Okay so just to be clear, I mean one of those pouches with the zipper ENDS bound, not all the way around the top edge- mind you, that would make an awesome post too so please stay tuned.

So to get back on with the proper topic…..There are actually as many ways to make a pouch as there are days in a month and we all end up having our favourites. One of mine for sure is the sort where you bind the ends of the zipper before you start and then when the sewing is done, there are no pinched bits on the ends of the zip – people hate this! It is pretty easy top see why too – who wouldn’t want a perfectly finished pouch!

This method is actually very easy to do and I really wanted to show you the process step-by-step in this post. But before I do, a bit of back story is needed! I have written a good few books about sewing for Search Press and when I do this I like to make the step samples for photography several times, each sample one step on from the last. This is better than just making one up in the studio and holding everyone up while I fiddle around looking for things.

But this means that I and up with six or seven of the same thing at the end of the shoot! And nothing is made completely. So about once a year I like to go through my bits and pieces and make things properly so that they are useful (a great idea just before Christmas when gifts are needed).

My focus this time was a make from one of my last books Learn to Sew in 30 Minutes- Machine Sewing. On page 116 is the #Selfie Make-Up Pouch. This is such a quick make and a guaranteed winner as a gift for all ages and I ended up with four samples from photography. Rather than clutter up my craft space with half made things, I set to work completing them production line style and that was when I thought, ‘You know what? There is a blog post in this!’.

I won’t go into specifics about everything from start to finish and I am not going to put the pattern up here (it is all in my book though) and there is lovely step-by-step detail so perfect if you are a beginner, or if you just want to explore a new technique.

Anyway….back to it -my intention here is to show you how to get that zipper right every time. There are a couple of little tricks and the first one is to bind the ends of the zip like this

The idea of this pouch is that the edges of the sides actually wrap around the zipper and sit beautifully on the ends and the bound zip ends are perfectly finished. I like to stitch mine by hand to get the perfect finish.

As I mentioned, each one of the samples is one step along so I will choose one that is quite near the beginning and show you how to do this from the start. We begin with the prepared and interfaced sides and you can personalise them a bit too. I have used some appliqué and some die cut iron-on letters but the sky is the limit here. Whatever you do, you will have the outer panel and the lining plus your zipper.

One thing to mention here is that I have slightly tweaked the interfacing. In my book, I only use a thin fusible fleece. For these pouches I have used that and added Style-vil foam interfacing (Vlieseline) as an experiment. It makes a more rigid pouch but I love it and highly recommend doing it. Right. Moving on then…

The next important point is to find the centre of both the zipper and the outer panel. This is important because by aligning the zipper right in the middle of the panel, the ends will pretty much take care of themselves AND be even on both sides. I have marked my centres with a tiny notch. Don’t let this go more than 1/8″ in though

As luck would have it, the zipper that I chose for this pouch was not a great fit – this means that I get to show you how to solve the problem using what you have already. There must be a bit of the pouch outer and lining over hanging the zipper at each end and this overhang is half the width of the zipper plus the seam allowance of 1/4″. Because this zip (many of them are like this) is around 1″ wide, that means we need 3/4″ overhang (1/2″ + 1/4″) either end.

Mine is a bit too long so I start by making those 3/4″ marks at either end

Then lay the zip onto the pouch lining up the centres

As you can see, there is too much zipper end so I need to trim. The centre marks help me to trim evenly

Now bind the ends of the zip (all of this is in the pattern), check that it is still the right length and it is ready to go.

I always baste the zipper onto the outer first because when it is covered by the lining, it is difficult to see what it is doing. You don’t want it to shift off that centre mark.

Don’t forget to backstitch at the beginning and the end of the seam. As you can see, there is quite a bit of fabric overhang at the ends and this will wrap around the zip. The seam allowance is calculated in there too.

Next add the lining and clip it. Now the second trick is only to sew the zip in from the end of the zipper to the end of the zipper. You can see that there are clips on either end of mine? This is the no-sew zone.

Flip the layers the right way out and topstitch but once again, only from the start to the end of the actual zipper.

The ends of the outer and the lining should be un-stitched

Repeat on the other side so that the zip is finished.

Next up open the zip (otherwise you will lock yourself out and the seam ripper will be needed!). Pin outer to outer and lining to lining with the right sides facing. Sew right around the lining and outer (make sure that you match the darts and seams up beautifully) and leave a turning gap somewhere in the lining. Turn the pouch out through the lining gap and close the gap. This leaves you with a pouch that has two nice and neat ends

I love the way this method makes the outer sit so nicely at the end of the zip without any pulling or puckering and the zipper is not pinched. It is also perfect for metal zips because you do not sew over the teeth as some pouch patterns require.

What did you think? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments and if you love this pattern, you can get my book Learn to Sew in 30 Minutes- Machine Sewing at Search Press here (UK), here (US) and here (Australia).

Look forward to seeing you next time!

Until then, stay safe. Big hug

Debbie xx