Crafting Your Own Dice Bag for Tabletop Adventures

Why a Handmade Dice Bag Deserves a Place in Your Kit

There is something quietly satisfying about tipping a set of polyhedrals out of a bag you made yourself. A shop-bought pouch will do the job, but a handmade one holds its shape, shows your taste, and can be sized precisely for the hoard you actually own. Perhaps you carry a single lucky d20 and a handful of d6s; perhaps you have four matched sets and a growing collection of oddities. Either way, a bag you sew yourself can be cut to fit, lined to protect sharp corners and painted edges, and finished with a drawstring that closes properly rather than gaping open in your rucksack.

This project is genuinely beginner-friendly. If you can thread a needle and sew a straight-ish line, you can make a dice bag in an afternoon. The whole thing takes around an hour once you have your fabric cut, and it is a lovely way to use up remnants from other projects.

Choosing Fabric That Will Survive the Long Campaign

Dice are heavier than they look. A full set of seven polyhedrals rolling around loose will rub against fabric constantly, so the outer layer needs a bit of body. Look for medium-weight woven fabrics: cotton canvas, cotton drill, duck, linen blends, or a sturdy furnishing cotton. These hold a rounded shape and resist fraying if you finish your seams properly.

What to avoid is just as important. Loose, open weaves such as cheesecloth or cheap gauze will let the sharp point of a d4 poke through. Stretchy jersey will sag and distort. Slippery satin looks gorgeous but is fiddly to sew and prone to unravelling at the seams.

• Outer fabric: 25cm x 30cm of canvas, drill or linen blend
• Lining: 25cm x 30cm of quilting cotton, brushed cotton or a soft jersey knit for a padded feel
• Drawstring: 70cm of 3mm cotton cord, paracord, velvet ribbon or a hand-braided trim
• Tools: sewing machine or hand needles, matching thread, pins or clips, fabric scissors, a safety pin, and a chopstick or turning tool
• Optional: a 15cm square of fusible interfacing for extra structure

A note on colour and print: patterned quilting cotton makes a lovely lining because it is the last thing you see when the bag is open. Choosing a contrasting lining to the outer fabric gives a satisfying flash of personality every time you reach in.

Cutting and Measuring for the Right Capacity

Size matters more than most tutorials admit. A bag roughly 12cm wide and 15cm tall, finished, comfortably holds one set of seven dice plus a couple of extras. If you are carrying a dungeon master's hoard, go up to 18cm wide and 20cm tall.

For a lined bag you cut four rectangles: two outer panels and two lining panels, all the same size. Add 1cm seam allowance all round and remember you will fold down the top to create the drawstring channel, so add an extra 3cm of height for that. For a 12cm x 15cm finished bag, cut your panels at 14cm x 21cm.

Before you cut, press your fabric flat. Wrinkled fabric is the single most common reason a seam wanders off course. Trim your edges with pinking shears if you are working with something fray-prone.

Adding a Lining for Protection and Polish

The lining is what elevates a simple pouch into something that protects your dice properly. It hides all your raw seams, adds a second barrier against sharp edges, and makes the bag feel substantial in the hand.

Place your two outer panels right sides together and sew down both long sides and across the bottom with a 1cm seam allowance, leaving the top open. Do the same with the lining panels, but leave a 8-10cm gap in the centre of the bottom edge — that is your turning hole. Press the seams open.

Turn the outer bag right side out and push the lining inside it, wrong sides together, so the lining sits neatly within the outer bag. Match the side seams and pin. Now sew around the top edge, 1cm from the raw edge, joining the two layers into a single tube.

Pull the whole bag through the gap in the lining bottom, then hand-stitch that gap closed with a small ladder stitch. Push the lining down inside and press the top edge crisply. If you want extra structure, fuse a strip of interfacing to the outer fabric before you begin — it makes the drawstring channel much easier to sew evenly.

Simple Stitches Worth Mastering

You do not need a huge repertoire, but a handful of hand stitches will improve your finish enormously.

• Running stitch: the basic in-and-out stitch for gathering and for sewing the drawstring channel by hand.
• Backstitch: strong and nearly invisible from the front. Use it for any seam that will take weight, such as the bottom of an unlined bag.
• Whipstitch: quick and neat for overcasting raw edges so they do not fray inside the bag.
• Ladder stitch: the one to learn for closing turning gaps invisibly.

Practise each on a scrap of your chosen fabric first. Tension matters: pull too tight and the fabric puckers, too loose and the seam gapes. Aim for stitches that sit flat and even, about 3mm long.

Finishing the Drawstring and Personalising Your Bag

Fold the top edge of the bag to the inside by 3cm and press, then sew a channel either by machine or by hand, leaving a small opening on each side for the cord to exit. Thread your cord through one opening, all the way round, and out the other side, using a safety pin attached to the end to guide it. Knot the two ends together firmly, and add a bead or a toggle if you like.

This is the fun part. Embroider a d20 outline on the outer panel before assembly. Add a fabric label with your character's name. Stitch on a tiny appliqué dragon. Attach a split ring so the bag clips to your belt or bag strap. Make a matching smaller pouch for your most-used dice, or a long thin one for pencils and a battle mat marker.

Once you have made one, you will find yourself sizing them for friends, for swap gifts at conventions, and for that one enormous d100 nobody else can fit in their bag. Happy sewing, and may your rolls be ever in your favour.