Easy, Lined Pouch

Welcome back to Sew Knit Home, the blog! I know it's been a while (again) since I've posted anything.; 2025 has been a rough year. But if you follow along on Instagram, you've seen some of the smaller projects I've been working on as I've been able. I also have an account on Threads now, but it has a bit less emphasis on crafting and is more of a hodgepodge of random thoughts. Feel free to stop by and check it out; there's a link at the top of the Linktree page.

As the title of this post suggests, we'll be going over how to easily make a lined pouch in any size you like. You can make these pouches for gifts, organization, or whatever you need. I like to use them to store small craft supplies and organize my purse. There's a YouTube video sew-a-long with the directions as well, but if you prefer written directions, this is the place! We'll start with how to draft the design for it, see how to assemble the pieces, and then put on the finishing touches. Keep reading!

Materials:

• Cotton fabric
• Thread
• Sew-on or magnetic snap
• Scissors 
• Sewing machine or hand sewing needle 
• Paper, ruler, and pencil (for pattern drafting)
• Button (optional) 

Designing the Pouch

The first thing we need to do is determine the size. You can customize this design to the size you need, so I won't be too specific with numbers and measurements. For this part of the example, I'm using a gift-card size, so that the whole drawing will fit on one page. When we get to the actual fabric portion, you'll see my project is larger than that; the assembly process is the same regardless of actual size. You'll need to measure the item(s) you want to keep in the pouch, both the height and width. If it's a bulky item, you'll need to measure how thick it is as well. Write down those measurements, grab extra paper, a pencil, and a ruler, and let's start sketching it out. (If you choose to do a straight rectangular pouch, you might not need to sketch.)

We'll start with the desired finished size, which is based on your initial measurements, then add in some ease. If your intended item is very thin, like a gift card, you won't need tons of ease. One-quarter inch, or even three-eighths, should work fine. If your item is bulky at all, you'll want to add more ease. Start with the measurement for the thickness of the item, and then add a bit more, at least one-quarter inch. If the item is roundish, like a bottle of hand sanitizer, you could even add a half-inch or three-quarters. It's better to be a little loose than to be so snug you have to wrestle it in every time. Because we're not using specific numbers, I have a couple of formulas to help.

Width = Size + Ease

and

Height = (Size + Ease) x 2

Please note that is only for the body of the pouch. Next, we'll need to add the flap. You're designing the pouch, so feel free to get creative with it! You can add a straight, curved, or triangular flap, but if you're going for easy, straight is the easiest. I usually aim to have the total height of the flap be about 1/3 to 1/4 the height of the pouch, but again, you can design it however you like. If you decided to use a straight flap, once you have determined the flap height, you can just go ahead and add it to the pouch height, then move on to the seam allowances.

For a triangular or curved flap, sketching it out will probably be easier, even if you have to tape a few pieces of paper together. If you haven't already been sketching it, draw a rectangle with the the measurements you determined above for the width and height, making sure to leave space around the edges. Don't forget to draw a straight line across the center of the rectangle (that will be a fold line later). Next, we'll find the center of the top line, and measure straight up from there, marking the height of your desired flap. You can connect that point to the side edges with straight lines for a triangular flap, or use a curved ruler for a curved flap. You could also mark the height off-center, for an asymmetrical flap!

Now, for the seam allowances (SA). If you're making a straight flap, you can just add on the seam allowances, and you'll have the final pouch dimensions. You likely won't even need to do a sketch, you can just measure out the rectangle directly on the fabric, and cut it. Here are some quick formulas.

Total width = (SA x 2) + width

and

Total height = (SA x 2) + (height + flap)

If you're doing a shaped flap and sketching it out, to add the seam allowances, you'll want to measure out the allowance amount from the edges of your sketch. For example, I used 1/2" seam allowances, so I measured a half inch out at the top and bottom of each side (including the flap; if it's curved, mark multiple points out from it and connect the dots) and then drew lines to connect the dots. You should end up with something like the image to the side. Once you have that, you can cut it out, lay it out with your fabric, and start cutting. You'll need two pieces of fabric.

Assembling the Pouch

Now that you have two pieces of fabric cut to the shape you drafted, we can start putting it together. One piece will the lining of the pouch, and the other will be the main fabric for the outside of the pouch. We'll start by marking fold lines, and then folding and pressing the front edges. Each piece has three fold lines. The first is along the bottom edge, above the seam allowance, the second is right across the middle of the body of the pouch, and the third is that top edge where the flap meets the body of the pouch, as shown in the drafting illustration.

Once those are marked, we'll turn the fabric so the wrong side is facing up, and make the first fold along that first line on the bottom edge. The folded section should be equal to your chosen seam allowance. I like to press it thoroughly after folding it, so the edge stays put. We need to do this on both pieces of fabric.

Next, fold each piece along the middle fold line, right sides together. The side edges should line up, and the previously folded edge should match up with the top fold line. I like to press the second fold as well. Then, start sewing. We need to sew up each side of both pieces of fabric, using the seam allowances from the drafting phase. If you wanted to be a bit more precise, you could sew slightly less seam allowance on the main fabric piece than the lining, for example, scant 1/2" instead of regular 1/2". This creates some ease, which makes it easier to tuck in the lining, but if there's too much ease, it will be harder to sew the edges together later. The very first fold we made will get sewn down in the seams. Trim or pink the seam allowances.

Now it's time for fabric origami! I'm kidding. . . mostly. But this is the fancy part of the tutorial. Once all four sides are sewn up, lay out one piece (it doesn't matter which one) with the flap pointing toward you and the right side of the flap facing up. Take the other piece, and line it up on top of the first one with the right side of the flap facing down. Match up the stitching lines, and the folded edges so they're even, then pin them together along the edges of the flap. Now we need to sew the two flaps together without catching those folded edges in the seam. You can feel the ridge where the edges are, and use that to line up the fabric under the needle. Stitch along the edges of the flap, and stop stitching just before the folded edges. When you reach the corner(s) of the flap, you can use the spare thread method, a different method, or just pivot normally (unless you're making a curved flap without corners, then just stitch normally).

When you've finished stitching, double check and make sure the folded edges didn't get caught in the
seam. Then it's back to the ironing board. After a quick trim, I like to fold and press the seam allowances of the flap. It makes it a little easier to turn the flap right side out, especially if it's a smaller size pouch. Once that's done, turn the flap right side out and press it flat.

Next, turn the main fabric right side out. Then, while your iron is still warmed up, fold in and press the seam allowances of the lining fabric. We're not going to be turning the lining; after the seam allowances are folded and pressed, tuck the lining into the main fabric piece. You'll probably need to wiggle it around a bit, and use a point turner or small sewing ruler to get the corners tucked in all the way. When that's done, the first folded edges should line up evenly. Now it just needs some finishing touches!

Finishing Touches

To finish off the pouch, you can either use a hand-sewn slipstitch to connect the lining and main fabrics, or you can topstitch it on the sewing machine. If you decide to topstitch it, it helps to pin everything in place, because you'll need to wiggle and manipulate the fabric a bit to keep the edge straight under the needle. Stitch about 1/8" from the edge, turning and rotating the fabric as necessary, so that the edge stays straight all the way around, and removing the pins as you go. I like to skip backstitching at the start, and only do it at the end, where the stitches meet up; I sew over a couple of the starting stitches, then backstitch as usual to help smooth out the stitching line. I also like to give the whole pouch a final press, especially the flap. Pressing the flap down creates a crease that helps keep the fold nice and sharp.

After that, all you need to do is attach a closure. I like to use sew-on snaps, but you could also use magnetic snaps; if you have snap fasteners that require a tool to apply, those would work as well.

That's it! Your lined pouch is ready to use. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and found it helpful. Until next time, happy crafting!