Hello!
This week we are going to be making felt pouches, these are kind of like external pockets. The ones we are going to make will be keyring size, you can make bigger ones if you want but this size is good for an A4 sheet of felt, which is the easiest size to get hold of.
This is one of the crafts that I really wanted to include because as someone who reads fantasy books like it’s going out of fashion I love when they call little bags pouches, the little gathered bags on their hips full of coins or treasure. I wanted to bring a little bit of that world into this one, so when you’re out and about using the pouch you can feel like a character out of the books.
I also think it would be really cool to include them in character cosplaying or costumes in general!
Materials
- Felt
- Thread/String/Wool
- Beads
- Paint
- Split ring or carabiner
Tools:
- Scissors
- Pen/Pencil
- Ruler
- Knife
- Paint Brush
- Water (For paint)
Step 1 - Sizing a pouch
Depending on the size of your felt depends on how big you can make your pouch, but I wanted it to be a keyring for a bag so it can’t be too big, which is why I used A4 felt. You can scale up or down this basic design to make loads of different sizes! We need to create a circle that’s going to fit on our felt, you can do this with a protractor, compass and ruler with all the maths to get it right, or you can find something the right size then draw around it. I did mine on a piece of paper first so that I could use it as a template and as I’m working on A4 it was easy to do.
I do have a template that you can print off with the right size on it for an A4 sheet:
Here
We also need a hanging hoop for the pouch, this is just going to be a rectangle about 2.5x5cm (1x2 inches) in size.
Cut that out on the felt and we can get to the next step.
Step 2 - Holes
To give the pouch the pinched top which not only makes it look cool, but makes it functional, we need to place holes around the inside of the felt.
If you have used the template then that will have the markings on it for the holes already!
Mimicking a clock face (analog not digital) we need to place the holes equidistant around the pouch, this is so the pinched closure is even. You can use a hole punch to do this, or you can cut little slits in the felt.
But you need to do it far enough away from the edge that it won’t pull and rip the felt, otherwise you’ve got a hole in your bag. You want the ring of holes to be about an 2.5cm (1 inch) away from the edge, if you are scaling the pouch up then I would go further from the edge as it’s likely the pouch will be able to take more weight, so placing the holes further in will secure that.
Step 3 - Decorate!
Now we get to decorate the pouch, for this you can embroider it, bedazzle it or paint it like I did. I used basic acrylics that I use for everything.
As I’m using this for foraging and collecting flowers I wanted that to match the outside of the pouch so I painted some basic flowers and leaves. But you could customise this in so many ways.
Be careful as depending on the thickness of the felt it can go through to the other side and whatever is underneath it, so I suggest putting some scrap paper down before you start.
If the felt you’re using is a particularly strong colour, you can use a white base coat of acrylic of the design to help the colours pop when you use the colour paints.
Let that dry.
Step 4 - Hanging hoop
So I actually attached the hanging hoop whilst the paint was still wet, as we all know I’m not the most patient person and I didn’t want to wait for the paint to dry and then the glue to dry.
Instead it’s going to be one wait time as they both dry.
For the hanging hoop you just need to fold it in half, apply glue to the ends so that it closes the loop. Then apply glue to the outside of the loop so that it adheres to the inside of the pouch. It’s very important that you glue it to the inside of the pouch otherwise the tension could cause it to hang wrong and break.
Whilst it dries I would use a clip or heavy item so that it won’t move and has a good grip on the pouch.
Step 5 - The ties
Whilst we wait for the main pouch to dry we can make the ties, these can be made out of string, wool, thread, cord, anything you’ve got lying around. But if what you’ve got is quite thin, like the cord I used, I recommend plaiting it. You could plait the ties anyway as it will give them strength too (plus it looks pretty!).
I cut 3 lengths (remember when you plait the threads the end result is shorter, so cut the lengths longer) then tied a knot about 7.5cm (3 inches) down from the end, as we will want an unplaited end for later. Then plait down the cord until it’s almost at the end, you need the plaited cord at least a width/ diameter and a half of the circle in length. Then tie off the plait leaving some more unplaited length at the end.
You can decorate the end of the ties with beads, especially if you have any paper beads left from last week’s craft! And if you haven’t seen that, it’s on my blog and instagram so you can make some for your pouch! Paper beads work great!
The beads not only look really pretty and tie it all together (pun intended) but they actually help the ties stay in place and not pull through. But if you are adding beads, only add them to one end until the ties have been threaded through the pouch, otherwise you won’t be able to get the tie through the pouch holes (yes I learnt this the hard way!).
Step 6 - Finishing the pouch
To finish the pouch, start at the side you want to be the front, usually the opposite side to the hanging hoop. Thread the tie through the holes you made, going over and under the felt, this will create a zig zagged pinched pouch top when the bag is closed.
Add the beads to the other end of the tie and cut off the excess. You can put a spot of glue on the knots at the end if you are worried about them loosening.
To attach it to my bag so I can use it like a keyring I used a carabiner that I got from my local ironmongers for about 75p then I can easily hook and unhook it from my bag If you don’t have a carabiner then you can use a split ring from an old keyring, those are the big hoops at the top that attach it to your keys.
You have finished your felt pouch!
I used my pouch when I was out and about foraging for wild flowers (maybe for future crafts) and natural craft supplies. It was not only very handy and useful but it made me feel very whimsical and like I was on an adventure. And we can all do with more of that in life!
I hope you love your pouch. If you have followed along and made one too, I would love to see this and any crafts that you’ve done!
Please send it to me on Instagram, email or facebook @/worldofthoodles
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