Posh Pocket Tutorial...

 ***In the interest of full and honest disclosure, I did not invent this pocket. I purchased one about three years ago at a craft show in Sarasota, FL and "reverse engineered" it. If you are the original creator, or know the name of the artist, please let me know and I will give full credit to that person.

Fancy Vinyl Pockets

This is a photograph of finished pockets. They measure approximately

5 3/4" by 7" wide. I used a lighter weight vinyl in this tutorial, but would suggest

 using a medium weight for a little more stability. I think you'll like it better.

I started by cutting two pieces of vinyl  15" long x 7" wide.

(You can use the upscale pronunciation: vuh-nel'. They are pretty fancy, after all.)

I would have taken a photograph of this stage, but really...it's just clear material!

I really like this step. Choose a fun assortment of threads, ribbons, laces and fancy yarns. I used all flat items, but I suppose that, if you're careful, you might add flatter buttons or something else with a little more dimension, like sequins or paper art.

Then, arrange your embellishments in a haphazard layout on one sheet of the vinyl. If you're using a printed ribbon or specialty lace, make sure they all face toward the same side of the vinyl. That will become the outside of your pocket. Be aware of how your pocket will fold if you're using anything that you want to face a certain direction - like your label or a special image - so that it faces the right direction when you fold it.

 

When you're happy with the placement of all your fibers, you can lay the other piece of vinyl on top of it. Be sure that you don't have anything hanging outside the edges.

You don't want to use straight pins to hold the layers together. They'll leave undesirable holes in the vinyl. I prefer to use Wonder Clips™. They're flat on one side and hold well. If you don't have those, use the metal clips like the one in the upper middle of this photo.

 

I set my sewing machine for zigzag, using a 4.0 mm stitch width and 1.8 mm stitch length setting. I also put my teflon presser foot on my machine so that the vinyl would slide under it without sticking.
EDIT: If you don't have a teflon foot, you can place tissue paper between the presser foot and the vinyl to keep the foot from sticking. Just remove it after you're finished stitching. (Thanks, Fay!)
SECOND EDIT: I now use my sewing machine's walking foot, rather than the teflon foot and I place
tissue paper on the sewing machine bed, leaving at least one set of feed dogs exposed to move the vinyl as I sew. If you keep the tissue paper away from the actual stitches, you won't have to pick it out later!
You can use a thread that blends in, or you might prefer to use a contrasting thread so it stands out.

Sew random lines (not too many) diagonally across the "sandwich" until the fibers in the center are secured. It will look something like the photo above. (You can click to enlarge.) 

Once you've done all the surface stitching on the main fabric, you'll have to square up your piece before proceeding to the next step.

After you've made sure that all the outside edges are straight and square, sew one zigzag line around the whole outside edge of the piece. Try not to stitch off the edge. The whole zigzag line will be on the edge of the layered vinyl pieces, but not off the edge.

At this point, you'll want to add the snaps to your pocket. I determined which end would be the front flap of the pocket and made a pencil mark for the snap approximately 3/4" from the edge (centered on the width measurement of 7" at 3 1/2"). I punched the sharp sides of the snap through the vinyl before I placed the other half on it to secure. It was easier to join the pieces that way.

Now, it's time to create the pocket. I folded approximately 5 1/2" up from the bottom. Before you sew it, fold down the top flap, decide where the other half of your snap will go and attach it. Then, you'll sew another line of zigzag stitching all the way around the folded pocket - keeping the flap up. (See photo) This line of stitching will be inside the first line to be sure that you catch the pocket (four layers of vinyl total) as you stitch all the way around.

Your Posh Pocket is now complete!

(Well, your first one is anyway.)

Once you've made one, you can will make more...any size you want!

I've made every attempt to explain the process. If you have any questions or corrections, please let me know. I'm always happy to help. I've also added this post to the "BW Free Patterns & Tutorials" link in the menu bar. It's located at the top of my blog, so you'll be able to easily find it later.