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Tutorial – Create Your Own Pattern for a Gusseted Pouch
Welcome to the third dimension
Hello, everyone! Between trade shows, we’re bringing you a new tutorial. Here’s how to draft a pattern for a gusseted pencil case in your own dimensions. Enter the desired dimensions for your pencil case, and we’ll calculate two lengths, a and b, that you’ll use to draft your pattern. Please note that these calculations are approximate; your final pencil case will have measurements that are very close but not exactly the same—for example, the bottom of the pencil case will be slightly flared.
| Height: | cm |
| Width: | cm |
| Depth: | cm |
The measurements to use when drafting your pattern:
a = 0.00 cm
b = 0.00 cm
Fancy a little more math?
To create a kit that is visually appealing, there’s a trick: use the golden ratio (φ). φ is approximately equal to 1.618.
How do you use it? Take the smallest dimension—usually the depth—and multiply it by φ to get the height. Then multiply the height by φ to get the width.
The dimensions of your kit will then be:
depth = dimension ×
height = dimension × 1.618 ×
width = dimension × 1.618 × 1.618
Grab your calculators!
It's you (and) the boss
Here are some diagrams to show you how to trace the pattern. You’ll add your seam allowances later; we usually use between 7 mm and 1 cm.
There you go! All you need to do now is find a zipper that’s about the width of your fabric plus at least 4 cm, and a cotton lining that’s the same size as your pattern, including the seam allowance. Then just follow our tutorial to sew your pencil case.
That's awesome – thanks
I'm terrible at math.
An example of a calculation would be helpful
In fact, you don't have to do any calculations yourself! For example, I want to make a pouch that’s 21 cm wide, 14 cm tall, and 8 cm deep. So I enter 14, 21, and 8, and below that I get the measurements to use: 16.12 cm for “a” and 4 cm for “b.” The width remains 21 cm.