Small snap pouch tutorial

This pouch is a great way to show off a couple of favorite fabrics you have very small pieces of. Both fabrics I used were actually scraps left over from a couple of recent refashion projects, but you can use any cotton or cotton-blend fabric you like.

The whole project took me about 15 minutes, start to finish. This pouch would be a special way to present a gift card, or perfect for laundry money, a few dollars, or postage stamps. Enjoy!

Any finished pouches can be shared at the Sweetfern Handmade Flickr Group!

Supplies:

Two pieces of coordinating cotton fabric, each no less than 6 x 10"
Graph paper
Scissors, thread, sewing machine
Ruler
Snap punch with snaps
Credit card, or something similar in size, to create your template

Everyone should own a snap punch. They're darn handy, and useful. I bought mine (complete with refills) for about $8 at Joann Fabrics. If, of course, you don't own a snap punch, you can make this almost as easily with sew-on snaps. Or a button, if you want to be fancy.

Anyway.

Step one: Tear off a sheet of graph paper. Set your card down on the paper, in the middle near the bottom of the sheet. (But not too close.)

Draw a box around it, following the graph paper lines.

Slide your card up above the box you just drew, and draw another box.

Add half an inch (graph-paper squares) to the top of your drawing.

Extend the two sides up another inch above the top:

Now, find the mid-point, and draw a line up from the middle of your diagram. Make the line about three inches long (that's 12 graph-paper squares)

Break out your ruler, and connect the tops of the lines into a point. This will be the flap of your purse.

You should have this:

Now, add an extra half-inch all the way around.

Cut it out, and you have your pattern.

Trace around your pattern once on each of your fabrics.

Cut them out.

Lay the two pieces on top of each other, right sides together.

Starting at the bottom, and using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, stitch almost all the way around the perimeter. Make sure you leave a gap so you'll be able to turn it right side out!

A close-up of my gap:

Trim your corners:

Turn it right side out, gently using a crochet hook or pencil to poke out the corners.

You can iron it now, if you'd like. Because I am lazy, I did not iron.

Find your gap, and turn the raw edges to the inside. Finger-press, and topstitch across the bottom.

Now, fold up your pouch. One seam left to go!

Starting at the bottom of one side, stitch all the way up and around the outside of your pouch. I used a 1/4 inch allowance, again.

Fold the flap down, and figure out where you want to put your snaps. Mark where they're going to go on the flap and the body of the pouch.

Following the directions on your snap-punch (or using needle and thread) affix your snaps to the spots.

Load it up and you're ready to go!