How to make a health-record book case

1. Materials & tools

Materials (A6 size)

• Main fabric (oxford, linen or canvas) — about 60 × 40 cm (24 × 16 in)
• Lining fabric (light cotton) — the same amount
• Pocket fabric — about 40 × 25 cm (16 × 10 in)
• Firm fusible interfacing — for the main fabric
• Snap fastener or elastic — 1

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Accessories” → “Health-record book case” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the book width, height, thickness and the inner pocket height. Presets cover A6, B6 and A5.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Trace the pattern
   Trace the body and the inner pockets, and mark the center fold on the body.
2. Cut
   Cut the body in main and lining, and one or two pocket pieces.
3. Apply interfacing
   Fuse firm interfacing to the main fabric. Loaded up, this case is heavy, and without interfacing it collapses.

4. Sewing

4-1. Make the pockets

1. Turn the top edge of each pocket under twice and stitch. Always do this first — it cannot be done once the pocket is attached.
2. If you are using two, make them different heights so the contents are easy to tell apart.

4-2. Attach the pockets

1. Lay the pockets on the right side of the lining, aligning the lower and side edges.
2. For card slots, stitch vertically now. About 6 cm (2⅜ in) per card is right. Backstitch at the top of each line — that is where the pocket tears.
3. Baste the lower and side edges within the seam allowance.

4-3. Sew the layers together

1. Place main and lining right sides together and sew around, leaving a 10 cm (4 in) gap.
2. Trim the corners, turn through the gap and press.
3. Topstitch 5 mm from the edge all the way around.

4-4. Fold and add the closure

1. Fold at the center line and press.
2. Put the actual contents in and check how it closes before fitting a snap, or run an elastic band around the spine.

✏️ The thickness setting matters more than it looks. A record book, appointment cards and an insurance card together come to nearly 1.5 cm. Leave that out and the case is pulled open by its own contents.

5. Tips & variations

• Stagger the pockets: card slots at different heights let you see at a glance what is where.
• Add a pen loop: caught in the side seam, so there is always a pen at appointments.
• Also a passbook case: same size, different pocket divisions.