Day Two: Zipper Pouches

On the Second Day of Sewing…

We thought we would share one of our go-to handmade gifts- a zipper pouch. They are easy to sew, don’t require a lot of supplies and are totally customizable to suit any recipient! All in all, a great gift idea that is sure to be used and well loved.

The best part about making your own gifts is that you can make them to suit the person you are giving them to. For these zipper pouches, that can be done in a variety of ways. Fabric choice is the easiest and most powerful- choose a fun print that matches their interests, their favorite color or a great pattern or texture they would like. Another easy way to customize them is size– think about how the person will likely use their treasured pouch and size it accordingly. You can even make multiple pouches in different fabrics and sizes for a whole gift set- perfect for traveling. Maybe slip in a treat or matching accessory for an added surprise!

After making a ton of these little pouches we have mastered the process, making it easy to follow and produce great results every time.

Here is our step-by-step tutorial for these adorable zipper pouches!

1.Gather your supplies-

• Fabrics- We like to have between 1/4 yard and 1/2 yard of just about any woven fabric. Cotton, canvas, linen, suiting- experiment with different textures. Below we used a barkcloth, a tweed and a cotton.
• Zipper- Choose a size larger than your largest pouch, you can always trim them shorter.
• Fusible Batting- Single-sided fusible
• Ruler, Rotary Cutter, Scissors, Matching Thread, Wonder Clips

2. Cut out your exterior, lining and batting pieces all the same size. The size is entirely up to you- these steps will work with any size. We find that 12-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ is a great size to suit most uses. Press the exterior pieces to the matching fusible batting pieces.

3.Prepare the zipper-

• Trim the zipper to be 1″ shorter than the width of your pouch. (Be sure to move the zipper pull to the center before you cut… sadly speaking from experience!)
• Cut a 1-1/2″ strip from some of your extra lining fabric for the zipper ends. Press it in half lengthwise, wrong side together, and then press the raw edges to the center making a binding.
• Stitch the binding to either end of the zipper- sandwiching the end between the folded layers.

4. Attach the zipper- Center the zipper on one of the prepared exterior pieces, right sides together. Layer the lining piece on top, sandwiching the zipper in between and stitch using a 1/4″ seam allowance. (Wonder clips can be very handy to keep all the thick layers in place. Pins can kind of distort things a bit)

Press the exterior and lining fabrics away from the zipper and so that they are wrong sides together. Repeat for the other exterior and lining pieces. You should now have something that looks like this…

5. Stitch the Sides- Fold the pouch along the zipper so that the exteriors are right sides together. Match up all the layers and stitch around the 3 open sides- be sure to open the zipper a bit for turning before you sew. To make this step really fast, we serge around all 3 sides. You can also stitch using a 1/4″ seam allowance and then finish the raw edges with a zig-zag stitch.

6. Creating the Gusset- Here comes the trickiest part… starting at one base corner fold the layers so that the side seam and the bottom seam line up. Basically fold the corner the opposite way that it currently is. Then, trim the corner off- the more your cut off the wider your pouch bottom will be. We usually cut about 1″ to 1-1/2″, measured from the tip of the corner. Stitch along your new raw edge using a 1/4″ seam allowance and finish as desired. Repeat with the other corner- make sure you cut off the same amount!

7. Finishing- Turn the pouch right side out and you are finished! Add a fun zipper pull for an added special touch. Fill it with goodies, another size pouch or whatever and you are ready to gift!

We hope that helps inspire you to make a few more handmade gifts this holiday season!

Happy Sewing!

P.S. December 2nd Only! Wonder Clips are only $5 per package of 10 clips and Save 20% on select novelty woven fabrics- perfect for pouch sewing! Shop Here