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iSew Coupon Organizer

I am really into couponing; I’ve been doing it for over a year now, and it saves us a lot of money. At first I was using a plastic divider envelope that I got at the dollar store, but I wanted something cute, since I sometimes take it into the grocery store like a clutch.

So I found a .pdf sewing pattern for a coupon organizer on Etsy from iSew. What a great idea, and such a beautiful pattern! I made this organizer for myself earlier this year, but I wanted to dig out the photos and share my review.

Fabric – For the exterior of the coupon organizer, I used Alexander Henry Apples and Pears in pink. The inside is Moda black and white polka dots, and I used an Alexander Henry fabric with yellow lemons on it for the binding. I wish I would have used a solid-colored binding, but oh well. The divider tabs with the sections (i.e. Bread, Canned Goods, etc.) are printed on my computer with June Tailor Colorfast printable sheets.

Pattern Pieces – There is a pattern piece for the main panel of the organizer, and the sides and dividers are rectangular cuts. Easy! I have to say again, that the actual design of the .pdf pattern is really pretty. The photos, text, everything is just beautifully done. I couldn’t have asked for a better .pdf.

Illustrations/Instructions – The photos are clear and pertinent to the accompanying instructions. The instructions are very detailed, and not only that, but there are helpful tips along the way, as if someone is standing over your shoulder and offering a suggestion. My favorite part was sewing all the dividers together, it came together so nicely. As noted in the pattern, sewing the binding along the sides of the organizer was a little tricky, but I just kept along slowly and it was fine.

My binding skills aren’t so hot, so I’m not so crazy about how that turned out, but I just love how I was able to sew the accordian-style dividers together…SO cool! The magnetic snaps I used were a little heavy-duty for the fabric (I even used a small piece of interfacing inbetween the layers to enforce the snap), so I would probably go with the smallest snaps you can find.

Conclusion – An intermediate sewer should be able to get through this with no problem. It looks a lot more complicated than it is. I had a good time sewing it, I doubt I would make another, but it was a fun project (and no one has a coupon binder like mine).

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6 thoughts on “iSew Coupon Organizer

  1. Karamat says:

    I’ve had that pattern for a while now, but haven’t gotten around to trying it out. So happy to see that it goes together well.

  2. Love how yours turned out. I use a coupon holder, too, but haven’t tackled making one yet! 🙂

  3. iSew says:

    So glad you enjoyed the pattern and I’m glad to know it’s understandable too! Thanks so much for the review.

  4. DonnaRae says:

    Wow, just found your site because someone left a link from our sewing bags forum. This review of the coupon organizer is dead on. But I will say, I usually have little if any problems with binding and this one for sure gave me a fit. I think I figured a different way to complete it but have not tried it yet. When I do I will let you know.

  5. Christine says:

    I made this too and I’m REALLY sorry I ever started it. It was a TON of work and very frustrating. I found a few problems with the pattern but haven’t heard back from the creator. Also, how do you keep the coupons from falling out the bottom of the organizer? I feel like I did everything correctly yet the organizer does NOT stay tight enough to keep the coupons in the proper sections, or even in the organizer! Really unhappy with mine. 🙁

  6. Christine says:

    Update – I heard from the creator of the pattern, which was very kind of her. I’m still clueless as to why my coupons don’t stay in the organizer as designed, but I fixed the problem with a hot glue gun *grin*

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