Back when I was newer to crafting a wise knitter (it was Joelle!) told me that if you can knit a pair of mittens you can knit anything. Even though mittens are small they require many different skills so their lessons are easy to blow up on a bigger scale. Now that I’m little wiser myself I’ve found that, much like playing scales on the piano or running drills in basketball, there are certain fundamental craft projects that set you up for wider success!

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

These zipper pouches are just such a fundamental project: a simple pattern that serves to build confidence and competence. Plus the finished pouches are super useful and cute! They’re a perfect project for a new sewist who wants to start working with zippers and edgestitching or for any more experienced sewists out there who might suffer from zipper anxiety!

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

Our Materials for Simple Lined Zipper Pouches kit contains everything you’ll need to make six pouches in a range of sizes so you’ll be able to get plenty of practice with your new skills! Once you’ve mastered these just think of the places you’ll go!- Molly

Materials

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

Our Materials for Simple Lined Zipper Pouches kit includes…

  • Outer Fabrics: Three ½-yard pieces of Kiyohara’s Upholstery Weight Solids in Pink, Violet, and Brown. (Please Note: This fabric is no longer available. To browse our current fabric selection, click here!)
  • Lining Fabric: 1 yard of Moda’s Muslin in Natural.
  • Three 7-inch Nylon Coil Zippers in Yellow, Goldenrod, and Aqua.
  • Three 12-inch Nylon Coil Zippers in Yellow, Goldenrod, and Aqua.
  • A small spool of Gutermann’s Cotton Thread in color 1040.

Pattern

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

This pattern explains how to make your own customized pouch, but if you’d like to make the same sizes we did, our finished sizes (width x height, shown from top to bottom) are 11 ½ inches X 16 inches, 11 ½ inches X 10 inches, 11 ½ inches X 6 inches, 9 inches X 6 ½ inches, 6 ½ inches X 5 inches, and 6 ½ inches X 6 ½ inches.

Cut

Before you start cutting, decide how long you’d like your pouch to be. Add ¾ inch to your desired finished length; this is your Length Cutting Measurement (LCM). The pouch shown here has a finished length of 6 inches, so its LCM is 6 ¾ inches.

To get your Width Cutting Measurement (WCM) add ½ inch to the length of the zipper you are using. This example uses a 12-inch zipper, so its WCM is 12 ½ inches.

From the Outer Fabric cut two pieces WCM wide by LCM tall.

From the Lining Fabric cut two pieces WCM wide by LCM tall.

Sew in the Zipper

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

Place one of the Outer Fabric pieces right side up so that the WCM sides are horizontal and the LCM sides are vertical.

Unzip the zipper so that the pull is in the middle and lay the zipper wrong side up along the top horizontal side. Align the top edge of the zipper with the top edge of the fabric. Center the zipper so that its metal ends are ¼ inch from each vertical side.

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

Place one of the Lining Fabric pieces on top, wrong side up. Pin all three layers together, being careful to keep the zipper centered and straight as you pin. When you get to the zipper pull, zip it over to a section that has already been pinned, so that the fabric of the zipper stays straight and flat.

Using your machine’s zipper foot, sew along the pinned edge with a ¼-inch seam allowance being careful not to sew into the teeth of the zipper. When you reach the zipper pull, leave the needle down and pick up the machine’s foot, then slide the zipper pull to a section that you have already sewn so it doesn’t get in the way as you finish the seam.

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

Turn both pieces wrong sides together so that the zipper teeth are right above the fold. Press and pin the fabrics together along the edge of the zipper’s teeth.

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

Using your machine’s zipper foot, edgestitch along the fold, starting and stopping at the zipper’s metal ends.

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

Repeat for the other side of the zipper using the two remaining pieces of fabric.

You will end up with two identical sides with a zipper in the middle.

Sew the Pouch Together

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

First, slide the zipper pull to the middle to get it out of the way. Pull the two Lining Fabrics up and out of the way and bring the right sides of the Outer Fabric pieces together. 

Pin the two Outer Fabric pieces together along all three raw edges. Make sure the zipper is folded in such a way that you can pin its two fabric edges together with the teeth of the zipper pointing up and away from the Outer Fabric pieces.

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

Using your machine’s presser foot, sew the pinned edges together with a ½-inch seam allowance. Sew just to the horizontal edgestitching seam, being careful not to sew into the loose Lining Fabric. (However, you will be sewing over a small bit of the Lining Fabric’s seam allowance just below the zipper.)

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

Now pin the Lining Fabric pieces right sides together, leaving the zipper in the same orientation with the teeth pointed up and away from the Outer Fabric pieces.

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

Sew the pinned sides together with a 1/2-inch seam allowance, leaving a 3-inch gap in the middle of the horizontal side. On the vertical sides, sew only until you reach the teeth of the zipper.

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

Trim off the seam allowances at the corners of both the Outer and Lining pieces and then turn the whole thing right side out through the gap in the horizontal side of the Lining Fabric.

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

Keep the lining section pulled out of the outer section and press both sections flat. 

Pin the gap closed, tucking the seam allowance inside the lining.

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

Edgestitch the gap closed. (Since this is the lining, you won’t see this little seam.)

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

Stuff the lining section inside of the outer section and press the whole pouch flat.

Simple Lined Zipper Pouches | Purl Soho

The outer corners of the zipper sides will tuck in to create a tidy angle, as shown above.