My husband and I wanted to let our daughters listen to music more autonomously and since they don't yet have phones, and the children's products on the market are so expensive and limited, we decided to go with a classic Discman and Headphone set each. CDs are still a thing in 2025, right?
Another of my goals became to sew them something each, so while on Pinterest, I saw a few bags with frills/pleats that I liked the look of. I decided to make a version of them, big enough to fit the discman and headphones, so that my kids could easily store their new gifts and listen to music on the go.
I started with diagramming on paper to try to find the right size and shape for the music playing items. After considering a few dimensions, I finally got my measuring tape, and measured approximately the biggest size I thought my youngest daughter could manage carrying. The last diagram is the one that I went with that included those measurements.
At my sewing table, another night, I tried out some designs on paper. First I used my French Curve to make some rounded corners.
Next I tried to mimic the original diagram that I liked by using a pin, some thread, and a pencil to make a semi circle.
Next I tried to mimic the original diagram that I liked by using a pin, some thread, and a pencil to make a semi circle. 
Between these two, I asked for some feedback (from my family). My husband liked the top one but thought the curve needed to continue to round out the top a bit. I ended up taking his advice so the final design looks a little different than the top one below. 
Here I made sure they fit. A very important part of the process, and easier to do before the sewing began. I decided to make it 3 inches wide instead of 2 inches, as the total depth was actually 4 inches. 
The next thing to do, of course, was to make a prototype, so I used some fabric from my stash of cottons. I added seam allowance to the pattern and tried it out. I made a lot of mistakes, so it was an important step of the process. During the prototyping, I find out if the pattern measurements are accurate, what are the parts that I need to think about slowing down for or doing differently next time, and the length of the strap etc.
I checked that the discman and headphones we got them fit and they did!
After the prototype, I had two nights left before Christmas morning, however we had some unexpected circumstances and then we got sick, so I just started on the final piece for one of my daughters last night. At least it is still December. My daughters each picked a fabric that they liked from a curated collection that I chose from a local quilting store. In the photo below, I am making the pleats.
Here I am checking the length of the pleats as it needs to be quite exact. 
