“The Maxi Pouch” Free Sewing Pattern (Design Fail!)

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Do you ever spend hours designing something and obsessing over the details… only to discover it’s a total fail once you actually make it? That’s what happened when I was trying to design my newest keychain pouch. I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to have a little foldover pouch for storing a charging cable in your purse? Yes, yes it would be.

That is until I sewed my prototype and realized what I actually designed was… a maxi pad with a pocket. It didn’t help that I made the first one with white fabric. Desperately trying to save the design, I made one in a different color. But alas, all I accomplished was making a pink maxi pad.

I thought about scrapping the pattern, but that seemed like a waste, so I’m sharing it anyway! Despite being a visual disaster (in my opinion), it’s actually quite useful, and I figured I couldn’t be the only one who wanted a weird little pouch like this.

So I present to you: The Maxi Pouch. It’s the first pattern I’ve ever designed with multiple sizes, which I was pretty proud of until I sewed it. Ironically, the largest size of The Maxi Pouch just happens to be the perfect size for storing maxi pads. Perhaps it’s fate.

Supplies & Notions

• Quilting fabric or other woven fabric
• Quilt batting (optional)
• Spray adhesive such as ODIF 505 (unless you are using fusible batting)
• Straight pins or quilting clips
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread
• Iron & ironing board
• Key chain hardware such as jump ring and lobster key chain clip
• Plastic or metal snaps (see note below)

A Note About Snap Closures

You can use any kind of snap you like on this bag. Plastic snaps, sew-on snaps, or magnetic snaps will all work fine. If you don’t have a snap, you could use a button and create a buttonhole. Otherwise, using a small square of velcro would work as well.

Depending on what kind of closure you’re using, you may want to attach it before stitching the bag together. Some closures look best when stitched just through one side of the fabric. For example, velcro will look better if you don’t stitch it through both layers of fabric (it will be visible on the outside). This means you may need to attach the closure earlier in the pouch assembly, depending on the kind you have.

Maxi Pouch Pattern

As with my other patterns, you can get this as a free download on my Ko-Fi shop. You don’t need an account to get the pattern. Simply visit my shop and select the pattern you want to download. Check out my help guide on downloading patterns if you’re having trouble.

Download The Maxi Pouch sewing pattern on my Ko-Fi shop.

This is a free pattern (like all my others) but donations are welcome if you end up loving the pattern. Donating helps me continue making more free patterns, which is something I love doing.

How to Sew The Maxi Pouch

All of the instructions for making this pouch are on the pattern download. However, I’ve duplicated them here so you can follow along on my blog if that’s easier for you. The pattern printout has helpful diagrams and visuals that walk you through the process.

You will start by hemming the pocket and attaching it to the liner. Next, you will attach batting to the wrong side of the outer fabric. You’ll sew a keychain tab for attaching your hardware too. Finally, you sandwich the layers together and stitch around them, leaving an opening for turning the pouch. The last step is to topstitch around the outside, which adds a decorative touch and secures the opening in place.

Preparing the Pocket

You will fold down the two edges marked with the triangle on the pattern. This hides the raw seams. The remaining raw edges will be stitched into the pouch later.

1. Fold the marked edges down by 1/4″ towards the wrong side of the fabric and press in place with an iron.
2. Fold the pressed edge down by 1/4″ again and press again with an iron. This hides the raw edge inside the fabric.
3. Stitch along ONE of the folded edges to hold the folded fabric in place. If you have a fabric with a directional print, sew across the top edge so the print faces up. Make sure you’re stitching through the folded fabric so that the raw edge stays in place.
4. Now you will stitch the other folded pocket edge to the MAIN PIECE of liner fabric that you cut earlier. Lay the pocket on top of the liner fabric in the exact middle. The right side (RS) of the liner and the pocket should be facing you. The raw edges should be lined up with the straight edges of the liner fabric, and the folded edges should be pointing toward the curved edges of the liner.
5. Lastly, sew a basting stitch along the raw edges of the pocket as close as you can to the edge (1/8″), tacking it to the liner.

Preparing the Key Chain Loop

1. Fold the marked edges of the keychain loop towards the center of the wrong side of the fabric until the edges meet in the middle.
2. Press the fabric, then fold in half so that the raw edges you just folded under are tucked inside. Press again.
3. Sew along both of the folded edges, sewing as close as you can to the edge while still catching all the layers.

Sewing the Pouch

Now that the pocket and key chain loop are both prepped, you can sew the main pieces together. You will be sandwiching the keychain loop between the layers so it stays in place.

1. Lay the liner fabric face up on the table with the right side (RS) facing you. Make sure the pocket is laying straight and the raw edges are aligned.
2. Fold the key chain loop in half lengthwise and slide your key chain hardware onto it. Place the folded loop at the top left corner of the pocket so that the top edge of the loop is just below the stitching at the top of the pocket and the raw edges are aligned.
3. Use a quilt clip or pin to hold it in place for now. Otherwise, you can tack it in place with some stitching.
4. Next, place the outer fabric face down on top of the other pieces, lining up the edges. The wrong side (WS) should be facing you.
5. Pin or use quilting clips around the entire outside of the pouch. Make sure that the keychain loop is secured in place.
6. Sew around the outside with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, leaving a 2″ gap along one of the edges. You need this to turn the pouch after sewing. I find it works best to leave the gap along the edge pocket. Even though the raw pocket edge is basted, make sure you sew through the top and bottom pocket edge so the fabric stays in place.
7. Turn the pouch right side out and use a blunt tool to help get the fabric poked out evenly around the curved sections.
8. Clip the seam allowance around the curved edges so the seam will be less bulky after turning. Be careful not to clip the stitching.
9. Press the pouch to ensure the fabric lays flat and the outer edge is nice and crisp. When pressing, make sure the fabric is folded under neatly along the gap you left for turning the pouch. We will be stitching through this in the next step to hold it in place.
10. After turning and pressing the pouch, topstitch a narrow seam around the entire outside. Make sure you are catching the layers of the opening to hold it in place. You may need to guide the fabric through your machine to help it stitch through the thicker parts where the edges of the pocket and keychain loop are sandwiched. Lastly, attach your key chain hardware to the loop.

Attaching the Snap Closure

After doing the top stitching, fold the bag so that the flaps overlap in the middle. Mark the place where the flaps overlap with a dot, then attach your snap in that location. Because snaps tend to use attachment tools, refer to the instructions for using whatever kit you have.

When placing the closure, be mindful of what you will store in the pouch. It may affect where you place the snap. For example, even storing a charging cable can affect where the snap needs to be. I recommend putting the item you want to keep in the pouch inside when lining up the closure.

For example, I stuffed my charging cable in the pouch when lining up the snap to make sure it would close properly with the cable inside.

Happy Sewing!

Despite being unable to get over the fact this looks like a maxi pad, I still really enjoy this little pouch and I hope you do too. Perhaps I’m being too hard on it, but I couldn’t publish this without acknowledging I’m aware of what it looks like!

If you make this pouch, I’d love to know what you think of it. Please leave a comment letting me know how it went or share your photos on social media with #CraftingWithClementine.