Zippity Do Da Day

So many sewers are afraid of zippers and I was determined not to be one of them. I tackled my first zipped project last month when I made Levi a sleep sack, but I'm not ready to blog about sleep sacks quite yet, as I have one more to make. Despite having sewn my first zipper, I signed up for a class at The Workroom, in order to learn how to zip things up properly. The class was called Zippered Pouches and promised that we'd make two pouches in three hours. I was skeptical that I could get this done in such a short time frame, but game nonetheless.

The class was awesome. Not only did I learn to sew a zipper, but I also got to use a serger for the first time!  Since the class, I have been zippered pouch obsessed.  The best thing about zippered pouches is that you need very little fabric - I've managed to make three pouches with only two fat quarters and I still have leftover fabric.  Here are some of the pouches I've made so far.

This pouch was made in class.  I'm using it to store my various threads and bobbins which feels appropriate because of the fabric I chose. Aren't the scissors cute?

This is the other pouch we made in class.  I adore the fabric I used on the outside.  It's from a line called Bohemian Soul and it has taken great restraint not to buy the entire line.  I decided to gift this pouch to my sister for her birthday which meant making a companion piece.  I photographed the process. 

 Here you see the pouch after the zipper has been installed.

This is a view of the interior fabric.  I'm about to sew the bottom seam.  Once I've done that I'll centre the zipper to the seam and sew the sides, like so.

 Finally, I box the corners...

And voila!  A zippered coin purse!

I hope she likes them!

These two pouches were made for my friend Miriam. No special occasion, just because I wanted to give her a little something.  It's hard to see in the photo, but the teal fabric has golden sparkly stars.

Last but not least is a pencil case I made for my husband.  The one he was using was from his university days, had holes and was generally grimy.

UPDATE! I made one more! This one was for my friend Rachel. I whipped this up in an hour. Rachel was visiting from Israel and I hadn't seen her over a decade. A little friendship gift was definitely in order!