A good pet training waist pouch isn't very expensive, but it sure feels good to make and customize your own. I wanted a black, flat, and wider pouch with front pockets and an adjustable buckle belt. The ones I found for purchase were colored and too thick. I wanted the bag to be sleeker and less noticeable (I constantly leave my home without remembering to take the bag off). This tutorial is easily customizable. I choose to line my bag because one side of the nylon material got a little funky looking after I washed it, but it's not necessary to line if you are using a fabric that is easy to clean.
Materials:
- (2) inner piece (Determine the size of your bag and add 1/2 seam allowances. Mine was about 5x7".) - body
- (2) outer piece the same size as above - body
- (1) piece of outer fabric the same length as the above but about 3/4 the width of the body (i.e. 3.75x7") - front pocket panel
- (1) set of equipment click buckle (KEEP THE PACKAGING FOR INSTRUCTIONS!)
- webbing (Determine where the belt will fit most comfortably on you, measure around, add 5" that will be needed to attach the belt to the buckle, add more length if you want to make this adjustable to fit a bigger person. When in doubt, it's better to start with too much than not enough.)
Cost:
- fabric ~ $4/yd (Joann)
- webbing ~ $ 2.50/4yrds (Joann)
- buckle ~ $2 (Joann)
Instructions:
1) Cut your body pieces.
2) Cut your pocket panel piece.
3) Fold the pocket piece length wise (right sides together) and sew along the long side.
4) Turn the piece right side out, iron if necessary, and top stitch around the edges.
5) Lay an outer piece right side up. Place the pocket panel on top and align the bottom edge and sides. Sew the sides and bottom of the pocket panel onto the outer piece. Create pockets as desired by sewing a line from the top of the pocket panel down to the bottom. Repeat stitching to make more secure.
6) Place the zipper along the top edge of the outer piece you just sewed (tab down) and sew along the edge. Flip the zipper over and top stitch so the fabric lays flat against the zipper.
7) Lay down your second outer piece right side up. (You can customize the back of the bag as well. Mine has a smaller pouch.) Place the first outer piece on top with the zipper tab down and right sides touching. Align the zipper with the top edge of the fabric and sew along the edge.
8) Flip the top piece over and top stitch also.
9) Place the outer pieces both right side down and turn so that the front outer piece is facing towards you. Place the first inner piece right side down along the top of the zipper. Sew this piece to the zipper and be careful to not get too close to the teeth.
10) Flip the inner piece over so it is right side up and turn so that this piece is facing towards you. Place the second inner piece right side down along the top of the zipper and sew to the zipper.
11) Unzip the zipper halfway. Bring the inner pieces together so that right sides are facing each other. Sew the remaining sides together but leave a 3" gap at the bottom. Do the same for the outer pieces, but do not leave a gap. Turn everything right side out, stitch up the gap, and set aside.
12) With the female end of the buckle facing up, pull the webbing DOWN through the slot. I pulled about 2" through. I folded 1/2" at the end in and sewed in place to keep from fraying. Then, I fold the rest of the webbing under and sewed a rectangle with "X" in the center.
13) With the male facing end up, pull the webbing DOWN the right slot, then UP the left slot. The end of the webbing should end up on the front side of the belt. Fold 1/2" of the end in twice and sew in place.
I attached the belt to the bag at the sides only. I also kept the belt as one piece continuous piece. I did it this way so I could easily remove the belt and have more webbing to work with in case I need to transfer the belt to a new bag. I was concerned that the bag would get chewed up at some point and wanted to get the most use out of the belt.
My concerns were pretty valid, because one of the cats chewed up one of the small zip bags and then this bag. Here is what I found one morning:
It was a large nylon spit wad thanks to Setzer. He chewed up the liner only, so I was able to salvage the bag by removing the rest of the liner. :)