D.I.Y.: Tobacco Pouch Tutorial

For my very first tutorial ever I want to show you how to make a perfect tobacco pouch.

What you need:

- a piece of oilskin fabric of your choice;
- a zipper matching the fabric;
- a button;
- a small piece of jersey (preferably with spandex);
- a piece of wrapping paper;
- measuring tape;
- scissors;
- pins;
- safety pin;
- sewing machine.

First, you have to cut out from your wrapping paper a rectangle 30 cm (12 inches) high and 17 cm (7inches) wide.

To make the pouch construction easier, fold your paper at this specific distances from the high top:

1. 3 cm (1,3 inches)
2. 6 cm (2,5 inches)
3. 15 cm (6 inches)
4. 23 cm (9 inches)

Next pin the paper onto the oilskin fabric and cut it off.

Then fold your paper following the second folding line and pin the folded paper onto the fabric.

Cut off the smallest pouch body piece.

Now you have to cut off a small piece of fabric, 8 cm (3 inches) wide and 12 cm (5 inches) high.

Then fold this little piece in half and make two small straight cuts (approximately 0,5 cm/ 0,2 inches length) about 1 cm (0,5 inches) from each border.

Open the fabric and cut it in half from gap to gap as shown.





Fold inside the cut borders and pin them.

Then cut off the extra fabric in order to get just 1 cm (0,5 inches) of fabric all around the cut.

Let the piece of fabric rest in place during the next steps to set the folding.

Now take your zipper and one of the bigger pieces of fabric.

Place the reverse side of the fabric over the zipper.

The border of the fabric must match the zipper border.

Pin it in place.

If you reverse the fabric, it now will appear as shown in the image.

Do exactly the same with the other big piece of fabric.

Then sew the zipper in place with your sewing machine.

Next, get back to the small piece of fabric.

The folding must now be set in place, so sew the borders with the sewing machine.

In order to seal the seams you now have to tie the beginning and the end of both stitching.

To do this, gently pull the thread on the reverse side, a little loop will appear.

Place a pin in the loop and pull the thread out.

Now tie the two threads with a double plain knot and cut off the thread excess.





Take the body of the pouch (the zipped part) and align the free borders of the fabric.

Using the wrapping paper folded on line number 3 as reference, fold the pouch as shown.
Put the little piece of fabric in the center of the folded part and pin it in place.

Now you have to sew the little rolling papers holder (yes! finally I said what this thing is supposed to be).

Sew ONLY THREE sides of the holder and leave one of the shorter side open (you'll be able to insert the rolling papers in place from this side).
Be sure to sew the holder as next to the fabric hedge as you can.
Possibly set your sewing machine needle to the left position.
When you reach the angle of the fabric, simply leave the needle inside the fabric and lift the sewing machine foot.
Now turn the fabric, lower the foot and keep sewing. Do the same with the next angle.
When you are done, seal the seam by knots as shown above.
You'll end up with something like the image on the right.



Let's hem the free bottom sides of the pouch body.
Fold and pin about 1 cm (0,5 inches) of fabric on each piece of fabric, then sew them.

Ok, it's time to finally close the pouch's body.
Align the hems you've just sewn and then pin the fabric in place.
Sewing is easier if you pin the fabric far from the borders.
Then sew the longer sides of the pouch and leave the short open, it will become a pocket.






Get an extra seam to seal the begin and the end of the zipper, it will suffer more pressure then the other parts of the pouch.











Next refine the edge of the pouch by cutting out the longer borders extra fabric and leave about 1 cm (0,5 inches) all long the sides.

Reverse the pouch trough the open short side.

Using the wrapping paper as reference, fold the pouch along fold number 3.










Press the fabric with your finger to impress a line on the pouch.




Then sew a straight line all along the fold and seal the seam with two plain knots as shown above.


Now you'll create the tobacco pocket by folding the pouch along the seam you've just made.
Get the rolling papers pocket face the back of the pouch, pin it in place.
Then use a zigzag stitch to sew the shorter sides of the pocket.
Seal the upper border with an extra seam.





Reverse the pocket et voilà: your pouch is done!

But you still need to provide it a closure, you don't want tobacco all over your bags :)










So take a little piece of jersey, 8 cm (3 inches) high and 3 cm (1,3 inches) wide.
Then fold it in half and sew it.

Now reverse the jersey in order to obtain a lace.
Cut along the seam and get rid of the extra fabric.
Put a safety pin at the begin of the jersey lace, insert the safety pin inside the hole made by the seam.
Push the jersey along the safety pin then pull it over itself.








Pin the lace on the outside of the pouch.
It must be in the middle of the tobacco pocket.

Hand sew the lace in place. Use the cross-stitch.
Be careful to sew only one layer of fabric.








Sew a button in the pouch front, just behind the zipper.

Congratulations! You've just made your first tobacco pouch! 

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