If you’re new to my 52 zippers project, you can read the backstory here. In my previous post there are instructions on how to make a basic zipper pouch.

For this week’s zipper pouch, I decided to use this super cute cat print that I’ve been seeing everywhere lately. I bought it months ago, but I obviously couldn’t cut it up into small pieces! It’s Sushi’s Antiques in Navy. The line is From Porto with Love by Sarah Watts/Cotton + Steel.

This bag I made to fit 8″ x 8″ zip-top bags or quart sized zip-top bags. I use these bags to kit up small EPP and hand piecing projects. I am trying to kit up several projects for the summer over the next few months; this pouch will be a great place to stow them.

I only had a fat quarter of the cat fabric, and when I cut the fat quarter into quarters, the bag was not quite long enough. So I added a 2.5″ strip of Essex yarn-dyed linen in Denim to the bottom. I wanted to use this lovely royal blue zipper and thought that adding a little accent of the same royal blue (Kona Surf) to the body of the bag would look good. I lined the bag with a little blue calico print.

I am testing a new zipper method so I only added a zipper tab to one end. I hope to be done prototyping soon and will post instructions when I have it down.

To add a flange, I cut a 3/4″ strip of Kona Surf. I folded it in half and pressed it, and then glue basted it to the top edge of the Essex strip, lining up all the raw edges. I then lined up the cat fabric on top of that just as if I was piecing it normally, right sides together with the Essex and raw edges aligned. After stitching all the layers together with a 1/4″ seam I pressed the seam towards the cat fabric and then topstitched near the edge of the cat fabric.

Zipper pouch specs:

  • Outer pieces (2): Cats: 11″ w x 9″ h, Flange: 11″ w x 0.75″ h, Linen: 11″ w x 2.5″ h.
  • Lining pieces (2): 11″ x 11″
  • Zipper tabs (2): 1.5″ x 2″
  • Zipper length: (if you’re using two tabs) 9.75″

See you back here next week with another zip pouch!