I love zipper pouches! This obsession of mine means that you are going to get some free patterns so all good. Seriously, they are so useful and there are so many shapes and sizes possible. I just love how they fit into my life.
We have looked at half moon pouches and round pouches and this time, I want to change it up a bit and go for a pyramid. To be honest, there are possibly worse addictions than a zipper pouch obsession so I vote that we just go with this one! The best thing is that they are so beautifully quick and easy to make and they take next to no fabric so there are no excuses for not filling the house. They are a good use of scraps too – just sayin’.
Although it seems like a bit of a puzzle, this one is also easy and suitable for a confident beginner.
So what do we need to make this little guy? Not too much as it turns out.
- F8th outer fabric. I am using a light canvas.
- F8th lining fabric to coordinate
- F8th style-vil foam interfacing (Vlieseline)
- 4 1/2″ metal zipper
- something to decorate the zipper pull. I love a leather strip but you can use a charm, piece of ribbon or anything at all.
- fabric glue
- matching threads
- your usual sewing needs
This is a cut and measure pattern. I really don’t like the extra bother of printing off templates if I can get out of it. But remember to measure twice and cut once and always read the instructions through and assemble the ingredients before you start.
Off we go!
Begin by cutting out the pieces. You will need:
- 1 outer piece 6 1/2″ x 12″
- 1 lining piece 6 1/2″ x 12″
- 4 zipper end pieces 1 1/2″ sq.
- 12″ bias tape made from the lining fabric (you can use store bought too).
There are no cutting notes for the interfacing. This is best sewn and trimmed as you go.
Prepare the zipper first. The end tabs are cut deliberately slightly larger than needed and will be trimmed down. I like to glue these on rather than stitching. Don’t worry, they cannot come undone because everything will be securely stitched around them. The choice is yours though.
Fold one side over by 1/4″ and attach the the tabs to either end of the zip using your favourite method. The wrong sides go together if you are gluing.
Trim the end tabs to the width of the zipper tape (1″) and so that the zip is 6 1/2″ long
Take the outer piece and attach it to the style-vil foam interfacing with a narrow basting stitch
Trim the foam back when you have finished.
Take the interfaced outer, the zipper and the lining and place the outer and lining right sides together with the zipper sandwiched in between on one short end.
Pin or clip and then sew along the zipper.
Flip the layers over and topstitch along the length of the zipper. You can see how beautifully the zipper end tabs are integrated into the main panels.
Now repeat for the other end – just the sewing of the zip for now because we have a decision to make….
We now have this rather odd arrangement
If you turn it the right way out, there is no way that you can topstitch the other half of the zip. So why would we WANT to topstitch? Well it has several advantages
- it looks great
- it looks professional
- it secures that zip
- most importantly, it secures the lining meaning that it cannot migrate into the zipper teeth and get chewed up.
Right so you have two choices. You can opt to not topstitch at all and in this case, just omit the topstitching bit. If you like the topstitching though, simply fold the pouch in half down the back in the DEAD centre and cut it in half. Cut the lining too. Exactly the same.
Yep! That’s right! This flattens the pouch out and then you can topstitch and sew it back up again.
Honestly it is worth it and it is what I have done. sew the back seam up and also the lining and turn it out the right way through one end. The back will now look like this. I reckon that I can live with it! You can customise the lining too by increasing that centre back seam so that it fits really well.
Okay, so that decision being made, we are ready to make a pyramid. Turn the pouch inside out and pinch the base like this
TIP: Have the zipper open for this bit!
Sew across (don’t worry about the raw edges for a moment).
Pinch the top in the opposite direction like this
Sew across there too. Now use some binding to bind the edges. I always do this by hand. It is possible on a machine but not as neat as I like it.
Binding can be made from a scrap of fabric
Now turn the pouch out the right way (see why the zipper had to be open) and push the corner points out so that they are sharp.
Decorate the zipper pull and you are done!
And just like that, we have another one zipper pouch and it is the most interesting shape!
I love them (as you possibly know by now) and I cannot say enough how useful they are! Oh well, perhaps I can. Let’s just finish then with another pic to show how cute it can be.
Happy sewing
Debbie xx