Keychain Cube Pouch: Free Charm Pack Sewing Pattern

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Today I’m showing you how to make the cutest little cube pouch ever! This zippered pouch measures just 2.5″ x 2.5″ by 2″ tall. It’s perfect for hanging on your keychain to hold little items like headphones, loose change, lip balm, or pretty much anything else you can think of.

Like my pencil case pattern and packing cube pattern, I designed this key chain pouch to work with precut quilting fabrics. For this project, you need four charm squares, which are 5″ precut squares of quilting fabric. If you don’t have a charm pack on hand, you can of course use any fabric you have. You only need a 10″ square of quilting cotton!

Let’s get started!

Sewing Supplies & Notions

• Fabric: 4x 5″ charm pack squares or 1x layer cake fabric (10″ square) or 1x fat quarter (you will have fabric left over) OR any other piece of fabric in the correct dimensions (above)
• Fusible interfacing measuring 10″ by 5″
• 2 pieces of scrap fabric measuring approx. 2.5 x 1.75″
• Keychain hardware such as swivel clips and jump rings
• Zipper foot
• 6″ to 8″ invisible zipper* (I love this multi-pack)
• Matching thread (I use the Connecting Threads brand and find it to be good quality for the price)
• Quilting pins or clips
• Rotary cutter, mat, and ruler (I like this set)
• Thread trimming scissors
• Iron & ironing board
• Regular sewing machine

* I like using longer zippers because it allows you to completely unzip the zipper when attaching it to the bag. This makes it easier to sew without having to move the zipper pull. The excess length of zipper tape can be cut off in a later step. If you don’t have a longer zipper, you need one that is at least 5″ long to fit this pouch.

Keychain Pouch Sewing Pattern

To make this pouch, you also need my free printable pattern. My patterns are available as PDF downloads on my Ko-Fi shop. I have a pay-what-you-want pricing model so you can get the pattern for free or make a donation if you choose. If you have trouble accessing a pattern, please read my PDF pattern help article. You can download my patterns even if you don’t have a Ko-Fi account.

Follow these steps to access the pattern:

1. Visit my Ko-Fi shop and click on the pattern you want.
2. Download the PDF and print it on 8.5 x 11″ printer paper at 100% scale.
3. Check the 1″ measurement box on the template to ensure it printed out at the correct scale.
4. Cut out the pattern pieces along the black lines.

The same pattern piece is used for the liner and outer fabric.

I love designing patterns! This is a free pattern but I put a lot of work and love into it. If you’re enjoying this pattern, please consider donating to my Ko-Fi page to help me make more tutorials like this!

Step 1: Cutting the Fabric

You’ll start by attaching fusible interfacing to the back of your outer fabric. I use precut squares to make these pouches, so I personally find it easier when working with a square that’s already cut out. However, if you are working with yardage, you can just attach the interfacing to the fabric and cut it out afterwards.

• After attaching the interfacing to the outer fabric, use the template to cut out two pieces of liner fabric and two pieces of your outer fabric. You should have four H-shaped pieces of fabric when done.
• After cutting, mark the zipper (top) edge on all four pieces of fabric. The top edge is slightly more narrow than the bottom edge and it needs to be this way so the bag lines up.
• Use the Hang Tab Template to cut two piece of scrap fabric.

Step 2: Attaching the Zipper

I recommend opening your zipper up before sewing so it’s easier to work with. Any excess zipper tape will be trimmed off in a later step. If you don’t have a zipper longer than your bag, you may need to sew up to the pull, cut your thread, and move the zipper pull before continuing the seam.

• Lay one piece of outer fabric face up on the table.
• Place one side of the zipper tape face down along the zipper edge of the fabric. The upper edge of the zipper tape should be parallel with the edge of the fabric while the lower edge of the tape should be hanging loosely over the body of the bag fabric.
• Place one piece of your liner fabric face down on top of the zipper. Make sure you’re using the zipper edge.
• Pin the layers together.
• Using a zipper foot, sew the layers together with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Important: Every seam along the zipper needs to start and stop 1/2″ from the end of the fabric. Do not sew all the way to the end. You need to leave a half inch at the beginning and end so that the flaps can be used to sew the ends of the bag later.

Now we will attach the zipper to the other side of the bag:

• Lay the remaining piece of outer fabric face up on the table.
• Place the sandwich of fabric you just sewed face down on top of the fabric. The loose zipper tape should be lined up with the top edge of the outer fabric.
• Place the remaining piece of liner fabric face down on top of the others, making sure the zipper edge is lined up.
• Important: Ensure the ends of the zipper tape are perfectly lined up before pinning or sewing. If they are not lined up, the bag will be uneven and won’t zip properly.
• Pin the layers together and sew the layers together with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Remember to start and stop 1/2″ from the end.

Step 3: Top Stitching the Zipper

After sewing the zipper to both sides of the bag, you will press the fabric away from the zipper. I like to press the outer fabric and liner fabric away from the zipper separately, then layer them together and press both away from the zipper.

On a bag this small, it’s important to be very precise about how you press and sew the fabric. Being off by even a tiny amount can make the corners not line up later on. Make sure that the fabric is pressed away from the zipper evenly before you sew. For reference, the raw edges of the liner and outer fabrics should be lined up. If they aren’t, the bag might not line up properly.

After ironing, stitch a narrow seam along the edge of the fabric, close to the zipper tape. As with the other seams along the zipper, remember to start and stop 1/2″ from the edge of the fabric when top stitching.

Step 4: Sewing the Bottom of the Bag

Now that the top stitching is done, we can sew the bottoms of the bag. Lay the bag out so that the liner fabrics are right-sides-together. Make sure the outer fabrics are also right-sides-together.

Pin along the base (bottom) edge. Sew the outer fabric with a 1/4″ seam allowance all the way across the seam.

On the liner fabric, you need to leave a gap in the middle so you can turn the bag later. Stitch for about 1″ from each edge, leaving a gap about 3″ long in the middle.

After stitching the bottoms, press these seams open. I like to press along the entire length of the liner fabric so there’s a nice crease along the opening. This makes it easier to stitch shut at the end.

Step 5: Sewing the Hang Tabs

Before moving on, you can sew the tabs that attach to the keychain hardware. For this, you will be using the two pieces of scrap fabric.

• Fold a piece of scrap fabric so that the short ends meet in the middle. Press the fabric in place.
• Fold the piece of fabric in half again so that the folded edges are touching and the raw edges are inside.
• Stitch a narrow line along both folded edges. You can leave the raw ends un-sewn.
• Repeat on the other piece of fabric.

Step 6: Sewing the Ends of the Pouch

Now we will be sewing the ends of the bag. We need to sew the liner fabric and outer fabric separately from one another. Otherwise, it won’t be possible to sew the corners in the next step.

Before this step, it’s also very important that you zip the zipper a little ways so that the pull is inside the bag. However, do not zip it all the way closed. You need the zipper partially open so you can turn the bag later.

• Fold your bag so that the zipper is in the middle.
• Position the bag so the liner is on the bottom and the outer fabric is on top.
• Fold the zipper tape and outer fabric out of the way. You may want to pin the fabric so it stays in place.
• Line up the end of the liner fabric and pin it together.
• Sew along the end of the liner using a zipper foot and a 1/4″ seam allowance. You will be sewing through the flaps at both ends, but in the middle it will just be a single layer of fabric. We will sew through this again in a later step to secure the zipper.
• Repeat this on the other end of the liner fabric.

When sewing the outer fabric, we’re going to do things a little differently.

• Position the bag so the liner is on the top and the outer fabric is on the bottom.
• Pin the liner fabric out of the way.
• Fold one of your hang tabs in half so the raw edges are touching. You may want to loop it through your keychain hardware first.
• Position the tab so it’s laying over top of the zipper tape. The raw ends should be even with the raw edge of the outer fabric.
• Pin the layers together and sew with a 1/4″ seam allowance using your zipper foot. You will be sewing through the outer fabric layers as well as the zipper tape and the tab. The middle portion can be quite thick so you might need to hand-crank your machine and help guide the fabric through.
• Repeat this with the other end of the outer fabric. I like to attach my key chain hardware just to one end, not both.

Finally, we will sew through all the layers just over the zipper tape. This helps secure the end of the zipper in place. You will be sewing for about 1/2″ in the middle through the outer fabric, pull tab, zipper tape, and liner fabric. Do not sew all the way across the seam or you won’t be able to assemble the corners in the next step.

When done, you can trim off the excess zipper tape.

Step 7: Sewing the Corners

Next we need to sew all 8 corners of the bag. The process is the same for each corner.

• Fold a corner so that the seam is in the middle and the fabric is lined up along the raw edge.
• Use a 1/4″ seam allowance to stitch the corner.
• If you can’t get the corner to line up perfectly, sew as close as you can to a 1/4″ seam allowance and make sure you’re catching both layers securely.
• Repeat on the other corners.

Step 8: Turning the Bag & Sewing the Liner Bottom

Finally, you will turn the bag right side out. It can be a little tricky with how small the bag is. Just go slowly and avoid forcing it, as you might rip the fabric.

I like to reach underneath the liner to poke out the corners of the outer fabric.

Lastly, you will sew the liner shut with an invisible ladder stitch (see the video for a visual)

I hope you liked this sewing tutorial! I’d love to see how your keychain pouch turned out! Tag me @craftingwithclementine across all platforms (I’m on pretty much everything except Facebook) or use #craftingwithclementine.