Skip to content

Colorado Leen's Craft Room

Don't mind the mess, we're just having some fun!

Menu
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Cards
      • Anniversary
      • Birthday Cards
      • Christmas Cards
      • Easter
      • Hello
      • Love
      • Misc.
      • Miss You Cards
      • Sympathy Cards
      • Thank You
      • Thinking of You
    • Gift Card Holders
    • Gift Tags
    • Mini Album/Folio
    • Other Fun Stuff
    • Flashback Friday
  • About
  • Contact
Menu

Accordion Pocket Folder

Posted on March 5, 2023February 21, 2023 by Leen

Good morning everyone and welcome back to the craft room. This morning I am going to share with you my Accordion Pocket Folder. The inspiration for this came from many different video’s, the first of which was Accordion Pocket Pouch by Cathy’s Garden. All of the videos I saw incorporated envelopes in their design. However, I did not want to go through all that extra work to cover the inside and outside of an envelope. So, pattern paper to the rescue. I used the double sided pattern paper pad Petite Floral by Recollections. This paper is a bit heavier than other pattern paper so it’s perfect for this project.

The Accordion Pockets

Because I am using this to store tips from my day job, I created a pocket with a finished size of 7″ x 3 1/4″. To create an envelope of this size I begin with a piece of pattern paper that measures 7 3/4″ x 6 1/2″.

Pattern paper from the Petite Floral pad by Recollections cut to 7 3/4"
Pattern paper from the Petite Floral paper pad by Recollections cut to 6 1/2"

Now we need to score our pocket pieces. On the 7 3/4″ side, score at 3/8″ and 7 1/4″. On the 6 1/2″ side, score in half at 3 1/4″.

Pocket page scored at 3/8" and 7 3/8".
Pocket page scored in half at 3 1/4"

To create the pocket we need to remove the 1/3″ score from one side as shown in the image below. Miter the ends of the flaps that remain to make access into the pocket easier. You can use any cutting tool of choice, but I am rather fond of my new index finger knife by Excel. Add adhesive to the outside of the flaps, fold up and create your pocket. 

Picture of the pocket page before being glued together.

For this project I only made 5 pockets. You can make as many or as few as you need in the same fashion.

Now we are going to glue the pockets together. In many of the videos I watched, the crafters only used a single line of glue down the center of the pockets. I prefer a bit more stability, so on the back of each pocket I measured in 2″ from each side and made a mark.

Creating guide marks on the backs of each accordion pocket for the adhesive.

Adding both scor-tape and glue inside this area I stacked my pockets together. When gluing your pockets together, always make sure the opening are facing the same direction. Line up your pockets and glue them together.

Photo showing the scor-tape and art glitter glue on the back of the accordion pockets.
The finished pockets for the accordion pocket folder.

The Folder Cover

The cover, which was rather simple to make, began with a piece of pattern paper 7 1/4″ x 10 1/2″. The size of this piece will be determined by the number of pockets you have and the type of closure you wish to use. With your adhesive of choice covering the front of the first pocket and the opening facing towards you, glue it down to the bottom of the cover. In the image below, I have both the cover and my pockets lined up with the edge of my score board. I do this to ensure the top edges are lined up as perfectly as possible. The cover is approximately 1/4″ wider than the pockets, but if you prefer they can be the same width.

Photo showing how I lined up and adhered the pockets to the front cover of the accordion pocket folder.

After the pockets are fully adhered to the cover, I then turned them up and folded them over to create the bottom of the folder. There is no need to make a score line, although you can do that if you feel more comfortable. Be careful to line the sides up as you fold up so everything lines up perfectly. When you are happy, remove the backing from the tape and secure it in place.

When creating the flap I did decide to add a few score lines every 1/8″ starting from about 1/2″ from top of the pockets. This way, rather than having a severe crease, the cover rolls over the top of the pockets. I prefer that look, but you can do which ever you like. Using my We R Memory Keepers/Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper I decided to round the corners on the cover. I started out with the 1/4″ round, but then changed it to the 1/2″ round for a cleaner look.

Photo of the score lines I made to help ease the cover around the top of the folder.

The Closure

As with most items on this project, you can choose to add any type of closure you desire. I chose to take a length of seam binding, about 30″or so, to tie my accordion pocket folder closed. To give it a little bit of style and texture, I colored the ribbon first with the new Lost Shadow Distress Spray Stain. After the ribbon was dry, I ran the Distress Ink pad over the ribbon to add more visual interest. The finished ribbon is so pretty. It almost looks like a silver ribbon and I LOVE it!

Photo of the natural colored seam binding ribbon.
Photo of the seam binding ribbon after it was colored with Distress Spray Stain and Distress Ink in Lost Shadow.

The Finished Accordion Pocket Folder

After the ribbon was dry I added just a bit of Art Glitter Glue to the ends to prevent fraying. I then added a length of  3/8″ scor-tape to the center back of the folder and glued the ribbon in place.

Photo of the front of the finished accordion pocket folder with the ribbon closure tied in a bow.
Photo of the back of the folder showing the ribbon closure attached to the back.

Below I have also included a side view of the finished folder. I like the gentle roll of both the top and the bottom rather than having severe fold lines.

Side view of the finished accordion pocket folder.

This is such an adorable folder and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Have you ever made an accordion folder before? Will you now, knowing just how easy they are to customize to the size you need? Let me know in the comments below.

Have a wonderful week and I will see you again soon!


PIN THIS POST FOR LATER!

Related

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome to the craft room everyone! Grab your drink of choice and let's have some fun exploring different crafting techniques.

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
March 2023
S M T W T F S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Feb    

AlteNew amalgam ink Bazzill Cardstock Copic markers Distress Archival Distress Ink Distress watercolor pencils Etched Layered Daisy Gamsol GinaK Glimmer Hot Foil System Heartfelt Creations Honey Bee Stamps Ink Blending Lawn Fawn Misti Neenah Card Opposites Attract Perfect Pearls Pinkfresh Studio Pink Fresh Studios Prismacolor pencils Recollections Card Recollections Paper Pad SheetLoad Simon Says Stamp Sizzix Spellbinders Tatted Lace The Greetery The Paper Studio The Ton Stamps Tim Holtz Waffle Flower We R Memory Keepers Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

Useful Links

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2023 Colorado Leen's Craft Room | Powered by Superbs Personal Blog theme