How to make a gadget pouch

1. Materials & tools

Materials (standard size)

• Main fabric (canvas, nylon or heavy cotton) — about 50 × 40 cm (20 × 16 in)
• Lining fabric (light cotton, or mesh) — the same amount
• Pocket fabric (mesh lets you see the contents) — about 30 × 20 cm (12 × 8 in)
• Fusible interfacing — for the main fabric
• Flat elastic (1.5 cm / ⅝ in wide) — about 40 cm (16 in)
• Zip — long enough to run around three sides

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 “Bags” → “Gadget pouch” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the finished width, height, gusset and pocket height. Presets cover small, standard and large.
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 (base on the fold), the pockets and the elastic backing strips.
2. Cut
   Cut the body in main and lining, one or two pockets and one or two backing strips.
3. Apply interfacing
   Fuse interfacing to the main fabric so it holds its shape when open.

4. Sewing

4-1. Make and attach the pockets

1. Turn the top edge of each pocket under twice and stitch. With mesh, bind the top edge with bias tape instead.
2. Stitch a pocket to one face of the lining and divide it vertically into two or three compartments.
3. Backstitch at the top of each dividing line.

4-2. Add the elastic loops

1. Lay the elastic across the other face of the lining, cover it with the backing strip, and stitch across at both ends and at each division.
2. Space the divisions 3–5 cm (1½–2 in) apart so a cable slots into each.
3. Leave the elastic slack as you sew. Stitched taut, nothing will fit under it.
4. Do all of this while everything is still flat.

4-3. Insert the zip

1. Lay the zip along the top edge and around both upper sides — three sides in all — sandwiched between main and lining, and sew.
2. Open the fabrics away and topstitch close to the teeth.
3. The three-sided zip is what lets it open flat like a book.

4-4. Sew the sides and gusset

1. Open the zip halfway, arrange main to main and lining to lining, and sew the remaining side seams. Leave a 10 cm (4 in) gap in the lining.
2. Pinch the base corners into triangles and sew across at the gusset depth.
3. Turn through the gap, close it and push the lining in.

✏️ Sew the elastic slack, not taut. About 5 mm of slack per compartment is what lets both a thin cable and a chunky charger fit under it. Stitched tight, the loops are decorative.

5. Tips & variations

• Mesh pockets: you can see what is in them without opening anything.
• The zip must go round three sides: with a zip along the top only, this is just a pouch. The book opening is the entire point.
• Keep it slim: a 5 cm gusset is plenty. Deeper and it stops fitting inside a bag.