Zipper Pouches

By Karen May

Zipper pouches are helpful to organize little bits and quick to make.

You may want a pouch small enough for just some pins and thread, a bit bigger for a pencil case, or big enough for a makeup travel bag. Keep in mind that the smallest size of zipper commonly available is around 7 inches. Smaller ones can be had, but are a bit trickier to find.

You don’t have to make a square pouch. Play with shape! I have one made from a semicircle of fabric that ended up with a square bottom and nicely rounded top. If you are able to manipulate your fabric while it goes through the machine, you can even make a completely round pouch.
I will be making a rectangle, fit for putting little sundries that always get lost at the bottom of my bag.

Cut your fabric. You will need four pieces, cut to the same dimensions—two for the outside and two for a lining. If you do not want your pouch lined, you will only need the two pieces for the outside.

Pin your fabrics to your zipper by making a zipper sandwich. The lining fabric should be on the bottom, right side up. Then the zipper, tab side up. Then the outer fabric, right side DOWN. Line all three edges up on one side of the zipper. Sew it in a straight line close to the zipper teeth.

The trickiest part of the zipper bag is sewing the zipper. Most machines come with (or you can find at most sewing shops) a zipper foot. It is not essential, but it helps. A zipper foot is smaller and thinner than the normal machine foot, making it easier to navigate around the zipper head while stitching.  If you’re sewing your pouch by hand, you won’t have to worry about that.

Now that you’ve gotten one side sewn, repeat for the other side of the zipper. Fold back your attached fabric and make another sandwich with the other pieces in the same way. Pin and sew the second side. You should now have a fabric “butterfly” with the zipper as the body and the pieces as the wings.

Unzip the zipper. This is important!

Pin the three remaining sides of the outer fabric edges, right sides together. Sew them up all the way around.

If you’re not lining your pouch, you’re practically done! Make sure to knot and cut your threads and turn the pouch right side out. If you’re making the lining, pin 2.5 of the remaining sides of the lining fabric, right sides together. Leave an opening! It doesn’t matter where along the seam the opening exists, but it’s usually easier if the opening is not directly next to the zipper side. Stitch the lining pieces together, except for the opening. Finish your loose threads and if you’d like, trim your edges down.

Pull everything right side out through the hole you left in the lining. All of your raw edges should now be in between the layers of the pouch.  Sew up the hole in the lining with an invisible stitch, situate it into place and you’re done!

Karen is a blogger and crafter who has lived in Charlottesville for 6 years after transplanting from the Shenandoah Valley. While not working or attending classes at PVCC, she blogs about her life at Precision Indecision and about crafts at CraftyKix.