Pleated Pouch

For this little project, I decided to use the tutorials from Skip to my Lou and Craftster to get the best of both worlds.
I love the smaller size and the zipper from the pleated pouch, but also the flap closure on the iridescent pouch. To add more versatility, I added a wrist strap so it can be carried as a clutch or wristlet. And because I really, really love interior pockets I included one of these as well.
Depending on the fabric you use this could be anything from cosmetics bag to evening purse, and it can of course hold a handful of smaller gifts as well!

Materials
½ yard of outer fabric
1 fat quarter for lining
7” zip
Decorative button
snap closure
Scrap piece of stiff interfacing
Matching thread

After cutting out all the pattern pieces, I started out by making the wrist strap and the flap for the closure – it ineeds to long enough to go over both top pieces.  I hemmed the top of the inner pocket and basted it to one of the lining pieces. This way I could treat the pocket and lining as one piece.
Because I wanted a stiff pouch that could hold his own, and to make sure the patterned lining does not show through the outer fabric, I ironed some stiff interfacing onto the back of the lining.
Then I followed the instructions for the pleated pouch, and inserted the flap for the closure before sewing the back top to the back bottom.

Before joining the side seams, I sandwiched the wrist strap between the layers of outer fabric and finished the little pouch according to the tutorial.

The final touch is the button, which really gives the pouch some character, and the snap closures (for faster and easier opening than with an actual button and buttonhole). I can’t wait to make this out of different fabrics and maybe some fused plastic bags?