There are so many times you need two hands free (Look Ma… No hands!), and this clever little organizer is a great solution. It can slip onto a belt or clip onto a belt loop; making it perfect for urban walkers, Saturday antiquing adventures or just when you’re trying to wrangle two toddlers down the block. Drop your smart phone in a pocket at the back – there’s Velcro® at the very top to help keep it in place, and use the zippered front pocket to hold cash, change, credit cards or other necessities.

We also incorporated a handy D-ring at the top to allow you to slip a key fob in place. Or, snap on a carabiner and, rather than slipping the pouch over a belt, simply clip it to a belt loop or even onto another larger bag or pack for fast on-and-off access.

Bust out some scraps to make our fun pouch, then set your hands free for shopping, gardening, sewing, and talking – my friends know I require both hands to carry on a conversation! A slightly heavier weight fabric is best for this project, although you could add additional interfacing and use a quilting weight cotton.

The pouch finishes at approximately 6½” x 3½”, which is a good size for most standard smart phones, such as the iPhone 6 or 7. If you have a larger model, an especially bulky case, or a different brand, you may need to adjust the length and width for your best fit. Making a little paper prototype can be an effective way to test sizing.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Sewing Machine and standard presser foot
• Zipper foot

Fabric and Other Supplies

• Scrap or ¼ yard of heavy-weight fabric for the main front and back exterior
• Scrap or ⅛ yard of medium to heavy weight fabric for the front accent triangle
• Scrap or ⅛ yard of quilting weight fabric for the lining
  
• Scrap or ¼ yard of 20″+ wide lightweight fusible interfacing; we used Pellon Shir-Tailor
• Scrap or ¼ yard of 1½” twill tape or similar;
• ONE 1½ plastic D-ring
• ONE 7″ all-purpose nylon zipper
• 1″ of ½” wide sew-in Velcro®
• ONE 2″ carabiner (optional)
• All purpose thread to match fabric, twill tape and Velcro®
• See-through ruler
• Fabric pen or pencil
• Iron and ironing board
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Tape measure
• Seam gauge
• Seam ripper
• Straight pins

Getting Started and Pattern Download

1. Download and print the Standard Belt Loop Pouch Pattern (finished size: 6½” x 3½”).
   IMPORTANT: The pattern is ONE 8½” x 11″ sheet. You must print the PDF file at 100%. DO NOT SCALE to fit the page. There is a guide rule on the page so you can confirm your final printout is to scale.
2. Cut out each piece along the solid line.
3. From the fabric for the main front and back exterior, cut the following:
   ONE 4½” wide x 7½” high rectangle
   Cut ONE, using the Pouch Bottom pattern
4. From the fabric for the front accent triangle, cut ONE, using the Pouch Top pattern.
5. From the fabric for the lining, cut TWO 4½” wide x 7½” high rectangles.
6. From the interfacing, cut the following:
   ONE 4½” wide x 7½” high rectangle
   Cut ONE, using the Pouch Bottom pattern
   Cut ONE, using the Pouch Top pattern
7. From the twill tape, cut ONE 8½” length.
8. Cut ONE 1″ piece of Velcro®.

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

Lining preparation

1. Find the two lining pieces and the Velcro®.
2. Place one half of the Velcro® on the right side of each of the lining pieces. The Velcro® should be centered side to side and ¾” down from the top raw edge. Pin in place.
   
3. Thread the machine with thread to best match the Velcro®.
4. Edgestitch around all four sides of each piece of Velcro®.

Back preparation

1. Following manufacturer’s instructions, fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the back exterior piece, the bottom front exterior piece, and the top front exterior piece.
   
2. Place one lining piece WRONG sides together with the fused back exterior piece. This means the Velcro® on the lining piece is facing out; it’s not sandwiched between the layers.
3. Place this pair flat on your work surface with the exterior side facing up.
4. Using your see-through ruler and fabric pen or pencil, draw a vertical line down the center of the panel.
   
5. Find the twill tape. Lightly fold the tape in half to find and mark its center point – for our sample, the center was the “v” of the chevron design. Align the center of the tape with the center line of the panel. The top end of the tape should be flush with the top raw edge of the panel (remember your lining is behind this panel, so the “top” is the end with the Velcro®). Pin the top end of the tape in place.
   
6. Find the D-ring. Thread it onto the tape from the free bottom end, sliding it up towards the pin at the top.
   
7. Machine baste the top end of the tape in place close to the raw edge.
   
8. Now when you pull the D-ring all the way up to the top, the raw edge kind of automatically folds back on itself… just like we’ll want it to later. Good raw edge!
   
9. Pin the bottom end of the tape to the bottom of the panel.
   NOTE: These layers should be flush just like the top. This means the tape will not lay quite flat against the panel – there will be a little extra. This is correct. You need that extra to create the top loop and the “give” for a belt to slip into place.
   
10. Measure up 4″ up from the bottom edge. Mark this point with a pin horizontally across the tape.
11. Re-thread the machine with thread to best match the twill tape. Re-set from a basting stitch to just a slightly lengthened stitch for edgestitching.
12. On one side of the tape, edgestitch from the bottom up to the horizontal pin, pivot and create a 2″ X Box, then edgestitch back down the opposite side of the tape.
    NOTE: If you are new to creating an X Box stitch, check out our tutorial. 
    
13. Re- set for a basting stitch. Machine baste the lining to the back panel along both sides and across the bottom. Do not baste across the top.

Front preparation

1. Find the the two angled front pieces you cut using the pattern pieces.
2. Along each angle, fold back the raw edge ½” and press in place.
   
3. Find the zipper.
4. Place the folded edges along each side of the zipper. The top zipper stops (where the zipper pull comes to rest when closed) should be approximately ⅝” in from the left side of the panel. Pin the top and bottom sections in place. The tail of the zipper will extend beyond the right edge of the panel by several inches. This is fine; you’ll trim away the excess when done stitching.
   
5. Attach your Zipper foot.
6. Re-thread the machine with thread to best match the fabric. Re-set for a slightly lengthened stitch.
7. Carefully edgestitch both sides in place. You will need to open the zipper as you go in order to stay as close to the edge as possible.
   
8. Find the remaining lining piece. Place it WRONG sides together with the front panel.   As above with the back layering, make sure the Velcro® is facing out.
9. Re-attach the standard presser foot.
10. Re-set for a basting stitch. Baste the layers together along both sides and across the bottom, staying within the seam allowance – or about ⅜” from the raw edge. Do not baste across the top. Trim away the excess zipper when finished stitching.
    

Finishing

1. On both the front and back panels, fold back the top raw edge ¼”. Press in place and lightly pin.
2. Edgestitch the folds in place.
   
3. Here’s what your finished front and back panels should look like prior to stitching them together.
   
4. Pin the front and back right sides together along both sides and across the bottom.
5. Using ½” seam allowance, stitch along both sides and across the bottom, remembering to pivot at the corners. Stitch another seam right next to the first seam to reinforce and finish the raw edges. We used a zig zag.
   
6. Trim and grade the seam allowance and clip the corners.
   
7. Turn right side out. Push out the bottom corners with a long, blunt-end tool, such as a chopstick, knitting needle or point turner. Press flat.
8. Turn down the top folded edge an additional ¼” all around and pin in place.
   
9. Pull the D-ring up and out of the way. When the D-ring is pulled up into place, the tape should now lay flat against the back panel – not taut, but flat. Topstitch all the way around the top securing the second fold. Go slowly and carefully; you want your topstitching to be nice and straight.
   
10. Attach the Zipper foot. Sew one additional short seam at the back across the tape at the very top edge. This helps secure and strengthen the loop for the D-ring.
    
    

Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation and Instructional Outline: Debbie Guild