Hi there! I’m Jess from Craftiness is not Optional and I have a fun little project to share today!

Introducing (for a second time) the handy dandy Viewmaster pouch!

  It’s lined!

It has a pocket for slides!

 It ties up with a drawstring!

I made one of these last summer for Sadie, and we’ve used it ever since. It’s fabulous for keeping all those little slides in one place, and easy for her to use also! However, the minute I saw this amazing fabric I had to have me some to make another pouch! Not that we need one, but I wanted to do a tutorial this time, and this fabric is perfect! So, would you like to make one? Here’s the how to!

You’ll need:
fabric (a fat quarter of shell and lining fabric does just fine.)
batting
3″ piece of sew in velcro
one yard of ribbon or twill tape
rotary cutter and mat are handy
other sewing stuff (machine, thread, button holer, etc)

So first I cut out my pieces.

For the batting, I cut one piece 14.5″x9″, and one piece 5.5″x6.5″.

For the shell fabric, I cut one piece 19″x9″, and two pieces 5.5″x6.5″.

For the lining, I cut one piece 18″x8.5″.

First off I made the pocket.

1. I laid out the pocket pieces (the 5.5″x6.5″ pieces of the shell and batting), the shell pieces right sides together (RST), with the batting on top.

2. Then I pinned it together and sewed around the pocket (1/4″ seam), leaving a 2 inch opening on one of the longer sides. Then I turned it right side out using that opening and pressed it with my iron.

3. Then I pinned where my opening was, and sewed along that side to close it up.  Set the pocket aside.

Then I laid my large batting piece on top of the wrong side of my shell fabric, lining up the long edges, and leaving 1.75″ on either short end. I then basted the batting and shell fabric together along the sides.

Then I took my 3″ piece of velcro and positioned it on the wrong side of my pocket (near the top), and sewed one piece to that.

Then I folded the shell and batting piece in half like so, the fold is to the left in this picture. I laid out the pocket where I wanted it, about 1 inch from the folded bottom and centered in the middle.

Then I positioned the other piece of velcro on the shell fabric, pinned, and sewed that on.

Then I pinned the pocket on, and sewed along the remaining three sides.

 

1. Then I ironed down the portion of material on top til it met the top of the batting. (do the same for the lining.)
2. I then found a button to make the right size button holes for my casing size.
3. Make buttonholes in the casing (the part you ironed down) Rip open buttonholes with your seam ripper.

1. Then I inserted the lining into the shell, wrong sides together, lined up the side seams…pinned all around…
2. and sewed them together along the top, about 1/8″ from the edge.
3. then I sewed around again to make the casing, a little less than an inch from my previous stitches. I used my grid on my sewing machine to help line it up and keep it straight.

Then, thread your ribbon or twill tape through the casing with a safety pin, and you’re done! A fun little case for a Viewmaster, or to store other toys in…Polly Pockets,  etc. Its great for traveling with kids.

Thanks so much to Becky for having me here!