With winter in full swing, I find that I’m always carrying my traction spikes with me when I go hiking, just in case I encounter an icy trail. I wasn’t happy with the bag that came with my spikes, so I decided to make a padded carrying case for them so that I could carry them inside my pack without worrying about the spikes causing damage to the pack or its contents.

This case holds the spikes laid out flat, and is about 8x10” which would probably fit most Kahtoola type traction spikes, but the size of the case could be easily customized. In fact, the method used for making the case could be adapted to make other types of pouches or even a notebook cover.

Pattern

To make this case, begin by downloading the free pattern by clicking here. Print the pattern at 100%. (Use the scale at the top of the pattern to verify that it printed correctly.) Then cut out the pattern pieces and tape the parts together where indicated.

Materials Needed

Fabric: A mid to heavy weight pack fabric is a good option for this project. The case shown in the photos was made with 500d Cordura on the outside and 210d oxford on the inside.

Zipper: 56” long zipper - #8 recommended. This project will only use one side of the zipper. The other side can be saved for another project.

1 zipper slider: match the size of the zipper

Grosgrain: about 5” of 1” wide grosgrain

Foam: 2 pieces of foam 7x9-1/4” (5-6 mm EVA foam works well.)

Instructions

Cutting out the parts:

The pattern pieces on this project are meant to be cut out "on the fold." This helps the parts stay symmetrical. It also reduces the amount of paper needed for printing the pattern.

The pattern pieces are labeled with a "fold bracket." When cutting these parts, the fabric should be folded on itself and the pattern should be placed on the fold as indicated on the pattern. Cut through both layers of fabric to create 1 part that is 2x the size of the pattern piece.

Assembly:

Take a 3" piece of 1" grosgrain and fold it in half forming a loop. Pin it to the right side of part A, centered over the notch as shown below. Stitch it in place with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Separate the two sides of the 56” long zipper. Only one side will be used for this project. Pin the zipper to part A right sides together. Position the end of the zipper so that it extends about 1-1/2” beyond the center line of the part as shown below.

Begin stitching the zipper in place starting 3/8" from the center line, using a 1/4" seam allowance. Stop stitching 1/4" from the corner, with the needle down, as shown below.

Stitching the zipper around the corners is a little bit tricky. I found a method that seemed to work pretty well for me. Stitch until the needle is about 1/4" from the corner, and then stop with the needle down, as shown below.

Lift the presser foot and use scissors to clip the seam allowance of the zipper. Clip from the corner of the fabric, almost to the needle, as shown below. (In the photo, the presser foot has been removed so that it is easier to see where to clip.)

After clipping the zipper, and with the presser foot still lifted, rotate the fabric 90 degrees. Bend the zipper around the corner and pin it in place. The inner edge of the zipper will pucker up as shown below. Drop the presser foot and continue stitching.

The clip in the zipper will spread open, allowing it to bend around the corner more easily. You can see this in the photo of the finished corner below.

Continue stitching the zipper around part A, repeating this process at each corner. End the stitching 3/8" before the center line as shown below. The end of the zipper will extend past the center line by about 1-1/2".

Prepare parts B by sewing a 3/8" single fold hem on one of the long edges as shown below.

Pin part B to part A so that right sides are together, with the end aligned as shown below. (It will cover the zipper.)

Stitch part B to part A, sewing on the exact stitch line used to attach the zipper. (I found this was easiest to do with the back side of part A facing up while stitching.)

Repeat this process with the second part B on the other end of part A.

Trim the seam allowances at the corners as shown below. This will help the corners be less bulky when it is turned right side out. Be careful not to cut through the stitching.

Turn the parts right side out. Use a ruler or a blunt pencil to help push the corners out all the way. With the parts right side out, there will be a small section at the center of part A between the ends of the zipper, where part A is folded on itself but not stitched. Move the zipper ends back, and stitch this fold in place with a few stitches.

Fold the case closed (parts B together) and push the zipper ends to the outside of the case. Trim the 2 ends of the zipper even with each other, so that the zipper slider can be installed as shown in the photo below.

After the zipper slider has been installed, trim the zipper end so that it extends about 1/2" past the case. Cut a piece of 1" grosgrain to match the width of the zipper. Fuse the cut ends of the grosgrain with a flame, then fold the grosgrain around the end of the zipper and stitch in place, as shown below.

Cut 2 pieces of foam to 7 x 9-1/4". Insert the foam underneath parts B on either side of the case. (It can be helpful to trim off the outer corners of the foam.)