My niece, Michaela, asked me for a pencil pouch that she could use with her journal. It wasn’t quite that straightforward, but that is what the gist was. She had a use for a pouch that could go around her journal’s cover and hold a few pens. I love a challenge and went looking for a pattern. I didn’t find one in my Bag Patterns db and no mention in my Quilt Books catalog. That was disappointing, but it could be that such a thing wasn’t on my radar and I didn’t note it.
I had to go looking for a pattern and after a few false starts, which I talked about, I found one from Apple Green Cottage, which I liked. It’s free, but you can get a better looking PDF for $5. It is not a difficult project and I even modified it a little bit out of the gate. The project is billed as a 10 minute project. It took me about an hour and I think I might put my zipper foot on next time. I struggled a bit because the vinyl was a bit slippy with the zipper I chose.
I also didn’t have the right sized tool to poke out the corners really well. I still need to work on that. I might talk to Modern American Vintage to see what they can make. First, though, I have to find the right size.
The picture at the top is an example of how it is to be used. I demonstrated for myself on the Make 100 Bags book** as it was a similar size to M’s journal. You can see the elastic at the bottom.
I told M that it was v.1 and to let me know if she needed a v.2. I am concerned with the Aurifil 50wt I used. I think I might need something stronger with the vinyl.
I want to make more of these. They do suggest pleather, vinyl or a similar substrate. I am going to try one out of glitter vinyl when I get my restock order and see if the insides are too sharp. I’d love to make more of them from this flower vinyl just to use it up. We’ll see.
Aside from loving a challenge, I love my niece and the fabulous person she has become. I also love making gifts that people can actually use and want. I used some flowered vinyl I received in an SHH gift box I bought for myself, which was great, because I wasn’t sure when I would use it.
It was a fun project and I like the speed in which I could make it.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this website.
