Well, the weather actually seems worse today (at least where we are), but there is school today! It's really windy, so we're getting lots of drifting. It's a winter wonderland out there!
I finished my Triple Zip pouch! I am really happy with how it turned out. It's very fun, I think. I would like to make some more of these, not that I've made one. I learned some things doing it, and I think I could make them more quickly and better now that I know a few things. I had to do a fair amount of frog sewing (rip it, rip it), because I misread one of the instructions and repeated my error a couple of times before I realized it. So, I basically had to take the thing apart. But it was worth it!
You might remember these were the fabrics I started with. (Sorry for the poor lighting in this photo). I was going to use these Bella fabrics as my accent fabrics, but in the end, I was afraid the big patterns wouldn't really be visible in those small accent stripes. I thought the beauty of the fabric would be lost. So, I eneded up using some solids I had in the same color range instead. I also dug through some old zippers and found a blue one that was a better match.
I used the orange ticking as the lining for the pouch. I hated to hide it inside, but it just screamed "lining fabric!" to me. I like the pretty little surprise inside. It's the lining for all three pockets. I did use it for the zipper ends on the top zipper, too. You can barely see it in this photo. So, at least there's a little hint of what's inside on the outside. :-)
To give you a size of the scale of this pouch, here it is with my iPhone and earbuds. It's a very nice size for little gadgets like this. And because there's fusible fleece inside, it's somewhat padded. I quite like it.
Of course, I used a directional fabric, so the little boys are running upside down on the back (because that panel of fabric is all one piece and wraps around the bottom, going up the back). I knew that would happen, and I was okay with it. I really wanted to use this fabric. I figured, after I made one, I could figure out the measurements and piece something with a seam at the bottom so the fabric was going the right way. But, I kept the pattern standard while I attempted it for the first time. If the back being upside down would bother you, don't use a directional fabric for the main body piece.
The instructions/tutorial for this are available from Debbie at A Quilter's Table. Many thanks to her for a fun project! The instructions are pretty clear. It's not really a difficult bag, but there is some bulk to sew through now and then...and lots of layers to keep lined up. If it is your first zipper ever, I might suggest another bag first, but certainly if it's only your second or so, this would not be out reach for anyone. I think even a first-timer could handle it. The photos are pretty clear and answered most questions I had (if something wasn't clear in the text).
The part I botched was not bringing the bottom of the lining up and sewing it on to the top of the zipper when I sewed the top of the zipper. I made the mistake on the first two zippers and didn't realize it until I got to the last one. So, I had to take all the zippers off and start over. Ouch. But it actually went pretty quick.
The only part that doesn't have any photos are the last steps for sewing up the lining and bag sides. Lynn finished hers ahead of mine and saw a Flickr post about an alternate ending (i.e., alternative way to finish the lining). She let me know about it. (Thanks for looking out for me, Lynn!) I thought it was a little easier. That is by Marci Girl Designs, and you can find that tutorial here. Fortunately, Lynn told me about this before I finished my pouch, so that is the ending I used.
Lynn's pouch turned out great, too. She posted it on Flickr and will be doing a blog post about it soon, I believe.
When you try to sew up the side seams to the zipper, it's a little hard to get up real close to the zipper. It's so bulky, your presser foot (I used my walking foot) has trouble getting up over it. So, what I did was to sew up until I got "stuck." I cut my threads. I then lifted my presser foot and moved the pouch under the foot, moving it backwards until the point where I wanted to stop sewing was under the needle. I lowered the presser foot there (it's bulky!), and hand cranked the needle a couple of times, sinking it right were I wanted the seam to end. Then, I pushed my reverse button and sewed backward to where I had stopped sewing previously. The machine was happy to oblige backing up off that bulky seam. When I got to where I had previously stopped sewing, I overlapped just a little and then tied off my threads. It worked well.
Also, I would probably leave the fabric zipper ends just a little longer than she suggests. I would let them hang off the edges of the fabric a little more. That way, they are more likely to get caught in the side seams and sewn down. When I turned my pouch right side out, the raw edges of those tabs wanted to pop out a little.
So, those are the little adjustments I'll make if I make this again. It was pretty fun to do this.
I need to run and get to work. I'll draw a name for the Peace Pattern giveaway tonight, so if you haven't gotten in on that yet, please do. I may not announce the winner for a few days, because I want to send the name to Rene' first before I announce it to make sure we don't have any duplicate winners.
Have a great Friday!
Until next time,
Great post! I needed that information as I haven't started mine yet. Hope to get to it tomorrow. Lynn sent me that link too and I was glad to see you got it. My Janome does not do well with bulk, so I'm worried about that. If I had a featherweight that would be better, don't you think? Maybe I'll try my treadle machine. Wonder if that still works? Thanks again for all the info.
Posted by: carolld | February 01, 2013 at 08:43 AM
PS: I forgot to add how much I like your bag and the fabrics you used. That lining is great too. You always have a good eye for that. Buffie said to me Saturday when I was picking lining, do it like Stephanie does...she always has such cute linings.
Posted by: carolld | February 01, 2013 at 08:45 AM
Very, VERY cute Mama Pea! I Love the fabric you selected -- just perfect for your little pouch. I may just have to try one of these!
Posted by: Thimbleanna | February 01, 2013 at 09:11 AM
I plan to make at least one more of these, maybe this weekend. I think this bag will be great for my retreat swap of "sewing related items."
Love your main fabric!
Posted by: Lynn | February 01, 2013 at 10:06 AM
Great zip pouch! I love the multiple zipper pockets for all sorts of doo-dads. Thanks for the great info about the pattern and process. Stay warm!
Posted by: terriaw | February 01, 2013 at 11:59 AM
oh what a great little triple-zip! Thanks for all your hints. I also posted a comparison of the two finishing methods if your readers are interested...many thanks to Marci for posting hers with the great pics. I think folks will find them very helpful. Thanks so much for joining in the 3ZAL!
Posted by: Debbie | February 01, 2013 at 01:50 PM
Such a cute bag! I've been getting my nerves up to make this so Thank you for your tips! Awesome job!
usairdoll(at)gmail(dot)com
Posted by: Jodi Guerrero | February 01, 2013 at 05:21 PM
Very cute! The zippers are always the hard part on these things!
Posted by: Maggie Szafranski | February 03, 2013 at 08:07 AM
I love your triple zip bag Stephanie! Cute fabrics. Really like the kites.
Posted by: Rene' | February 03, 2013 at 11:27 PM
Very cute! Thanks for all the information. I am still hoping to do one of these, but not til next week. Is it sad to have to schedule your projects several weeks in advance?! :)
Posted by: Ellie Q | February 03, 2013 at 11:51 PM
This is really a cute purse - and I just love the boys running. You did the right thing using the solids, it mains the main fabric really pop, and saves the good fabric for something else. And the blue zipper if perfect with the boys shirt color. Great job.
Posted by: Linda in Calif. | February 04, 2013 at 10:21 AM