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Holiday gift pod

by Linda Theil

I wanted to make a holiday version of the "Spencer Ogg Cosmetics Pod" that I wrote  about here in September 2020. I love the pattern because it is quick and easy and very clever; and it makes up into a cute pouch that would be good to fill with candy or other treats for an inexpensive, but thoughtful and personal holiday gift.

The gift pod could be cut in any pretty holiday fabric, but I had a piece of the "Novelty Gnome Stripe" from Shelly Comiskey's "Timber Gnomies" line for Henry Glass & Co., Inc. that I thought would be cute made up as a gift pod.

Using the stripe posed an interesting challenge because the pattern is one-piece, so to make a one-way design work, you have to piece the fabric so that when you fold the pouch into shape all the design elements are right side up in relation to the constructed pod. If you didn't cut and piece the fabric, the design would be upside down on either the front or the back. This is not a problem if you are using a non-directional fabric such as a single color, a small print, or a non-directional stripe.

For my gift pod, I printed the cosmetics pod pattern 115% of the original pattern which made a pod that finished to approximately 8 x 5 x 2.5-inches. The pattern is available from the Spencer Ogg site, with more information on the Spencer Ogg blog, and on an outstanding video tutorial on the Spencer Ogg YouTube channel.

I measured the pattern and measured the fabric stripes and figured how to piece the stripes so that they would fall properly on the finished pod. Then I strip pieced the fabric in the proper orientation so that it would fall properly when the pouch was sewn together.


Strip set for 115% original pattern size of Spencer Ogg cosmetics pod. The pod pattern is shown folded in the center to show where the strips will fall when the pattern is cut out.

In addition to the "Timber Gnomies" stripes, I needed a non-directional piece of fabric that would be the bottom of the pouch. I pulled a printed plaid from my stash -- "Santa's Coming" by Nancy Halvorsen for Benartex, Inc. The color is perfect, but unfortunately the printed plaid looks wonky when I pieced it; it would have been better to use a solid color, or small print. 

For this sized pod, the strips in the strip-set are:

  • six inches wide for the right-side-up, top fabric;
  • 2.5-inches for the non-directional center strip,
  • and seven inches for the upside-down, bottom strip.

The finished strip set with 1/4-inch seams is 14-inches wide which equals the length of the 115% of original-sized pattern. The top of the strip is the top of the pattern above the large cutout notches. The strip placement isn't perfect in this example, but for the most part, my gift pod turned out pretty cute!

The Spencer Ogg video for construction of the pod is comprehensive and very well done. Basically, you insert the zipper, seam the sides, box the corners, and you're done.

I used about 15-inches of white, #5 purse zipper for the closure. Even though the zipped opening is only about 10-inches long, Spencer Ogg uses an extra long piece of zipper to make production easier; and I concur!


This is what the front of the pod looks like when turned right-side-out after inserting the zipper.

 Pod with finished side seams, before top and bottom corners are boxed.

This photo shows the back of the gift pod made with a strip set.

This photo shows the bottom of the pod made with the strip set.

UPDATE Dec. 16, 2020

Photos below show front and back of gift pod made from a strip set consisting of:
a non-directional 3.5-inch strip, a right-side-up 4-inch strip, a non-directional 3.5-inch strip, and an upside-down 5-inch strip.




Update Dec. 19, 2020

Photos below show gift pod made from a strip set consisting of:
a right-side-up 6-inch strip, an upside-down 6-inch strip, and a non-directional 4-inch strip (3.5-inches to be specific -- but I gave myself a little wiggle-room).



Photo below is a gift pod made from a single piece of fabric.


Update: July 2, 2021

Box o' pods for summer gifting.

Update: December 13,2021

Jingle-bell pods made with 50-year-old vintage, holiday print and filled with candy or cosmetics for hostess favors.




Resources

"Spencer Ogg Cosmetics Pod" Appleton Dance web-log post at http://appletondance.blogspot.com/2020/09/spencer-ogg-cosmetics-pod.html#.X9d5zkJKjGY

"Easy Zippered Box Pouch" video tutorial by Diane Spencer Ogg at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH_HE3X43ws

"Novelty Gnome Stripe" from Shelly Comiskey's "Timber Gnomies" line for Henry Glass & Co., Inc. at https://www.henryglassfabrics.net/9275-89-multi/

Spencer Ogg free pattern for Cosmetic Pod at https://www.spencerogg.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Cosmetic-Pod.pdf

"Free sewing pattern -- cosmetic pods" Spencer Ogg blog post at https://www.spencerogg.com/free-sewing-pattern-cosmetic-pods/

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