Bags, Wallets, and Zips

open wide zippered pouch tutorial size chart

open wide zip pouch size chart
Please refer to the full tutorial HERE for step-by-step instructions and pictures. 
For the contrast bottom style pouches, simply cut two pieces of each measurement listed in the chart (right column) and sew together using a 1/2″ seam allowance.
So for the medium size pouch:
– Cut two pieces 4.5″ tall by 12″ wide and two pieces 5.5″ tall (the contrast bottom) by 12″ wide.
– Place one pouch top fabric right sides together with one contrast bottom fabric piece and sew along 12″ length using a 1/2″ seam allowance, thus making one exterior.
– Repeat with remaining fabrics to complete the back exterior.
– Cut 2 lining pieces as listed in second column.

Approximate Finished Dimensions (width and depth measured at base):
Small // 4.5″ H x 5″ W x 3.5″ D
Medium // 6″ H x 6.5″ W x 4″ D
Large // 8.5″ H x 8″ W x 4.5″ D
 
Fabrics: The Hello Kitty fabrics from the first post were purchased at fabric.com, seems like Hello Kitty is popping up a lot, so keep your eye open if you’re a fan (yip yip!)
The medium size pouch is patchwork using an Umbrella Prints Trimmings pack, if you’ve never seen their fabrics I suggest you check them out, all handprinted in Australia.  Love their basecloth and style.
The small pouch main fabric is handprinted by my friend Leslie who runs Maze & Vale, where she sells her handprinted fabric and goodies.  She’s hosting a handprinted fabric swap now which is really cool.
The bottom contrast band to all the pouches is Robert Kaufman cotton linen in denim purchased at Pink Chalk Fabrics.  Love this stuff, it’s like a favorite pair of jeans.
The yellow fabric (large pouch) is Pure Elements in Empire Yellow by Art Gallery Fabrics, believe me, you need every color.
Happy sewing everyone!!!
If you’ve enjoyed this free tutorial, please stop by my pattern shop for lots of other projects to sew!

Bags, Wallets, and Zips

open wide zippered pouch: DIY tutorial

Doesn’t it ever get annoying digging through a zippered pouch?  I love being able to see what’s inside and what I’m searching for.  I spotted this little pouch the other day and had to make something similar.

 
I also made a bunch of sizes, but today I’ll show you the small size, next time, I’ll share the medium and large sizes (not pictured) so you can make all three!
 
 

Materials:

** Update: three sizes chart post here

Directions:
(1/2″ seam allowance, unless otherwise noted)

(Optional) Fuse on or baste on interfacing of your choice to main exterior pieces.

Lay one exterior piece right side up, lay zipper (teeth side down) on top with the zipper pull at the left – aligning zipper tape edge to the raw edges of the top of the exterior piece.  Tuck in pull side zipper end, just bend it 90 degrees.  You may choose to sew it down, or just pin it in place like I did.  Make sure the metal bit of the zipper is just about 3/4″ away from the left edge.  Layer lining piece on top, right side down on top of zipper.  Pin and baste, you can skip this part, but basting really does help things from slipping around too much.

Use your zipper foot and a 1/4″ seam allowance.  Sew over basting stitches, but not all the way to the end.

At about 1″ before the edge of the fabric, stop, backstitch, and then pull the zipper away from the seam, bending it down out of the way, in towards the fabrics.  The whole point is to pull it out of the way so it doesn’t get caught in the seam.  Continue stitching along the fabrics until the edge.

Flip so that the fabrics are wrong sides facing and press.

Lay the remaining exterior piece right side up, lay zipper (with fabrics attached) on top – teeth side down with the zipper pull at the right. Tuck in pull side zipper end, just bend it 90 degrees, just like before, making sure the metal bit of the zipper is just over 3/4″ away from the right edge this time. Lay lining piece right side down on top.  Pin and baste.  Using the zipper foot and a 1/4″ seam allowance sew over basting stitches, but not all the way to the end just like before. 


Again, about 1″ before the edge of the fabric, stop, backstitch, and then pull the zipper away from the seam, bending it down, in towards the fabrics.  Continue stitching along the fabrics until the edge.  Flip so that the fabrics are wrong sides facing and press. Do NOT topstitch along either side of the zipper at this point, we’ll be doing that in another step towards the end. This is what you’ve got so far:


Next. flip so that the exterior fabrics are right sides together and the lining pieces are right sides together (with the zipper hidden in the middle). 


Open the zipper at least half way at this point!  


Pin and sew around all edges leaving approximately a 4″ opening in the bottom (or side) of the lining.  You’ll be using a 1/2″ seam allowance.  Be sure to get close to the metal zipper ends on one side, and bending the zipper end down into the pouch on the other side making sure it doesn’t get caught in the seam.  

 

Box the corners by pinching each corner together and aligning each corresponding side/bottom seam, one corner at a time.  Use a ruler and water soluble marker to mark a line perpendicular to the side seam 3.5″ long.

Sew along that line, trim the seam allowance.  Do this for all four corners (two exterior, two lining).

Pull pouch right side out through the opening you left in the lining.  Tuck in raw edges of opening. Sew opening in lining closed using a small seam allowance by machine (sewing close to the fold as in the above picture) or hand stitch the opening closed.  Push lining into exterior.  Press around entire opening and carefully along the zipper.

Topstitch using a slightly longer stitch length (and taking your time) around the entire opening of the pouch.

Trim the zipper tail so that you have about 1″ of space past the pouch’s side (be careful not to accidentally slide the zipper pull off the zipper!).

For making the zipper pull tab, take a 2″x3″ piece of fabric.

Press all edges in by 1/2″, slip over zipper end.

Fold in half, sew around all four edges of the tab.

That’s it!  Enjoy your super functional pouch and have fun being able to find the things you need easily!!!

Ta-da!

Bags, Wallets, and Zips

fabric tray tutorial

[Just re-posting this here, I shared this as part of Skip to My Lou‘s Holiday Bake, Craft and Sew Along!]

This project is really fun because you can make it as simple or complex as you’d like and there’s really no rules, love that.  So for making a really fun customizable fabric tray read on…

I had made a tray earlier this year for my dad and I figured this would be a simple project to share!
This is a great project to make to combine with a few other goodies for a hostess gift, a gift for your not-so-organized husband as a place for him to set his glasses and wallet and spare change, or for a special friend.  Fill it with treats, magazines, recipes, anything works!  I’ve included dimensions to make three different sized fabric trays: pencil size (small), spare change size (medium), and magazine size (large).  This is also a great scrap busting project, so dig into your scrap bin and pull out your favs.  Enjoy!

Materials:
For small fabric pencil tray:

  • 2 pieces of fabric 10″Wx6″T (this is where you can get as fancy or simple as you’d like, think of patchwork, quilt blocks, anything goes – just trim it down to this size)
  • one piece cotton batting or fusible fleece 10″Wx6″T
  • one piece peltex 7″Wx3″T stiff double side fusible interfacing (I used Peltex 72F, found at Walmart/joanns, etc.)

For medium fabric spare change tray:

  • 2 pieces of fabric 12″Wx10″T
  • one piece cotton batting or fusible fleece 12″Wx10″T
  • one piece peltex 9″Wx7″T stiff double side fusible interfacing (I used Peltex 72F, found at Walmart/joanns, etc.)

For large fabric magazine tray:

  • 2 pieces of fabric 16×15
  • one piece cotton batting or fusible fleece 16×15
  • one piece peltex 12×11 stiff double side fusible interfacing (I used Peltex 72F, found at Walmart/joanns, etc.)

Directions:
Fuse fleece to one of the main fabric piece (if using fusible fleece), fuse peltex centered onto the fabric you’ve selected for the bottom of your tray.

Layer batting (no need if you’ve already used fusible fleece), fabric for inside of tray RIGHT side up, fabric for bottom of tray RIGHT side down (see picture, the peltex is fused center, leaving the plastic layer on for now).

Pin.  Sew along all four edges using a 1/4″ seam allowance, but leaving a 3-4″ opening for turning (5″ opening for the large tray).  Clip corners.  Remove plastic film from peltex. Turn right side out, push out corners with a chopstick or other dull instrument.  Press, tucking the raw edges of the opening inside. Also press the peltex rectangle to fuse it to the tray interior.

Topstitch along all edges, thus closing the opening you left for turning.

Sew a rectangle along the edges of the peltex rectangle.  You’ll be able to feel the edge of it through the fabric, if not, sewing through it isn’t a big deal.  A water soluble pen might come in handy to keep your rectangle looking like a rectangle! You can even do more quilting at this point if you wish.

Pinch each corner at the edge of the peltex, bending the fabric up to meet at the edges.

Here you can either use floss (or even thread) and sew a few stitches through the two edges to hold them together.

Or you can pin them together and stitch straight up the corner you pinched (remembering to backstitch).  Repeat for the remaining 3 corners and you’re set!

Fill with whatever your heart desires and give that gift!!

I’d also like to note that there are a lot of similar projects out there, so if this isn’t your cup of tea, try one of these fab tutorials:

Or better yet, stop by my blog and check out all my tutorials and patterns, maybe you’ll find something else you just HAVE to make!  Thanks for having me Cindy!

[fabrics: linen, lizzy house 1001 peeps (blue), tula pink parisville (yellow), greenfield hill denyse schmidt (green)]