My new Personal Project Portfolio... |
1) Overall closed size of 11" wide x 13.5" high x 2" deep,
2) three zippered file pockets bound "book style" to the center spine,
3) two open vinyl slip pockets on the interior front and back covers, with
openings accessed from the inside (i.e., not from the outer edge where things
can slip out), and
4) an adjustable, easy to manipulate closure.
As you can see, the finished portfolio is bound with bias binding. (I used
an 18" square of some
Lily and Loom fabric
to make my own using
this method.) Fabric backed by fusible fleece forms the interior and exterior
panels.
Front view... |
I had already decided that I wasn't going to make three zippered
pockets out of fabric, so my first step was to brave the retail world and
browse the stationery aisle at my local dollar store. I knew I'd be
able to find something there to meet my needs, but I honestly
didn't expect such near perfection.
I've long used the legal-sized nylon zippered portfolios that Dollarama has in their continuous inventory, so was hoping that they carried something similar in a letter size, preferably transparent. I found these (they're 12" x 10"), which while not transparent, more than suffice in being able to be seen through. They're made out of a firm poly mesh — they actually feel very much like a soft version of a bug screen — and come in a variety of stripe-y colour schemes.
Mesh zippered folders from Dollarama... |
The inset image is from an eBay listing, selling essentially the
same item (albeit with a
zippier zipper pull) for $6.38 plus $6.00 shipping (USD). Dollarama was selling these
for $1.25 each (CAD).
Score!
In the inspiration tutorial for the Envelope Journal, I saw how
well the book binding technique could be applied in this situation. It
would be fairly easy to cut some tiny holes into the bottom of the mesh
zippered folders and then string some cord through them and the organizer
to bind them together. (The gold-toned elastic cord shown here is also
from Dollarama; it cost me $2. Even at that, there are certainly less pricey options to consider.)
Dollarama comes to the rescue again with elastic cording... |
With the decision to pound holes into the spine, of course, I had to
install eyelets.
Project requires twelve sets of small eyelets for the spine... |
These are 3/16" eyelets. This box came with silver, gold and black sets. I
used twelve of them.
Back view... |
Once eyelets came to mind, I decided that they would also be the basis
for the adjustable closure for the portfolio. (These two are larger than
the ones I used on the spine; I originally thought that I might use
ribbon for this loop.)
For the vinyl pockets on the front and back interior, I looked into my
existing "vinyl stash" and found a couple of pieces that made the grade;
they're from an old bedding bag.
Vinyl pocket on inside front cover... |
Had I needed to buy some new vinyl, my first stop would be
Dollarama again. They typically carry vinyl tablecloths or shower
curtains that would do the job.
Interestingly enough, both pieces of vinyl had pockets on them already
(where the insert card identifying the bedding used to be held), making
them doubly useful. It's virtually impossible to make out, but it's a
square shape right in the middle.
By the way, you can see that the pockets are large
enough for regular file folders and even the
waxcloth folder
that's been sitting on my desk for five years now.
I said last week that this is to be a tax time paper organizer for me, but it can easily be a sewing organizer to take on the road or a multiple WIP folder.
Here it is stuffed with fabric, thread and other notions.
A portfolio made out of fabric has the capacity to expand... |
You see why I chose to have the button and loop closure instead of a tab
with a snap or something similarly fixed that might be hard to close?
It can hold a lot! |
In the above pic, you can see items in the two smaller pockets that were
already part of my vinyl pieces.
Want to sew up a personal project portfolio of your own?
Everything that you need to make it has been outlined above. The more
experienced among you are likely quite capable of DIY-ing the project
just from the photos; for the rest of you, gather your supplies and come
back in a couple of weeks for some basic instructions.
What a joy to see this, I’ve been thinking along the same lines for a folder/portfolio to hold my idea books and printed patterns, and yes I need one for tax papers too. I love the elastic ideas, and using parts from dollar stores! Certain things are just not worth making yourself, even if you can! Part 1 was intriguing, part 2 is exciting... can’t wait for part 3. Thanks for sharing, I’ve been reading and enjoying your blogs for years!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you so much for reading "for years", Marie! I'm always thrilled to hear that something I've been needing and wanting has value for others as well. It's extremely gratifying to know I'm not wasting my time sharing these projects. ;-)
DeleteOh, and I hope that you're able to find the same perfect supplies to make your own portfolio.
Just did a search for dollarama... closest one was in Canada, I’m in the US. So maybe I’ll be sewing my own zipper bags... I did see one of these type portfolios for kids that sewed in large ziplock bags. I saved that one in my “someday” pile... I’m enjoying a sewing marathon right now, sewing something new every day! Sew fun!
DeleteYes, Dollarama is a Canadian chain, but I would assume that any other dollar or discount store carries similar product. Before you give up on the search, I'd also suggest Amazon. (Search for "zippered folder pouch".) I found a set of ten A4-sized (13.1" x 9.2") selling for $9.99.
DeleteAwesome to hear about your sewing marathon. Enjoy your creativity!
Great idea 👍 Thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteYou're so welcome!
DeleteCan't begin to tell you how much your creative imagination/talent is appreciated. Another great idea to thank you for today. I actually have some of those exact colorful pockets and am looking forward to more detailed instructions. I've been following you for a long time and look forward to each posting.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your sweet comments. And what are the odds that you already have exactly what you need to make this? That is quite serendipitous!
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