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Quilted magic box pouch... |
Not that it's a real surprise, of course, since I had already revealed that it
was going to be a pouch commonly referred to as a "magic pouch". It's a
rectangular contraption with a curved zipper closure that extends from end to
end.
Unzipped, it opens flat. I have seen it featured on virtually every one of the
YouTube channels that I subscribe to, but oddly enough, it was via a
new channel that I finally decided to make one. And then, weirder still, it
was yet another channel that provided what I thought were the best
instructions (and provided a PDF template).
So before I go any further, let me give credit to
Lucia at Coser fácil y más Menudo Numerito for her
Neceser desplegable magic pouch video tutorial, which was uploaded
February 12, 2021. (I will have more to say about the tutorial and my
experience with it later.)
As a reminder of how I came by the exterior panel for this pouch, here's another photo of the process. Taking oddly shaped scraps, I pinned them down more or less randomly to cover a piece of fusible fleece that had been cut to slightly larger than the pattern template. (Overhangs are subsequently trimmed by flipping the whole thing over.)
Having done it for the exterior, I figured I'd piece together the interior panel as well. This time, however, I sewed the scraps together in a slightly more traditional fashion, with actual seams. (I don't totally recommend it since it was incredibly time consuming.)
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There are variations of this pouch that use bias binding to hide the two raw edges that result on the inside. I went with this tutorial because the end panels do double duty here to cover them. So they provide the usual structure for the open pouch, but the bottom seam of these panels are sewn in such as way as to wrap around and hide the raw edge seam inside.
Finishing off the pouch requires a bit of hand sewing, to secure the top of these end panels to the main body on either side of the zipper opening.
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Before I forget, let me say that this particular tutorial is very well executed and I like how simple the steps are. If you want to make one of these pouches and plan to use just "regular" fabric, you'll likely get great results following this video. Just be sure to wait until you have your inside seam sewn up before you cut the end panels.
As a reminder of how I came by the exterior panel for this pouch, here's another photo of the process. Taking oddly shaped scraps, I pinned them down more or less randomly to cover a piece of fusible fleece that had been cut to slightly larger than the pattern template. (Overhangs are subsequently trimmed by flipping the whole thing over.)
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| This is a creative activity that takes more thought than expected... |
The pins were removed at my ironing station, at which time the pieces were
held in place with my
pressing cloth. (The edges or points that didn't get secured by the interfacing were
secured with fabric glue.)
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| Pointy areas were reinforced with fabric glue... |
Having done it for the exterior, I figured I'd piece together the interior panel as well. This time, however, I sewed the scraps together in a slightly more traditional fashion, with actual seams. (I don't totally recommend it since it was incredibly time consuming.)
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| View of open interior... |
The two fabrics here are from a pillowcase and a fat quarter remnant of
Tim Holtz's French Script (last used on a
scalloped edge basket). The entire piece was interfaced with SF101.
There are variations of this pouch that use bias binding to hide the two raw edges that result on the inside. I went with this tutorial because the end panels do double duty here to cover them. So they provide the usual structure for the open pouch, but the bottom seam of these panels are sewn in such as way as to wrap around and hide the raw edge seam inside.
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| End panels are finished with a bit of hand sewing... |
However... due to the variation in seam allowance measurements that
typically arise in a project like this — especially when a zipper
installation is part of the process — the length of that inside seam can
vary.
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| The square bottom of the open pouch... |
And the creator of the tutorial actually anticipated this and mentioned that
it's a good idea to measure this seam at this time, before cutting
the fabric for the end panels.
However, I had marked out the dimensions of her pattern pieces well
beforehand and had already sewn together the two panels from some odd size
scraps. I didn't have any extra fabric remaining to make them bigger and had
decided that whatever variance might result, I'd deal with it.
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| Reason to wait until the pouch is almost finished to make the end flap pieces... |
For a variety of reasons (none of which are important enough to expound
upon), this inside seam came out to be much longer than I anticipated. Given
my circumstances, there wasn't much that I could do to "deal with it",
either, so I just decide to live with it.
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| Alternate view... |
Finishing off the pouch requires a bit of hand sewing, to secure the top of these end panels to the main body on either side of the zipper opening.
Before I forget, let me say that this particular tutorial is very well executed and I like how simple the steps are. If you want to make one of these pouches and plan to use just "regular" fabric, you'll likely get great results following this video. Just be sure to wait until you have your inside seam sewn up before you cut the end panels.
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| View of the bottom when closed... |
In the end, does it matter that the outside of this pouch is prettier than the inside? Not at all. I'm not one to chase
perfection and when something is functional for its intended purpose,
that's what counts.
Of course, I would have a slightly different opinion if I were making
handmade things for sale, but luckily — and quite honestly, this is one of the things I've been extremely grateful for over the past decade — I've not had to rely on
that tricky venture to support my sewing hobby.
One final observation about potential uses for a pouch like this. I've seen at least two YouTube videos showing the inside decked out with pockets. One by Ae PooiM with a title of DIY : Makeup Cosmetic Bag (that was uploaded August 16, 2022) is a good one to check out if you want a version of this project with more structure.
'Til next...
'Til next...
You did a great job! Your made fabric and quilting is next level. Love it. I have this pattern but haven't made it yet. In the video I saw, it looked tricky to get those side panels installed over the area where the zipper made a lot of thickness to stitch through.
ReplyDeleteKathleen - kakingsbury at verizon dot net