this is a simple elastic grid organizer designed to fit in the side pocket of my cargo pants. you can tweak the design to make it whatever size you want. you can use wider elastic, or if you need a larger area, you can weave it so that there is a double wide section.

Step 1: Materials Needed

To build this like mine, you will need:

1" wide elastic, 3 yards is plenty

stiff cardboard or other substance for base. I used a section cut from the cover of a 3-ring binder

duct tape

needle and thread

Step 2: Create the Base

cut out a rectangle to the size you want it. make sure the dimensions are evenly divisible by the width of your elastic. my elastic was 1" wide. I cut out a rectangle 5" x 4" and covered the cut edges with duct tape.

Step 3: Cut Your Elastic.

you want the elastic to fit snug around the base. for this one, I cut five strips at just shy of 8 inches, and four strips at just shy of 10 inches

Step 4: Stitch the Small Loops Together

using a needle and thread, stitch the ends of the short pieces together to make a loop. do this for all 5 of the short pieces.

Step 5: Attach Short Loops

place the short loops onto the base

Step 6: Weave in the Long Strips

weave in the long strips. I just went with a standard weave pattern. if you have a larger item you wish to hold in this, you may need to adjust your weave to leave a wider section. once woven through, hold the ends together with a pair of pliers and stitch them together. these are harder to stitch because the elastic has to be stretched and in place when being stitched.

Step 7: Fill It Up

once completed, start placing your small objects into the loops. you can use the front and back and it will hold a good bit of stuff. you can always mix it up when you need to change something.

this is designed for the side pocket in cargo pants, but would work well for in a bag/purse.