Small Card Pouch

I don't know what it is about bags and purses, but I am a total hoarder of any that come along. As my friend Jan says, 'I never saw a bag I didn't like.'

Likewise, I collect patterns and tutorials for making all manner of bags. One that has been worming its way through my brain for over a month is this tutorial for a small snap bag to hold cards - gift cards or business cards or credit cards. I saw it on Instagram, saved it, and have watched it a gazillion times.

Finally, I had all the materials for making this little card holder.

My test attempts are the blue and pink ones in the middle of this array. Actually, another blue one is already in use in my purse, and the other pink one turned out to be sewn - and cut - wrong, so it was a loss.

 

Hoping that I would have a chance to try making these, I brought a stack of random florals with me to Florida. I then ordered a snap kit which includes an rather intimidating device for securing snaps into fabric. On a recent trip to Hobby Lobby, I bought a yard of medium-weight fusible interfacing. 

Then I dove right in to creating some little bags! They are so fun. And after my initial bumbling efforts, I became rather proficient with the snap tool; I streamlined the cutting and folding and I also incorporated some cutting and turning tricks. These sorts of things weren't shown in the tutorial, but any experienced seamstress knows these tips - grading seams and clipping curves, for example. 

The snap kit I bought has a wide variety of colors, and it was fun to pull out snaps for these few pouches. And it came with so many; I'll have to make several hundred before I run out! You can see a few of the color options in the top photo.

I will definitely be making more. I can think of so many ways in which to use them. The one in my purse is keeping a few random gift cards secure. I don't carry very many business cards, but I'll likely use one for keeping a few essential ones in place. 

I'm thinking of how nice these would be at Christmas time or other gift-giving occasions. 

This was a fun little diversion after finishing the layer cake quilt top. Next up, I will pull out the Grandmother's Flower Garden and get to work on appliqueing the border. This will be a worthwhile activity for evenings. Machine time will likely find me pulling out the Wenselydale blocks and beginning to stitch together that quilt top.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne