Sewing: Tutorial Part 2: Fancy Zippered Pouch

This is Part 2. Part 1 is here, and (again) the original tutorial that I started with is here.

You're still game, huh? This half of the construction looks messy and disorganized, but it all works. In some ways, it's therapeutic to fold/crumple material out of the way and it's also strange and unnerving. Take the zipper foot off your machine, and get the normal one on. It's time to sew the lining together.

Step 6: Sew up the lining
This part looks weird. Basically, you're sewing two bags (one lining, one fabric) next to each other, and then folding the lining bag into the fabric bag.

Place your back lining (with the fancy pockets!) face-up, and place the zipper construction on top of it. Pin ONLY the lining parts together; keep the fabric and zipper tape out of the way.

I marked a section to leave open for turning.

Change back to the lining thread in your machine. Sew around the lining, leaving a 2-3" hole for turning. When you get to the zipper stops, sew as close to them as possible, but DO NOT sew over the zipper tape! Yes, there will be a bit of a gap where the lining's folded over: this is okay.

Keep the zipper and fabric outta the way!

You might want to reinforce the ends near your turning-hole. (Note: because of keeping stuff out of the way, I think it's easier to sew with the fabric on top, to keep an eye on it.) When you're done, it should look like this:

See how the lining bag is NOT attached to the fabric? Good!

Step 7: Pin the fabric bag together
Yeah, it's kinda its own step. Place your fabric "back" on the table, and lay the zipper construction on top, right sides together. MAKE SURE to open the zipper halfway first! Now, pin the fabric pieces together, keeping the lining out of the way. Pin the zipper onto the fabric too -- you will be tacking it down this time. If you're using piping, layer it in there now. Your 1/2" seam allowance should come super close to the ends of the zipper stops, so aim for those.

Tons of layers!

Make the corners of the piping as tight as you can (they'll be crunched together now, but will be punched out when you turn the bag).  Overlap the ends of the piping and let them kinda droop out of the bag (trim them later).

So, so many pins...

Step 8: Sew the fabric!
Change your sewing machine thread back to fabric color. If you're using piping, I thought it was helpful to use my zipper foot to get really close to the tubes. Sew the fabric parts together! DO sew over the zipper tape, as close to (but not over) the zipper stops as possible. I reinforced the fabric by the zipper by going back and forth a couple of times. Do NOT leave a hole for turning (you opened the zipper like I told you, right?)

Ta-da! Sewn shiny shedding fabric bag on top of lining bag!

You might want to zigzag the fabric if it sheds like mine. Hmm..

Step 9: Turn the bags!
Okay, my turning picture didn't work either (a blurry mass of a wacky step just isn't helpful). Through the turning hole in the lining, grab the zipper and/or fabric and just start pulling stuff through. It will look messy. It will feel wrong. Once the zipper's through, it gets better very quickly, so just keep pulling. You'll see the right parts of the piping and know it's good. Pop out the corners, stuff the lining into all of the corners of the bag, and you'll get something like this:

Oh yes... SO GOOD!

Step 10: Sew up the turning hole
The turning hole has served its purpose, and I'm a good enough friend with Murphy (and his Laws) that I'd lose an earring between the bag and lining if I didn't do this next step. Slide the lining back out and slip-stitch the lining hole closed.

You'll just feel better once it's done.

Step 11: Add the button hole
Make sure the lining in the pointy part is well-aligned. Position the buttonhole where it looks good. My machine decided to eat the buttonhole when I asked it to go over the stitches again to make it look cooler. Awesome.

Fold the flap over and attach the button where it needs to go.

Ta-da!

Step 12: Admire your work!

Plenty of room, and no tangles!

Sewing: Tutorial Part 1: Fancy Zippered Bag

As bragged about mentioned in the previous post, this tutorial will make this zippered pouch, except for the shape, materials, and some extra pockets. But it's totally the same thing. But not. Because it's picture-heavy, I'll split this tutorial into two parts.

Materials:

• Fabric (I used a teal polyester silk-looking stuff)
• Lining (simple white muslin for me)
• Thread to match BOTH materials
• 7" zipper
• Button
• Piping, about 34" (because it looks neat and I like green)

Here's what you need!

Step 1: Sketch
I started with a drawing to clear my head of the original and what I wanted:

Basically the same, but not

Instead of square, I want a pointed top that folds over the front and buttons closed. And inside, I want the one main pocket plus two smaller ones, made from a folded section of lining. The outer dimensions, once the top's folded over, will be the same. Because of the 7" zipper, the approximate final dimensions are 7" wide by 6" tall.

Step 2: Cut fabric
The easiest way for me to cut the triangular parts of the fabric was to cut rectangular bits, then shape the pertinent ones into points. All pieces are 8.5" wide. For the "top," cut 5.5" tall pieces of lining and fabric. For the "bottom," cut 6" tall pieces of lining and fabric. For the "back," cut 10" tall piece of fabric only; the lining piece must be 22" (NOT a typo -- check out that first picture in this post).

Take all of the fabric and lining pieces that are not 6" tall. They need the points shaped. Measure 2" down each side and cut to the middle like so:

This is the "top" lining. There are three more pieces to trim this way

Step 3: Sew the extra pockets
Geez, it's hard to photograph white-on-white. Basically, take the super long lining piece, and fold a 6" accordion at the bottom (the piece should now be the same size as the "fabric back" piece). This way, there's some added stability to the pocket and you don't have to hide any additional fabric ends.

Fold the back lining accordion-style like this

With lining-colored thread, sew straight up the middle of the new fold (in this picture, it would be from the right-hand side to toward the left) to anchor and divide the pocket into two. Actually, I sewed from the straight edge to the top of the fold and back down for more reinforcement (and hiding thread ends). I suppose you don't have to sew at all and can make a giant second pocket, or could offset it to make a small and large one. You could even go crazy and use even longer lengths of lining for multiple pockets. The sewn-pocket picture didn't turn out at all. Put this lovely thing aside for now.

Step 4: Sew bottom to zipper
Take your still-rectangular "bottom" pieces and zipper. On your table, make a sandwich as follows: fabric face up, zipper face down, and lining face down.

See the right order?

Pin together, matching the top edges. Use the fabric-colored thread (and a zipper-foot on your machine, if you have one), and sew, but ONLY between the zipper stops. Don't go past the stops! Yes, there's weird unsecured stuff at each end. Trust me, it works.

Turn the material pieces out (wrong sides should now be together), press, and top-stitch along the zipper (again, only between the stops).

Nice topstitching!

Step 5: Sew top to zipper
Layer your "top" sandwich as follows: lining face-up, zipper face-up (use the unsewn edge), fabric face-down.

Different order! Watch out!

Stitch along the zipper, but only between the zipper stops. Flip the fabric pieces out, press, and top-stitch along the zipper.

Hooray! Finished pouch front!

More to come in Part 2...

Sewing: Fancy Zippered Bag

I have a dainty red pouch, about3" by 3.5", that I use when I travel for my jewelry. Since it's small, it fits nicely in my purse, so that when the airline loses my luggage, I won't freak out about a few things. Also, it zips closed and keeps my things inside instead of scattering earrings everywhere. Very handy.

Hooray for red and yellow!

The problem lies in today's fashion for larger, chunky necklaces and stuff. They don't fit in the pouch very well, and get very tangled in themselves, and my earrings may as well be part of the necklaces they've impaled during the flight.

I need a larger pouch!

There are a ton of sewing tutorials on making bags, with or without linings, zippers on the top or top or face, drawstrings, even tetrahedrals. However, this tutorial has a lovely way of making a zippered pouch with a detached inner lining. I just like the idea that no pesky seams will show inside or out, plus my stuff won't get tangled or lost in the fraying bits. But merely following those instructions would just be too easy.

The general construction of my new pouch is basically the same as that tutorial. However, I changed the shape of the bag to look like my old one, added some piping and a button closure, and two extra pockets on the inside. That's right, I have a three-pocket bag to keep my earrings from the necklaces! AND, it's shiny!

Red and yellow, meet teal and green!

Tutorial in a separate post...

Sewing, Tutorial: onestringbags

On my introductory blog entries, I mentioned onestringbags, which I found via instructables. These are the best things for avoiding the plastic produce bags at the grocery store and farmer's markets, and super easy to make. I love them. However, here are a few things I've learned by using these things:

Pros: No more plastic bags! Run under faucet to clean Lightweight (doesn't add much to fruit-per-pound totals) Inexpensive People ask where you got them and you get to brag

Cons: Does not work well for berries or very soft fruits Still have to remember them, along with the canvas bags

Eh. Not much you can do about that last one. Anyway.

I realize now that I do them a little differently from the instructable, so here's a tutorial on making my version of onestringbags. The biggest difference is that I fold all of the edges over, just so that there's more layers of tulle and the seams have more to hold onto. I apologize in advance for the poor pictures, but it's hard to photograph pesky delicate light green tulle.

Materials:

• length of tulle (get the stuff that's in the sale bin, probably in some wacky color, but your vegetables won't mind)
• length of string or cording
• thread (time to use the weird scraps!)
• sewing machine

Step 1: Cut the tulle into the size you want. (To keep it slightly more simple, I have a fold on one side edge. This piece is about 20"x36", so the final bag will be about 19"x18"-ish.) Lay the tulle flat. Find the top edge (where the drawstring will be... see mine?), and fold the sides in, about 1/2". Pin a little.

Step 2: Fold the top edge down, over the drawstring. I think the drawstring works better if you give it some space, so I make this fold about 1" to 1.5". Pin the drawstring to the fold, just so it's outta the way when you start sewing.

Step 3: Sew the drawstring in, giving it some space (I give it about an inch). Make sure to tie knots in the ends of the threads. Good knots.

Step 4: Put the side edges together. Pin the sides together, keeping that 1/2" fold on each outside face (it's sooo much easier to sew through four layers of tulle than just two). The edges might be a little messy and it may not lie quite flat, but it won't matter when you stuff the bag full of apples.

Step 5: See the layers? Good.

Step 6: Fold up the bottom. No need to keep the sides separate anymore, and it doesn't hurt to have something more than just twisted threads holding your plums inside. Pin it all!

Step 7: Sew the edges. Tie knots in the threads!

Step 8: Overhand knot to tie the drawstring. Now, go to the farmer's market and get stuff (ooh, I think peaches are in season...)