DIY ACCESSORIES POUCH FOR LAPTOP

In my last post I made a sleeve for my new laptop. As I wanted a slim-line cover, I did not allow a pocket for the charger - so I decided to make a matching pouch that I could put it in for travelling.

Surprisingly I could not find a DIY for this anywhere! There are plenty of tutorials for the sleeves/cases, but I have no idea what everyone does with the charger/accessories! So here is what I did.

WHAT YOU NEED:
Fabric for Outer
Fabric for Lining
An elastic cord
All the usual sewing bits (pins, sewing machine, needle and thread)

Start by laying your charger/accessories on the fabric (right sides together) and cut enough to wrap around the device about 2.5 times lengthwise, and on the sides you want to be able to allow for a seam to join the two pieces together, and a seam that will hold the finished pouch together. You want to create a pouch with a flap that will go over the top and tuck into the front.

Then cut a strip of fabric that you can sew into a tube for the strap the flap will tuck into.

Pin and sew your tube of fabric that will make the strap that the flap goes into. Turn it in the right way and press down ready for the next stage.

You then want to pin around the piece of fabric, but here is where it gets a bit tricky. You have to decide where you want your strap to go, and sew it into the inside of the piece. Lay it all out with the charger on top, wrap the fabric around and work out where it should go. Once you know where you want it, place the strap between the two layers. You want the strap and the outer fabric facing the same way. (So both the right side of the strap and the right side of the outer fabric are facing the lining).

When you sew around the rectangle, make sure you leave a gap in the seam to allow you to turn the whole thing in the right way (see above). To check if your pinned area is square, fold the bottom up to the top and see if the pins line up the whole way.

Once I sewed this and turned it in the right way, I quickly realised that I needed to taper the end that was going to tuck under, and to make it work even better I curved the corners. (Next time I would do this at the pinning stage, but just bear in mind that you may need to adjust it a couple of times to make sure it fits.)

Once sorted, I turned in the right way, hand sewed the opening closed (using an invisible stitch) and then pressed the whole thing flat with an iron.

I then decided where exactly I wanted my pouch to be secured (how deep to make the pocket, and how far down the flap would come), and pressed that in place as well.

Now pin down the sides (under the strap), and attach a zipper foot to your machine. You want to be able to sew under the strap, and as close to the edge of the pouch as possible. Start sewing at the bottom of the pouch, with your needle on the side closest to the edge (and the foot on the other side) and as you approach the strap just move it out of the way and sew under it.

And there you have it! We just need to attach some elastic cord to make sure that the items are secured inside the pouch.

Wrap your elastic around the pouch and tighten as much as is necessary to ensure that the contents are nice and secure. Mark with pics where they join.

To pin it in place for sewing, place the pins on either side of where you wish to sew (I sewed along that seam where the two fabrics meet). Then set your stitch to the smallest setting, and moving the front of the pouch out of the way, secure the elastic in place by going back and forwards over it a few times.

To finish this, we want to tie a knot tightly in the cord to cover the join, and then trim and carefully melt the ends with a lighter to ensure they don't fray. 

Phew - there you have it! Now I have a perfect pair :)

Mx