Pinch Pouch

August 21st, 2008

I have always wanted to make a pinch pouch and I finally did. Here is an illustrated tutorial on how I made my pouch using a flexible pinch frame. (Though here is another tutorial for how to sew a pouch using this kind of frame.) They are easy enough to make though maybe not as a first project kind of easy.

Essentially, to make this pinch pouch, you sew up the bottom part so it is the width of the frame you are using. Then you add on a front casing, and back casing so the frame slips through it at either end. It’s a bit like making an elastic channel but with two openings, on both sides of the pouch. My frame was 4.5″ wide so I was still able to sew the casing using my machine but any smaller and it would needed to be hand sewn.

I have made a few of these now and they work better when the fabric “channel” that that frame itself slips into is not too thick. In the pouch above, there is only one layer of quilting cotton and the pouch itself was not quilted with batting so it worked great. I found what worked best was using a lightweight interfacing rather than batting between my two cotton fabrics. When the purse or the channel was too bulky the frame did not close as nicely. This pouch is super fantastic and I’ve been using it for pencils, scissors–you name it. I’m digging on the pinch purse frame idea.

Here is the image of the directions that come with the frame so you can see how they work. The frame I used measures 4.5″ wide.

I bought my frames from alittlegoodness’ Etsy shop and she has another set here. I have also found some suppliers in the U.S. that carry them though I have not personally bought from them and they all seem a bit smaller.

• Persnickety Patterns carries a 2.5″ frame and a 3.5″ frame here. (scroll down)
• Lacis carries a 3.5″ wide frame here.
• Tall Poppy Crafts carries a 3.75″ wide, here.
• Ah Kwok Buckles carries larger quantities of the 3.5″ frames here in case you get carried away though they are based in Hong Kong. (They also sell them through Ebay here.)

Fabrics used are a cotton/linen blend from namolio’s Etsy shop pictured here and a vintage thrifted piece pictured here.

Entry Filed under: sewing, step-by-step