Have you heard of chiyogami? I’ll take you through steps on how to make a simple soft sunglasses pouch, with an extremely unique twist..it’s made from paper!

I was looking for a soft sunglasses pouch that would make it easier to fit in my purse. I found one that I really liked, but thought $20? No way! I can make one that would be more “one-of-a-kind” and less expensive. Fabric would be a simple material choice, but what about something more unique? Maybe paper?

I visited The Paper Place on Queen street. They carry so many beautiful stationary type items. The staff is lovely and very helpful. They had a large selection of chiyogami which is traditional Japanese hand silk screened paper. This paper is soft and smooth to touch, and more durable. It would make for beautiful wall art, or in my case a sunglasses case! I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but thought let’s give it a go!

I purchased a quarter piece of chiyogami, approximately 13.5 x 18.5″, and an 8″ zipper.

 

 

I really only needed enough to wrap around my sunglasses which was 7.5″ x 3.5″

I began by cutting my chiyogami down to the size I needed.

 

From here I sewed on the zipper. I couldn’t believe it! The paper tolerated being sewn!

As I sewed down the second side, I realized I wouldn’t be able to keep the paper seamless, I had to cut the paper in half. Rookie mistake #1! That just meant I had another bit of sewing to do along the seam.

Then I sewed up the sides, and … sewed it shut! Rookie mistake #2! Open the zipper before you sew the sides so you don’t sew it shut.

From here, flip it inside out and you’re finished!

I have to say, I’m pretty impressed with this and while it was sew easy to make this soft sunglasses case, the nicest part about it is how beautiful the paper is! Hope you take on the challenge of making one for yourself, or find some other unique craft to make with chiyogami! Thanks for visiting the blog!