Pocket Bag With Printer Friendly Pattern

The universal mantra for when you walk out the door is "Wallet, phone, keys." The holy trinity of not screwing yourself over for the day. A friend of mine had a pocket bag that held this and only this with a two pockets. One on the back for your phone and wallet and a smaller pouch under a flap for your keys. However, she'd used it up. As in, it was hardly holding together and looked more like an artifact than a piece of clothing. So I took some time to recreate the pattern and made a bag as close to the original as possible.Once I had the basic pattern, I busted out a couple of prototypes to check the design and then dove into it. Since the pattern was working pretty well, I put it up here as a printable pattern. Or, if you are one of those people who gets greater satisfaction from knowing you could make it, but not having to, I put up a few on Etsy too.

Step 1: Materials

What you'll need:

- About 1/3 of a yard of thin leather or vinyl. A half of a small hide is enough, but you'll want it to be a longer rectangle than a square piece if possible. Longer pieces make sewing the strap much, much easier.

- About 1/3 yard of a lining material. You won't use it all, but a quarter yard won't have the width you'll need.

- Two 1/2" d-rings

- Two 1/2" clasps

- One 1/2" slider

- Two magnetic snap closures

Step 2: Pattern

This first image is an expanded view of the bag. If you can read my scrawling, you may be a genius for I am certainly not an engineer.

The next two images are the pattern. Since it's a small bag, you can print out the pattern and give it a shot. Click on the thumbnails to open the images and print each on an 8.5"x11" sheet of paper. I put the measurements for reference, but slightly smaller or slightly larger shouldn't be a problem as long as it's consistent between the two pages.

It's up to you to decide how you want the front flap to look. You can put a buckle, a design, a patchwork or whatever you like. This is where you can be creative. Go to town.

Step 3: Magnetic Snaps

If you are using a light lining material, you should reinforce it with stronger material so it doesn't rip the delicate lining. I used some nylon webbing like you'd have on a backpack strap. If you are using a heavier weight fabric, it shouldn't be an issue.

Step 4: D-Ring Straps

You'll make the two d-ring straps the same way you are going to make the long strap. First, take the piece of leather you've cut out from the pattern and fold it in half lengthwise. Then, sew about 1/8" from the edge. After that, sew 1/8" from the other edge. Fold the new strap in half with the d-ring inside and stitch it onto the back of the leather piece.

Step 5: Baste Stitch and Bias Tape

First, you'll put together the front flap and the lining (with the closure on it) and baste stitch the edges so it doesn't move when you sew on the bias tape. Next, you'll do the same thing for the back, back pocket and front pocket so it looks like the picture.

At this point you have all of the pieces and parts and just need to sew it all together.

Step 6: Sew It Up!

At this point you have all your pieces and parts and you'll need to layer it like a sandwich. Once each layer is in the appropriate order, take the back most panel and put it upside down on the front of the sandwich. This is where we'll be hiding the exterior seam.

I like to use bias tape on the interior seams to clean them up a bit, but it's up to you if you want to go the extra step.

Step 7: Strap

Just like you did with the d-ring straps, you are going to make the strap for your pouch.

Cut out as long of pieces as possible of 1 1/8" wide leather. In total you'll want about 42" if you want an adjustable strap.
If you've cut several shorter pieces, sew these together at right angles so the seam isn't all in one place. If you're not sure what I mean, look here:
Fold it in half lengthwise and sew about 1/8" from the edge
Sew again and by the fold
Add the slider if you want it to be adjustable
Stitch on the clasps

Step 8: Make Another One!

Now that you've got it down, try other ideas. Since it doesn't use much materials you can prototype and keep getting better and better at this little bag.