The Janie Pouch

I’m on a project bag kick right now! I was really drawn to this pattern by Kaya Papaya because of the cute pleated bottom section. I decided to make this with all quilting cotton as a first go around but I added fusible fleece to give it some body. Another modification I did was to add a slip pocket all the way across the lining on both sides so there is room to tuck things like scissors and needles. I just think that’s more helpful. Although this project turned out super cute, it is really too small to be a project bag. But it would work as a makeup bag or just to hold some sewing/crafting supplies.

I was able to find several Youtube tutorials for this bag, which was super helpful because I was having a lot of trouble visualizing how the pleats were supposed to fold. Even with the video I had to redo it three times until I figured out which lines I was supposed to fold on! I’ve linked the video that I used below. The video is a bit slow but I like the way she cuts the outer fabric as one piece and then does all the pleats at once and then cuts them apart. This saves a lot of time (unless you’re like me and cut on the totally wrong line and have to redo the whole thing!!). I found the perfect zipper to match with the fabric but, even though it says it’s a #5 zipper, it’s a little less wide than the other #5 zippers I have. I just had to be careful when sewing it together.

All in all this was a fun project to sew and would make a cute gift bag with something tucked inside. And since it was so small, I had plenty of fabric left so decided to make two at once. One version uses the dark purple fabric as the lining and the other uses the pink print. It was really amazing how much time you can save by making two at once! I was hoping that was the case (haven’t done any assembly-line sewing yet). It gives me great hope for increasing my speed efficiency in the future!

The Details:
Pattern: The Janie Pouch by Kaya Papaya Designs - free pattern linked in the Youtube video below!
Zippers: #5 mustard yellow with bronze metallic coil by My Handmade Space
Interfacing: SF101 and Fusible Fleece
Finished bag size: 9”w x 6”h x 3”d

Fabrics
Exterior: Wildflower in Fushia by Cotton + Steel
Interior: Eggplant Grunge by Moda

Video Tutorial by Kaya Papaya