns. Sorted from least favorite to most favorite, but really, you can’t go wrong with any that made this list.
The fabric used in these are all leftovers from other projects.
2 Sided Zips – by SewCanShe. Calls for fusible fleece.
This one used two 5″ x 7″ pieces of my leftover quilt pieces. I quilted 5/8″ lines of on the outer+batting. (NOT a quilt sandwich).
I didn’t love this one, but it’s my fault. If I were to do this one again, I’d make some changes:
- The lining was too loose: I’d use a wider SA on the lining for the next one.
- The hardware I used is too heavy for this bag: I used a 1″ swivel clip. If I were to do this again, I’d use a D-ring or a 1/2″ swivel clip instead.
- I’d trim the seam allowances before birthing the bag.
- I’d quilt more densely to give a little more structure.
Ok, now that I see what I didn’t like, I’m thinking I might break out my seam ripper. This can be saved! I won’t add more quilting, but I can fix the other things quickly enough.
ETA: I fixed it! I un-birthed it, replaced the swivel clip with a keyring, increased the SA on the lining, and trimmed the seam allowances. It’s a lot better: but still not my favorite pouch.
Zipper is from a multi-pack I bought from Amazon before I learned about the magic that is zipper tape; and the key ring from Joann, may she rest in peace.
Next up, the Chubby Card Pouch – by SewCanShe. Calls for foam.
It has some very tiny boxed corners that need to be wrapped in binding, and I found that bit a little frustrating. But also: possibly I needed a bathroom break and a snack. My quilt sandwich was just two layers of fabric with the batting in the middle, so the pouch is definitely floppier than if it had been made with foam. If I were to make this again, I think I’d quilt more densely. I quilted lines at 5/8″ apart, I’d probably quilt a grid, not just lines.
The end result is a cute little pouch. My husband declared it as one of the most ‘useful’ of the collection.
Zipper tape was from my mom that she got from one of her sewing buddies. So a pouch full of reclaimed materials!
Teeny Tiny Zipper Pouch – by Center Street Quilts (instagram reel tutorial)
This is a very fast sew. The slowest part is the quilting, then everything else comes together so quickly. Which is why it makes for such a great instagram-reel-pattern!
I used a 5.5″ x 18″ strip of my quilt trimming. I used Wawak profuse interfacing on the lining, then quilted my quilt sandwich with diagonal lines 5/8″ apart.
Definitely keeping this pattern in my back pocket when I want a quick sew.
#3 zipper tape and pull from Wawak.
Triangle Zipper Pouch – by Minki Kim. Calls for foam.
Another fast sew! I made a quilt sandwich of the top, batting, and interfaced lining, and quilted the rectangle. Then attached the zipper following the model here in the Purl Soho pouch. (I sewed the zipper lined up with the quilt sandwich, but then trimmed the quilt sandwich seam to 1/8″. Same end result.) And THEN followed the pattern from that point on. 🙂
This makes for a fun-shaped pouch that I think would be even more fun made with foam stabilizer.
#3 zipper tape and pull from Wawak.
Circle Zip Earbud Pouch – by Dog Under My Desk. Calls for batting!
This comes together really quickly. The slowest part for me was trimming the batting out of the seam allowance, but I’ve got those duck-billed appliqué scissors so I found it kind of zen. And then I got to use my pinking shears to trim the seam allowance.
And then it uses a French seam, so no birthing or binding required!
I did not pay attention to the very clear directions to make sure I had the grain lines lined up. So my little pouch has some skew, but it’s still very functional. My next one will be better, as I will not ignore that step. 🙂
#3 zipper tape and pull from Wawak, and key ring from Joann.
Pochi Pouch – by SewCanShe. Calls for fusible fleece, batting, or foam.
Love, love, love this one! The pattern includes directions on making your own template, so you can use up whatever width you have left. I had a 5.5″ strip, so I found a 5.5″ bowl in my cupboard to make the template. I wouldn’t recommend going much smaller than that.
I used Wawak profuse interfacing on the lining fabric to provide some more structure, and quilted a half-inch diamond grid pattern.
It does use bias binding which is annoying to make. And then there is some hand-stitching at the end. But the end result is so good. I will be making more of these guys. It has just enough structure that it stands on its own.
#3 zipper tape and pull from Wawak.