Zipped pocket bag (with mini tutorial)

With these bags I seem to have found a relatively easy way of attaching a zip - something I am frequently asked for.

The solution came to me - as is often the case - in the middle of the night.  Unusually I remembered it the next morning!

How to imitate this:
Make a pocket bag as per my earlier tutorial, but only make the front and back panels for the bag.

Add a 3" strip of denim to the top of each panel, fastening the bag straps between the panel and the strip.  I usually place them half way along each pocket square, and stitch over the strap end three times.

Now cut the lining to match the panels.

Using a zipper foot, sew one panel to the zip.
Put the lining so right sides of the lining and bag panel face each other, and the zip is sandwiched between the two fabrics.  Stitch again, to fasten the zip securely.
Turn the fabric the right way and then top stitch the zip.  Stitch as close as possible to the edge of the fabric.

Repeat with the other bag panel.

Now open the zip and then open out the bag and lining so that the bag panels are right sides together, and so are the linings.  It should make one large rectangle. Sew all the way round the rectangle, leaving the bottom edge of the lining open.

Turn the bag the right way in, and sew the bottom of the llining up.  You can hand sew this for a neat finish, but I usually turn the edges in and top stitch with the machine!

Push the lining inside your bag and it is finished!

Shared at

Zipped bag tutorial

This little bag is a variation on one I have been making for a while now. The first variation was this:

It came from a Japanese book (yes, all in Japanese except for the measurements on the diagrams!) of items made from denim.  I have now developed the bag into this:

 It is a zipped bag with longer handles - and here is a tutorial for it.

From denim, I cut four rectangles each 5" x 10" in two different denims.  I also cut three denim strips 2" wide and three strips of contrast fabric 2" wide (and at least 5" long); four 3" x 10" strips for the zip edging, four 4" square pieces for the zip ends and two 4" strips (each the length of a jeans leg) for the straps.
From lining I cut two rectangles each 10" by 11".
I used a 10" zip and cut it down; I suspect you could get away with an 8" zip.

First I made the handles by folding each strip in half lengthwise and pressing, then pressing the long sides to the middle (wrong sides together) and folding it along the original fold.  I top stitched each edge of each strap.

Next I made the contrast band by stitching together the denim and contrast strips, alternating them.  I needed 3 of each strip.  I pressed the fabric pieces and then cut across them (at right angles to the seams) to make two 2" strips.

I next put two pieces of 3"x10" denim right sides together with the zip sandwiched between them.  I sewed them along the long edge, and repeated with the other side, then topstitched both sides.  Opening the zip partially, I sandwiched the piece between two 4" squares at each end to make the enclosed ends for the zip.  Much experimenting has shown me that this makes the neatest zip fastening for bags. It ended up like this:

All my pieces were now ready and this was getting exciting!  I took one contrast band and one main 5"x10" denim piece and sewed them along the long side.  I then sewed the other 5"x10" rectangle to the other side of the contrast band to make one complete side.  I repeated this with the other denim and contrast pieces to make the other side.

I took each side piece and pinned the handles in place to the top edge.I then took one of these side pieces and one of the lining pieces and put them right sides together with the zip between them, lining up the long sides of the zip with the top edges of the bag side and lining.  I then sewed along this side, starting and finishing 1/4" from the edge. Back stitch over the handle for added strength. After repeating this with the other side, I opened the pieces and checked I had not missed any seams - it is easy to do! 

Next I pinned the denim pieces together around all three sides.  Leaving 1/4" unsewn along the join between lining and main fabric means that you can sew right to the top of the seam.

 

 I repeated this for the lining, but left a gap of about 4" along the bottom edge for turning.

Once the main bag pieces were sewn, I pinned and sewed the shor zip edge, only trimming to size after I had sewn.

From the corners of the main bag and lining I cut out a 1.5" square.

Pinching the sides together, I sewed across the seam to box the base.

I then turned the bag the right way in, but before putting the lining inside the seam I top stitched the open section.

The bag was nearly finished - just the zip to sort out!

I pushed the zip and its edging inside the bag and pinned it in place, then top stitched round the top of the bag.  I found it best to do this from the inside - and even so, with denim it is tricky.  Take it slowly and make sure you are using a proper denim machine needle!

Finished - one handy little bag - and possibly the best zip technique yet!

I will be sharing this post at the following link parties:

Create and Share	Made by Me	We Made it Wednesday
A Creative Princess	Whatever goes Wednesday	Wow us Wednesday

Scrappy pouch tutorial

I have been stocking up on smaller items recently, and experimenting with different sizes and styles of pouches.
These used up some scraps of cotton fabric as well as the denim:

To make them I cut some 2" strips of denim and 2" strips of cotton fabric, four 10 x 4" pieces of denim and two 10 x 9" pieces of lining fabric.
I first made the decorative panel by sewing the strips of denim alternating with strips of cotton and cutting them to two 2" x 10" finished pieces. I then put one of these between two of the 10 x 4" pieces of denim.
Next I attached the zip, sandwiching it between an outer piece and a lining.  I then sewed round the entire bag and lining, leaving a gap at the bottom of the lining for turning (and making sure I had unzipped the zip first!)  I cut a 1" square out of each corner of the bag, and boxed the corners.  I then turned the bag right way in and stitched up the gap in the lining. Job done!

I'm adding this post to the following link parties:

Happy Hour Fridays	Find a Friend Friday	Anything Goes
5Days5Ways	30 Handmade Days	Flaunt it Friday
Can I get a Whoop whoop	Diana Rambles

Mini keyring purse tutorial

This is another project that grew out of what I had in the house!  My sewing room was festooned with scraps of denim, too big to throw away but too small for existing projects.  While hunting through my zips box (actually more of a crate!) to find zips for a bag project I am planning, I came across about 20 tiny zips, no more than 3" long. And of course I had some split rings left over from recent key ring projects.  So I started thinking.
I came up with this:

It is hard to get an idea of the scale, but the purse is no more than 2" square.  I think this would be really useful for children who need to take bus fare to school - with a clip you could easily attach it to a belt loop - or to keep the car park change or trolley coin in.

Here is how I made them:
I cut a strip of fabric the width of the zip and twice as long as the zip.
I sewed the zip to one short edge of the fabric:

and then to the other edge:

Opening the zip, I put the loop of ribbon, with the split ring attached, inside the purse, and sewed across the short edge catching the ribbon in the seam.  I turned and sewed back the same way for strength.

I then sewed across the other short edge.

After clipping the corners (as shown above - it makes the corners of the finished back much neater) I turned the purse the right way in.
A simple, quick project; I now have a stack of these ready to add to stock.

This tutorial will be shared at the following Friday link parties:

Happy Hour Fridays	Find a Friend Friday	Anything Goes
5Days5Ways	30 Handmade Days	Flaunt it Friday
Can I get a Whoop whoop

Boxy purses - with tutorial

My purses needed restocking in time for Christmas, and I felt like playing around with ideas and patterns a bit.  I saw a tiny boxy purse attached to a keyring and that inspired these:

These started as an 8.5" x 6" rectangle.  I inserted the zip and then sewed the sides so that the zip was centrally placed - like this:

 Then I cut the corners out - about a 1" square - in each corner, like this:

I pinched the corners and sewed them together to make the box.

They are not yet quite the size I want, but they look pretty cure.  Next set may well be smaller and more cube than cuboid - possibly attached to a keyring.

I'm sharing this post at these lovely link parties:

TA Da Tuesday	Too Cute Tuesday	Tutorial Tuesday
Sew Cute Tuesday	Nifty Thrifty Tuesday	Ladybug Blessings