Origami Pocket Pouch Tutorial & Pattern

Really easy project that creates a little pouch with pockets from a square piece of fabric. 

Please note that to make the pouch you need to start with a square piece of fabric that already has finished edges such as a scarf. For my pouches I sewed two square pieces of fabric together with an 1/4" seam allowance and then turned it right side out.

step 1 : Fold the square into 3 equal sections, so that the side flaps overlap equally.

step 2: stitch through all layers of fabric, only where the two side flaps overlap. This will create the pockets.

 

step 3: fold it in half so that the top and bottom flap are together and stitch up the sides*. 

Note: the bottom flap is now a top flap too.

*l stitched as close to the side as possible, since I don't have to worry about raveling 

 

step 4: turn the bag inside out and fold down the top flaps.

step 5: stitch about 1/2" from the top over the top flaps as if you were sewing a sleeve.

step 6: string cord through the sides. Note: in step three if you fold it the other way and sew it up, the pockets will be on the inside.

For my pouches I used a 12"x12" scrapbook sheet as a pattern and with the seam allowances the finished pouch is about 5"x5" in size.

Here's a couple of other pouches I made:

The first one is sewn with the pocket on the outside and the second one is sewn with the pockets on the inside. I experimented with the cherry fabric one at the top. Instead of overlapping the side flaps I folded one side flap on either side. This creates pockets on both the outside and the inside of the pouch. Unfortunately, the pockets created aren't as usable when you do this method, but it does create a nice geometric design.