Tutorial: little pouches for game pieces

160110_gamepiecepouch

My sisters got me the boardgame Kingdom Builder for my birthday. We have played it a lot and I decided to get rid of one minor annoyance. Each time we played we had to separate the differently coloured wooden settlement pieces because they were stored all together in a small ziplock bag. I thought it would be much easier if each colour was stored in a separate bag so I made some out of fabric.

I took some pictures while I was constructing one of my pouches so you can see how they were made.

Start with a rectangular piece of fabric and finish the long edges with an overlocker or a zig zag stitch.

Start with a rectangular piece of fabric and finish the long edges with an overlocker or a zig zag stitch. I made mine 5 x 10 inches (12.5 x 25 cm), but you can of course make them larger or smaller depending on how many pieces you want to fit in.

Fold the piece right sides together and stitch the edges, stop about 4 cm from the top and backstitch.

Fold the piece right sides together and stitch the edges, stop about 4 cm (1.5 inch) from the top and backstitch. Press the seam allowances open and topstitch it down around the gap at the top.

Fold a narrow strip of the top edge to the inside and then fold again to create a tunnel. Stitch the tunnel close to the edge. Make sure the other side of the bag is out of the way!

Fold a narrow strip of the top edge to the inside and then fold again to create a tunnel. The edge of the folded part should not extend beyond the opening at the side. Topstitch the tunnel close to the edge. Make sure the other side of the pouch is out of the way! Do this with both sides.

150901_step4

Turn right side out and thread a piece of ribbon through the tunnel and tie the two ends together. I used ribbon that was tied around a fatquarter bundle. If you want to be able to close the pouch really secure you can thread a second piece of ribbon so you can pull on both edges to close it.

Proceed to make a bag for each colour.

Proceed to make a bag for each colour in your game.

And go from this...

And go from this…

...to this!

…to this!



January 10, 2016

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ξ₯
Emmely Treffers

About Emmely

I am a sewing enthusiast from the Netherlands. I live in the Leiden area with my husband and two daughters and I am currently working as a senior researcher in molecular virology. With my quilting patterns and sewing blog I want to infect as many people as possible with my love for sewing.

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17 Comments

  1. CurlsnSkirls

    Thank you for the lovely concept and renditions – and a belated Happy Birthday! πŸŽ‚

    Reply
    • Emmely

      A very belated birthday, it was in July! I wrote most of this post in August, then completely forgot about it until a couple of days ago when I noticed there was a post in my drafts list. I usually write one and immediately post it.

      Reply
      • CurlsnSkirls

        Ah! Better late than never for us both

        Reply
      • CurlsnSkirls

        😍 Was going to add this, but my neighbour knocked on my door & we had to talk briefly. Unfortunately, my finger clicked the wrong button as I heard her knock, so… Hope you understood I am not smiling at you, but *with* you! I also just found a draft from long ago…

        Reply
        • Emmely

          Unfinished drafts can be happy discoveries. For me it meant I could get another post out fairly quickly which is nice after my rather long absence.

          Reply
  2. Deborah

    When I was learning to sew, my mother taught me to make a drawstring bag. This reminds me of those days. And then I was thinking, I have a few things around here that could be better organized with a few drawstring bags. And then I was thinking, with my current to-do list, it might be a while before I make any, but still, it’s wicked cool! πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Emmely

      Yes, they’re very good beginner projects. It’s a quick project, but I can imagine you’d like to finish a certain quilt first. πŸ˜‰

      Reply
      • Deborah

        Yeah, funny how that happens. πŸ˜‰
        Also, I do have some starts to those quilted postcards.
        Be quiet. I eventually finish things. Well, usually! πŸ˜‰

        Reply
        • Emmely

          I’m certain you’ll finish that particular project!

          Reply
          • Deborah

            Yeah, with getting settled into our own place less than a month away, I’m going to finish several things. πŸ™‚

  3. tialys

    These are cute Emmely. I’d not heard of the board game you mention. Is it a good one to play with competitive, argumentative family members? πŸ˜‰

    Reply
    • Emmely

      Yes, I can really recommend it! The basic rules are not difficult to understand and the beauty is that every game is different. The gameboard varies which affects certain special actions that you can do and the way you earn points varies as well. So, what could be a winning strategy in one game, can be a very unwise one in the next one. We’ve mostly played with 2, but the game can be played with 4 and there is an extension available so you can play with 5. With more players the board simply becomes a bit more crowded which adds another dimension.

      Reply
  4. Abigail

    I did the same thing for a family member of mine that loves playing games. It’s so much better than having pieces all under foot.

    Reply
    • Emmely

      Yes, and it is much prettier too. I smile every time I open the box of this particular game.

      Reply
    • Emmely

      Thank you!

      Reply

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