We at the Sew-op decided to make gift bags for the two individuals who take care of the logistics of scheduling and publicity, run our meetings, keep the website updated, and are our interface with the Co-op at large. I decided to make little portfolios to hold notebooks. If project effort is measured from 0 to 10, my settings 3-7 are missing, so I made portfolios that will hold either a notepad or a notebook, 8″x5″ or 8.25″x5″ (Moleskine just has to be different), via a large pocket with both horizontal and vertical openings. There is a slash pocket on the opposite face, and three elastic loops hold a pen which in turn holds the portfolio closed. There were two prototypes before these two, and even the second is not the same as these.
I actually made these ages ago to be given at the June meeting, but then the giving kept getting postponed, so the posting did as well. We finally gave the bags at the September meeting, and as for posting, it gave way to things that weren’t already old news. I have been asked for the pattern by two of my Sew-op colleagues so I’m going to revamp it on the assumption that others might be interested as well. The version shown here is a little fussy (too much pressing seam allowances down and using half-strips of Stitch Witchery to secure them) – not that I withheld the pattern from my colleagues on that grounds!