Pleated Pouch Tutorial

First, print and cut out these four patterns:  one, two, three, four.  Round off the corners if you desire with the circle on the pattern.  I did on my pouch, but you can leave it so it has sharper corners if you’d like.  **The pattern for the pocket is small—you might want to make it bigger.  I think I will next time.  As it is, it fits a standard size credit card, but two pockets side by side might be nicer.**

What You’ll Need:

fabric for outer

fabric for lining and band

20” piping, cut into two 10” pieces

9” zipper

interfacing

(all seams are 1/4”)

Cut out your fabric and interfacing according to the pattern pieces you printed off. 

Take one of your band pieces and line up the raw edge of the piping.  If you are unfamiliar on how to sew on piping, I found a helpful tutorial here on The Cottage Home. I won’t go into as many details here, so if unsure, click on over there!

You’ll want to stitch just to the left of the stitching already on the piping. 

Next line up the band with the 10” edge of one of the outer pieces of fabric, like this.

Pin, and stitch even further to the left of what you stitched above on the band and piping part alone.

Press the seam down towards the body of the purse.  

You can topstitch at this point.  I think I actually prefer it not topstitched (which is why I left the opposite side without it). 

Repeat previous steps with the other band and piping.  Pin and sew the band onto the other outer piece.

On the pattern piece with the pleats, instead of marking the pleat placement, I just cut tiny slits where the lines were for the pleats.  You can see them here:   

Now take the fabric to be pleated, and mark a line 1” from the side, as follows.

So when you sew your pleats, since the bag has an angular edge, try and keep the fabric even when folding down.  Like this:

NOT like this:

You can see that since it is angled, the pleats don’t match up on the ends.  That is ok!  Just backstitch at the beginning and end of each pleat—ending the pleat at the 1” line you marked. 

After sewing the three pleats on one side, press down and stitch along the edge to hold them in place.  Repeat for the pleats on the other side of the fabric. 

Iron on your interfacing pieces.  The pocket interfacing just goes on half the pocket piece.

To make the optional pocket, fold it in half, right sides together.  Leave a 2-3” opening to turn.  Clip corners and turn.

Topstitch one of the edges for the top of the pocket, then pin it onto the right side of the lining and topstitch around all but the top.

 

Almost done!  Time for the zipper.  Lay one of the lining pieces, right side up.  Then the zipper, right side up.  Lay one of the outer pieces, right side down over that.  Pin, and using a zipper foot, sew the 3 layers together.  See next 5 pictures. 

  

Now flip over the outer piece, then flip the lining under the outer piece.  Topstitch close to the zipper teeth.  (Next 4 pictures)   

Now repeat those steps with the remaining lining and outer pieces.  The next 4 pictures show how to lay your pieces of fabric.   Don’t forget to topstitch as you did above once the outer and lining are sewed to the zipper.    

Now take the two outer pieces of fabric, right sides together.  Flip them to the side and place the lining pieces right sides together. 

Sew lining pieces together, leaving a 4” gap at the bottom for turning.  Make sure not to catch the zipper when sewing the lining pieces.  Just sew to the zipper, otherwise the corners of the bag look wrong when finished. 

Before sewing the outer pieces together, unzip the zipper a bit.

Sew the outer pieces right sides together, like you did with the lining.  Pull the purse through the lining, then sew the gap in the lining closed.  Tuck in the lining, iron the pleats down, and you are finished!