I’ve been meaning to post this tutorial for ages, but somehow I’ve delayed it for months. So now it’s high time to bring the pics I took from the depths of my tutorials folder and share them with you.
Like probably most beginners in sewing, I’m not much of a zipper friend. I’ve been avoiding them for a long time and even now I tend to delay projects involving zippers. But one thing I’m sure of is that practice makes perfect – and I will get on top of zippers one day! And what better project is there to start with than a very simple zippered pouch? I promise, this is the best project if you want to begin overcoming your zipper fears.
You will need:
plus a sewing machine (optional) with a zipper foot.
Next, get your scissors ready:
I chose a black& white fabric for the shell and a polka dot cotton for the lining.
Now pin and bast stitch your fabric sandwich together. Pin on the upper edge of the fabric and bast stitch 1-2 cm underneath, just under the zipper teeth but still catching the zipper in the stitches.
And then you’re ready for heavy duty machinery. Place the zipper foot with the gap on the right side and begin stitchin’.
Now change the foot so the gap is on the left side and stitch again as close to the zipper teeth as you can along the upper edge. This was where you formerly pinned your fabric sandwich.
When you’re ready, this is how it should look. On top is your shell fabric, then the zipper and underneath your lining.
The tricky part is the second fabric sandwich you have to make. It’s the same as the first one (reminder: lining right side up, zipper with teeth upwards, then shell fabric wrong side up), just that now the zipper has two panels of lining and shell sewn to it.
Remember to open the zipper a bit so that you’ll be able to turn your project right side out:
And if you did everything well, this is your result:
If you want, you can topstitch around the zipper with a contrasting thread – I chose red. Now you’ll have to stitch around the edges of your project, making sure you catch the zipper ends in your stitches. Leave a gap in the “bottom” of the lining – this is where you turn your project right side out after you’re done with the stitches:
The last step involves cutting off excess fabric and sewing this gap close with hand stitches.
And that’s the final result – a cute zipper pouch you can use to store makeup, crafting supplies or use as a pencil case. Wasn’t it simple to make? If you try this for yourself at home, please let me know in the comments how you got along. I’d also love to see your finished projects, so leave a link if you post them somewhere on the web!
What a cute fabric :>