It can be fun and cost-effective to make a personalized organizer on your own.
A pocket organizer can help you manage your to-do list, plan appointments and keep track of your friends, family and colleagues addresses, all in one place. While commercially produced pocket organizers are available at most stationary stores, they are often quite expensive. Making your own will allow you to customize your organizer with your own personal style - and you'll probably save some money, too.
Instructions
Sew a Pocket Organizer
1. Decide what size you'd like the pocket organizer to be. Most organizers should be small enough to fit in your purse, duffel bag or briefcase so that you can take them on the go.
2. Select the notebook or planner that you'd like to use as your organizer. If you're planning on making your own using a printable template or paper from a craft store, note the size of the pages so you can be sure to purchase the proper amount of material.
3. Measure the width and height of the back of the notebook or organizer paper. You'll need these measurements to determine how much fabric to buy. Measure vertically around the back from the top, then down the front of the notebook and around to the back. Repeat the same process along the width of the notebook.
4. Cut your main piece of fabric based on your initial measurements. Cut an additional two strips of fabric that are the same width and height as your initial piece.
5. Cut two lengths of 1-inch wide elastic to the vertical length that you measured to fit around the entire notebook. Lay your piece of fabric on your cutting mat. Use your ruler to guide the rotary cutter as you cut a rectangle of fabric to the new measurements.
6. Hem all four edges of fabric by folding the fabric toward the "inside" about half an inch. Press the fold until the hem is even and repeat this step twice. Pin the folded, or hemmed, fabric into place with straight pins until you are able to sew the edges to secure. As you sew, remove the pins from the fabric.
7. Attach the additional strips of fabric across the main piece of fabric to create pockets. Before you sew, pin the strips in place to ensure that they are evenly spaced and accurately placed according to your preference. Sew the strips along the sides and bottom to create pockets. If you want to divide your large pockets into smaller pockets sew a vertical seam down the middle of each strip. This gives you more storage space and lets you store smaller items.
8. Sew the elastic strips to either side of the fabric, 3 inches from the left corner and 3 inches from the right corner. Attach the pocket organizer to your notebook passenger seat by sliding the elastic strips around both sides of the open notebook.
Tags: piece fabric, additional strips, additional strips fabric, around back, create pockets
