As for me, I wanted to use the fabric that I used for my Chinese New Year bag because it is so fabulous. I'm not using any contrasting fabric but for you, the option is there.
Front view
Back view
Materials
1. Cut the following.
Outer
Front top 8 1/2" by 2"
Front bottom 8 1/2" by 5 1/2"
Back 8 1/2" by 7 1/2"
Strap 13 1/2" by 2"
Lining
Front top 8 1/2" by 2"
Front bottom 8 1/2" by 5 1/2"
Back 8 1/2" by 7 1/2"
Zipper - anything from 8 1/2". No metal teeth! We gonna sew over it.
I used a 14" zipper. The excess will be cut off.
Note: Just to be clear. When sewing the zipper to the OUTER or LINING, sew from end to end.
2. Assemble the following sandwich:
Lining front top facing up
Zipper facing up
Match long side
Sew zipper to lining(1/4" seam). Avoid sewing too close to the zipper.
This is what you should get.
3. Assemble the following sandwich:
Lining front bottom facing up
zipper facing up
Match long side
Sew zipper to the lining (1/4" seam). Avoid sewing too close to the zipper.
This is what you should get.
4. Assemble the following:
Zipper facing up
Outer front top facing down
Sew outer front top to the zipper from the LINING side. This is so you have the sewn seam to guide you. Sew just a little to the left of the sewn seam to hide it when you look at the zipper right side up.
This is what you should get. See how you can't see any seams made by the lining?
5.Assemble the following:
Zipper facing up
Outer front bottom facing down
Sew outer front bottom to the zipper. Similar to step 4, sew from the lining side and sew a little to the left of the sewn seam.
This is what you should get.
6. Press fabric.
Top stitch the edges next to the zipper.
7. Assemble the following:
Lining Back facing up
Zipper facing up (zipper pull on the left)
Outer Back facing down
Sew across the TOP of the pouch through ALL THE LAYERS. Be careful your layers do not shift. I used a 3/8" seam.
This is what you should get.
8. Flip the sandwich around until you have the outer on one side and the linng on the other side. A little explanation here. I have determined that the escape route to turn the pouch right side out is through the BOTTOM of the lining. As such, you can't sew the bottoms of the outer and lining together. That would seal our escape route.
What we will do here is to sew the bottom of the lining and outer SEPARATELY.
With right sides together, sew across the bottom of the OUTER.
9.
With right sides together, sew across the bottom of the LINING. Be sure to leave a GAP large enough to turn right side out.
This is what you should get. Separate seams for bottom and lining and gap in lining.
Now is also a good time to make sure your pouch is even (outer and lining should match in size). Trim if necesary.
10. Fold the strap in half along the long side.
Fold 1/4" seam along the 2 long sides. Press.
Topstitch across both long edges.
11. Fun part. Turn pouch right side out. Cut off excess zipper so it aligns with the sides.
12.
Fold strap in half. With pouch right side out, align raw edge of strap with left side of pouch.
Sew strap to front layers only. See picture for better understanding.
13.
Flip around until you have the above position. See picture.
IMPORTANT: Be sure the zipper is OPEN.
Sew across the side seam through ALL THE LAYERS. I used a 3/8" seam. Start with the side which has the zipper ends open. Be sure to hold the zipper ends closed so you will have a nice finish. Reinforce the areas over the strap and zipper.
Do the same for the other side seam.
This is what you should get.
14. Trim edges. Turn right side out through the gap in lining. Hand sew the gap and you're all set!
Front
Back
Lining front
Lining back
No gaps!
As always, please let me know if you spot any errors! Thanks. I hope you have fun making fabulous front zippered pouches.
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Below are my bag patterns which are available for sale at Etsy (instant download). Clicking on the images will take you to my Etsy shop.
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