I have been using this little Lodis zippered bag for several years. I put all my IDs and debit cards in the front slip pocket, and my credit cards in the back slip wallet, then my folded bills in the zippered pocket.
It was the ideal little bag to switch from one purse to another, or tuck into my pocket when running to the grocery store or going out to dinner. I had a favorite small Groom crossbody bag that it fit perfectly into, next to my phone and proof of covid vax.
Then, within one week, two things happened: My Groom bag zipper broke. And the zipper on my little Lodis bag started getting caught on the stretched-out lining so that retrieving a dollar bill or two was impossible. What to do, what to do?
I sew. I make bags. Surely I could find a pattern for a similar bag. I thought the Sotak Patterns’ Two In One Pouch might be the one.
But I neglected one important factor—the front and back pockets were only attached to each other at the bottom, not at the sides. There were only two pockets, not two zippered pockets and one effective pocket in the middle.
So, during a busy week, seeing doctors and preparing to go out of town for a week, I made time to construct this bag. I finished it twenty minutes before going out to dinner with friends on Wednesday night before we were leaving to drive to Wisconsin the next morning.
That’s when I figured out there was no middle slip pocket for my bills. Ugh.
Sitting in bed this morning in my son’s guest room in Interlochen, looking out at Bronson Lake, I began thinking about bags I’ve made in the past that have center pockets, zippered or not.
I have enjoyed making several Paladin Pouches in the past. But it’s far too large for my purposes. I can study the architecture that creates the center pocket, then figure out how to downsize it. And here’s another Paladin. Or …
The Metro Double-Zip with my stealth center slip pocket that I figured out how to add to this pattern. If I size this down and figure out how to add a zipper to the middle slip pocket, this might work. Once I get home and can measure the original Lodis bag, I’ll dive into this project.
In the meantime, I did find a new substitute to keep my cards and cash handy. This little wallet, made by Hammitt, holds IDs on one side, credit cards on the other, and bills in the zippered center pocket. (And I found it at 40% off. 👍) So the function is the same, the form is just slightly different. Oh, and it doesn’t fit in the pocket of my jeans.
Oh, well, I’ll keep trying, and will post here if I ever figure out the solution that’s Just Right.
Woo Hoo!! The little Two in One Pouch now lives with my Darling Daughter-in-Law. She loves the colors. She couldn’t wait to have a pouch where she had a side for bills and a side for coins. 💚💙
And, for your viewing pleasure, here’s the annual picture with my younger son, Tyler. We’re in my family’s Happy Place, Interlochen Center for the Arts.
And the first of such pictures, from 1988, I believe. That was his first summer at National Music Camp, since renamed to Interlochen Arts Camp.
Send me pictures showing the details, and the dimensions of your original bag and I’ll draft you a pattern and instructions! How hard can it be?