I have lots of purses and pouches as you might imagine and they are all great and I use every one. But I cannot see what is inside them as a rule. At the moment I am after a pouch where I can see at a glance what is inside, something for photos when I go to my art group or a small sewing project. It needs to be be slim profile so that it fits in anywhere and I really wanted it to be easy to open and close.

I decided to use a flex frame for this and I am aware that these are called different things in different places so here is a photo of the one that I have used and to let you know that I bought mine from a shop that sells general bag things here in Germany. Amazon and eBay have them too so have a nose around.

Flex Frames can be made at home too although I have never tried this but YouTube and places like it have tutes showing how to make them from metal measuring tapes. If you try this, do let me know how you get on.

But I am going to use a shop bought one and a couple of Fat Quarters of fabric plus a piece of clear PVC for the ‘window’

What do we need then:

• a FQ of fabric for the binding and the back. I have used canvas for one, linen for another so really, anything goes! You could use a pretty quilting cotton fabric too.

TIP: if you are using quilting cotton, attach a whisper thin fusible interfacing to the wrong side to make it more substantial. I love G740 by Vlieseline which is like fine cheesecloth with glue one side. Anything like this will work.

• a couple of scraps of fabric to coordinate with your main fabric for the flex frame casing. Check the cutting list for sizes to see if yours fit.
• a couple of scraps of cotton fabric to line the flex frame casing. You won’t see this so it is a great place to use a scrap. Again, check the cutting list for sizes
• a piece of clear PVC about 7″ sq.
• a small scrap of foam interfacing 7 1/2″ sq. I am using Style-vil by Vlieseline
• a 6 1/4″ flex frame
• your usual sewing kit including some washi tape or similar low-tack tape and some 1/4″ wide double sided tape

Cutting list:

From the outer fabric:

• 2 pieces 6 1/4″ sq. for the back and the lining
• 18″ bias tape cut 1 1/2″ wide

From the coordinating fabric:

• 1 piece 2 1/4″ wide x 6 3/4″ long for the back flex frame casing outer
• 1 piece 2 1/2″ wide x 6 3/4″ long for the front flex frame casing outer

From the lining fabric:

• 1 piece 2 1/4″ wide x 6 3/4″ long for the back flex frame casing lining
• 1 piece 2 1/2″ wide x 6 3/4″ long for the front flex frame casing lining

TIP: Choose a thinner cotton fabric for the lining of the casings. I have given this option in case you are using canvas or denim or something like that for the outer casing. It is usually too thick to line with as you will see when we get to that bit.

From the clear PVC:

• 1 piece 6 1/4″ sq.

There are no cutting notes for the Style-vil foam interfacing. You need a scrap which is about 3/4″ – 1″ larger all around.

Let’s begin by making the flex frame casings. Take a piece of casing outer and a piece of lining and place them right sides together. Remember that the front casing is 1/4″ wider than the back. The lining will be too so check that you have the right pieces together. Sew the short ends only

Turn the casings the right way out and press so that the ends are perfect. This casing has to be exactly 6 1/4″ long so if it is longer (or shorter), go back and adjust the seam allowance on one of the short ends (doesn’t matter which) to fix it.

Repeat for the other casing. Put the narrower back casing aside for the moment ( the 2 1/4″ wide one) and concentrate on the wider front casing. Fold one long side towards the lining by 1/2″ and press sharply. This detail will be useful when it is put onto the PVC. We will get to that in a bit.

The other (back) casing is just folded in half lengthways so that the lining is hidden and pressed to make it neat. I like to baste the layers together too. This helps them to play nice when we put them onto the back panel. Put these aside for the minute.

The next job on the list is to attach the backing to the foam interfacing. Before this happens, make sure that both the backing and the back lining are a prefect 6 1/4″ square and round the two bottom corners on both. Put one piece aside for the lining

TIP: don’t have a ‘proper’ round ruler? No worries at all! Just use any round object to draw around. I will often use a teacup. This time, it is a small round thing off my desk. It really doesn’t matter.

Now lay the other piece onto the foam interfacing. The foam interfacing is a tiny bit larger to allow for stretching of the fabric so put it right on one edge like this

Sew that edge first with a machine basting stitch and then the other sides too, gently making sure that the fabric is smooth by keeping a gentle, even tension on it

Trim the foam interfacing back all around

Now we need the interfaced outer, the un-interfaced lining and the narrow back casing that you just folded, pressed and basted. Pin or clip the folded casing to the interfaced outer

Now machine baste that on with a normal 1/4″ seam. Pin or clip the lining on over the top with the right sides together and sew right along

Flip the layers the right way out and topstitch twice (the first pass about 1/8″ along and then 1/4″ under that) to finish the back

I like to baste the layers together on the sides and base too to stop them from flapping about which makes the binding easier

The back is finished now so you can put it aside. We are on to the front! Before we begin, don’t even THINK about pinning the PVC! You will make holes and scars which cannot be removed. This is where you need clips and if you don’t have them, clothes pegs or even washi tape can work well.

Begin by rounding the two lower corners of the PVC as you did for the back pieces. I have put washi tape on the edges of mine so that you can see the rounding (and so can I!). The tape also means that the normal presser foot will glide more easily. Now take the remaining casing and clip it right sides together onto the top edge of the PVC. The casing side that you want is the one without the fold (the fold should be at the bottom at this point)

Sew that bit on and then bring the front part up and finger press. I am using the Clover Roll and Press here which is perfect (an iron is a bad idea)

Flip the casing over to the back and use the bottom edge of the fold to line everything up. Tape that to the PVC on the back with the narrow double sided tape so that it runs along the bottom edge of the front of the casing. You will have a nice clear line of stitches to follow to get this right

Turn back to the front and topstitch along about 1/8″ in from the lower edge. This will topstitch and close the casing and make it neat on both sides. Take the tape off that edge (it may fight a bit)

Now take the front and the back panels and place the front onto the back, lining up the front and back casing at the top. Clip and sew the sides and base of the pouch.

TIP: there is often a little bit of shift (especially when sewing something like PVC) so trimming is needed to get everything perfect. Mine managed to run off a little on the bottom edge despite watching it constantly! Keep the casings aligned (the most important thing) and trim the sides and base of the pouch as needed.

Finally we need to bind that edge. Remove any tape. I bind the front by machine and finish off on the back by hand because I find it neater but you can do it anyway you like. To begin with we need to make the folds on the tape so it is back to the iron. Fold in half lengthways with the wrong sides facing and press then fold the two long raw edges to that centre crease and press again. This gives you a guide for sewing too.

Open the tape out and clip it to the edge of the case. The binding should be snug up against the bottom edge of the casing

On the top, fold the tape over by about 1/2″. This gives a neat and secure edge

Sew right around and when you get to the other end, stop and trim the tape allowing for a 1/2″ fold there too. Finish sewing

TIP: bias binding stretches so it is best to sew most of the way around and then trim and fold the remaining end so that you can be sure that it is neat.

Fold the bias binding to the back and using your creases as a guide, fold the raw edge in and clip

Sew the back by hand or machine as you prefer

The last thing to do is to insert the flex frame. It will have a permanent pin one end and you will have a spare pin to put into the other end. Usually the spare pin is floating around in the bottom of the packaging so take care not to lose it, it is quite tiny. Open the frame out and slide it into the casings. Slide both pieces in at the same time

Fit the open end together and put the pin in. There will be a little lug (or two) to fold down too so that the pin stays in. You will need pliers for this job

Arrange the casing along the frame (it will sit quite flat) and we are done!

Thank you for visiting me today. I hope that you like this pattern and that you have made at least one.

These are another great way to use scraps and small pieces of fabric and interfacing. They make great gifts too.

See you next time!

Hugs

Debbie xx