Easy Sew Box Pouch for All Your Date Night Essentials

I always look forward to date night. A very special thank you to Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser for making this possible. All opinions are mine alone. #BeHealthyForEveryPartofLife #CollectiveBias

After having kids, date night can sometimes be swept under the rug. So when we finally DO get around to spending some quality time together, I like to make sure I’m at the top of my game. No getting sick. No having cramps or knee pain or headaches. No chapped lips. I want to look good and smell good. I want to feel my best when I’m with my guy.

If I have to run to the bathroom to freshen up my mascara or grab an Advil at the dinner table, I don’t want to be mining through my purse for my essentials. I need to have them all in one place. I put them all my little box pouch, slip it in my purse and I know I’m ready for anything.

You know me. I am a beginner seamstress. My Pinterest board is full of “Easy Sew” and “No Sew.” Because that’s how I roll. So don’t be intimidated by this tutorial. It’s easy sew. Promise.

Ingredients for this easy sew pouch recipe:

10” x 10” squares of outer fabric
10” x 10” Squares of lining fabric
9” zipper

See, not too bad, eh? (One note on the fabric before I move on. If you have thin fabric, you’re going to want to reinforce it with fusible interfacing. You iron it on and it gives your fabric shape and structure. I used thicker material and didn’t interface my fabric.)

So, first of all, cut your fabric. Make sure it’s straight. Use a rotary cutter and mat if you have it. If not, do the best you can.

Line your fabric with the lining face down and your outer fabric face up.

Place your zipper face down on the fabric.

Pin and sew in place.

Flip over and iron the edge to make it nice and crisp. Repeat on the other side of the zipper.

Here’s a hint. UNDO THE ZIPPER part of the way. This is your escape route for when it’s time to turn everything right side out.

Now you have a nice little tube. Line it up nice and even so the sides meet and the zipper is in the middle. Pin the edges.

Sew a ½” seam along each side.

At this point you could flip it right side out and call it good. It’s a cute little flat zipper envelope.

Or you could go one step further and make it awesome.

Make sure the pouch is inside out, with the lining fabric on the outside. This is tricky to explain but easy to do. Puff open your pouch and flatten the corners.

I used a ruler to draw a line across the corners, about one inch in, where I will sew.

Use a pin to hold in place.

Sew along each line.

(If you’re not sure you did it right, you can turn your pouch right side out and see. If it’s a box, you did it! Go back and cut off the excess fabric. If it’s a flat rectangular diamond, you need to go back and try again. You sewed the lines straight across without puffing up your corners and sewing diagonally.)

To prevent fraying, you can either zig-zag sew outside each seam, or you can cut it with pinking shears (you know, the scissors that look like teeth.)

Cut the excess fabric off. Turn the pouch right side out. Voila. You’re fabulous.

I messed up my first attempt at this pouch and did the rectangle/diamond thing I just explained above. Unfortunately I had already cut the corners off, so I had to start over. Once I unpicked all my seams – because I only bought one zipper! – It took me about fifteen minutes, start to finish.

I showed my little purse pouch to my friend while waiting for my daughter at ballet, and she gasped and said, “You made this?! I want to make one.” So we sat and chatted for quite a while about the merits of having all your date night essentials in one easy-to-grab place.

Let me tell you a little bit about the necessary tools I keep with me on my date night.

I get frequent headaches. Just runs in the family. You know, my little family running around my legs shouting at each other because she wouldn’t share her Jolly Rancher with me and he punched my arm pit. You know what I’m talking about. Plus I have a knee that thinks it can hold me back and likes to hurt so I won’t go running. Lame. Anyway. When I’m in pain, I’m not focused on my guy. That’s why I grab my Advil Liqui-Gels. Nothing’s faster on tough pain (among OTC pain relievers) like muscle ache, headache, joint pain. Use as directed.

And because I have a kid in school, and children are like living petri dishes, all kinds of bugs are brought home and shared. Emercen-C is a must in my essentials pouch. With over 20 varieties of vitamin supplement drink mixes, Emergen-C offers the formula, flavor, fix, and FUN you’re looking for!

I chose chewable tablets so I can just pop one, even during my date, and my main squeeze doesn’t even notice.

I love my smile. I have a great smile.

My smile gives me confidence. And having beautiful, healthy lips is important to me. (I also like to keep them kissable soft. What’s a date without a little smoochin’?!) I pack my ChapStick Total Hydration for a lot of reasons. It’s 100% natural. It’s age defying and visibly renews lips. It’s clinically proven to make your lips look healthier. Yes please!

Luckily I can grab everything at Walmart. All of these essentials are in the pharmacy department.

I loved that the Emergen-C is right under the lip care section. I can grab the Emergen-C and ChapStick Total Hydration at the same time. Nice!

To top off my essentials bag, I also throw in some mascara, a little perfume and a stick of gum. Now I’m ready for anything. Even an onion burger. 😉

What do you do to be ready for date night?

Want more Easy Sew projects? Check out our Easy Sew table Runner, No Sew fabric flower and No sew hair bow!