Organizational Fabric Wall Pocket

Hey ghouls and creeps! This organizational fabric wall pocket is another one from the psycho stitcher collection! This collection contains a variety of helpful tools, notions and storage solutions to help the functionality of your sewing space all with some creepy flair.

At my production sewing job, there is a lot of emphasis and importance placed on having an accessible workstation that requires as little movement from the operator as possible. Consequently, we’ve built devices, endearingly referred to as bin trees, that suspend parts, labels, and bobbins above the machines for easy access. Each station even has a tool pouch attached to the machine’s table to house scissors, snips, and other tools all within arm’s reach of the operator. Well, this kaizen process has rubbed off on me, and it had me looking at my own setup at home!

My desktop, which serves as a multi-function workspace was simply not cutting it, so I thought, why not take advantage of the vertical space available? This wall pocket could be placed on the wall behind your sewing machine or computer to make your tools easy to grab when needed. Or in any space where tools are aplenty but space is limited!

I made this project very easy with a bunch of straight seams, and some folding, that’s really all there is to it!

Step 1: Cutting Your Wall Pocket: If you are using one cut of fabric, cut your fabric to two 20″ X 56″ pieces. In the case of using two fabrics, and seaming them together at the bottom of the wall pocket, cut one 20″ X 56″ from each fabric. For the option that I will be demonstrating for you, cut your contrasting fabric to 6 1/2″ X 20″, and your main fabric to 34″ X 20″ and 72.5″ X 20″.

Step 2: Assembling Your Wall Pocket: Important note before you begin: all assembly seams are 1/2″. For both the single fabric and the first dual fabric options, simply sew your pieces together along one of the 20″ sides, noting fabric direction if necessary. For the second dual-material option I sewed the 34″ X 20″ piece on the top edge of my 6.5″ X 20″ piece, joining the 20″ sides. I then took my 72.5″ X 20″ piece and attached it to the contrasting fabric band opposite the 34″ x 20″ piece.

Iron interfacing bands on the wrong side of your fabric that will make the front of your wall pocket with the following spacing: 16 1/2″ from the top edge, 11″ under the first band (this interfacing band should land on your contrasting band), and again 11″ under the second band.

No matter which fabric layout you chose, fold your piece together width-wise (hamburger style) with the wrong sides together. Sew sides of wall pocket together, leaving the top open for flipping.

Flip your wall pocket right-side out, making sure to poke out corners thoroughly.

Press your piece to make it clean and crisp. Then fold your piece 11″ from the top, bringing the bottom up and over the top edge. Fold the bottom back down 5 1/2″ above your initial fold. Congratulations you’ve made the first pocket row! Pin the folds in place, so that they stay as you fold the rest of the pockets.

Eleven inches below the second fold, bring the bottom up again over the first pocket. Fold bottom back down, folding the piece again so that the fold aligns with the bottom of the first pocket row. Pin folds in place, before moving on to the third row. Complete the steps for the second pocket again to make the third pocket row. Pocket depths should be around 5 1/2″ when finished.

Once you have folded your wall pocket, press again with an iron to crease your piece. When doing my topstitching on the top edge of each pocket, I unpinned just the pins holding that fold I wanted to sew in place, so that I could get at that edge better.

Aligning the pocket edge with the side of my presser foot, I sewed my topstitch line 3/8″ from the edge. Repeat this step until all pocket top edges have been topstitched. After you’ve completed this step, fold pockets back in place and pin.

Sew the sides of your pockets by sewing 3/8″ from the edge on both sides of your wall pocket.

Sew your pocket division seams by figuring out what tools and supplies you wish to keep in your pockets. I ultimately chose to sew one seam 7″ in on the right side on the bottom pocket, and another seam 7″ in on the left side on the middle pocket.

This step is optional, I included the elastic bands to keep the top pocket more flush with the back of the wall pocket (since I wasn’t doing stitch lines to divide this pocket), and to keep items that I wanted to slide in and out quickly.

I cut two 12″ lengths of elastic and positioned them 7″ in on each side of the wall pocket. Sew back and forth over both ends of each piece, I had my stitching land a 1/4″ from the top, and about a 1/2″ past the pocket edge inside the top pocket. Pulling the elastic a little taught helps keep your tools in place!

Step 3: Finishing Your Wall Pocket: When finishing the top edge, I used an overlock machine to finish that raw edge. If you don’t have an overlock machine, other options to finish the edge include: binding the edge with a 2 1/4″ wide strip of matching material, encasing the edge similar to a waistband treatment, or folding the edge over twice to conceal the edge (I would fold over a 1/2″ and then an inch to make the grommet placket for later). After overlocking, I folded the edge over an inch and stitched the fold in place.

I then marked my grommet placement, marking one on each side and one in the center. Using fabric sheers and an awl I gradually removed fabric around the hole for the grommet until it was barely big enough to fit the larger grommet side through. I luckily had a set of grommet pliers to easily press the grommet halves together uniformly, while also sealing off the raw edges of the hole I just made. Complete this step for all three grommets.

You are done with your organizational wall pocket! I put a bunch of notebooks, tracing paper, a sketchbook, drafting templates, and a place to stow my patterns. All of those items use to occupy the top of my desk, but not anymore! Use your wall pocket to keep tools, journals, a tablet, or sketching supplies!

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Ready for your next project? Here are some tutorials on the blog I think you’ll like! Frame Flip tutorial: https://britnijade.com/frame-flip/, Macrame Wall Hanging: https://britnijade.com/macrame-wall-hanging-w-bones/, or the Spider Web Macrame: https://britnijade.com/spider-web-macrame/. Enjoy!