Sew a lined zip pouch

A lined zip pouch is two outer rectangles, two lining rectangles and a zip sewn between them so that every raw edge ends up inside. You sew tabs over the zip ends, stitch each side of the zip between an outer and a lining piece, sew around the outside and the lining with a gap, box the corners for depth, and turn it through the gap. A 22 × 15 cm (8 3/4 × 6 in) pouch takes a fat quarter of each fabric and about an hour.

What do you need to sew a zip pouch?

For a boxed pouch 22 cm (8 3/4 in) wide, 15 cm (6 in) high and 5 cm (2 in) deep:

• Outer, cut twice from a firm woven, with a 2.5 cm (1 in) square notched out of each bottom corner.
• Lining, cut twice, the same shape as the outer.
• Zip tabs, two rectangles 4 × 6 cm (1 5/8 × 2 3/8 in), folded over the zip ends.
• Zip, a nylon coil zip 25 cm (10 in) long or longer, trimmed to length after the tabs are sewn on.
• Fusible fleece or medium-weight fusible interfacing for the outer pieces, the same size as the pieces.

A fat quarter of outer fabric and one of lining cover this size with scraps left for the tabs. For a flat pencil case, skip the corner notches and reduce the height to 12 cm (4 3/4 in). You will also need a zipper foot and a universal needle in 80/12.

Which fabrics and zip should you use for a pouch?

The outside needs some body: quilting cotton over fusible fleece for a soft padded pouch, canvas or waxed cotton for a crisper one, cork fabric or faux leather if you want it to stand on its own without interfacing. The lining is a lighter cotton; for a wash bag, laminated cotton wipes clean, and you sew it with clips rather than pins because pin holes stay in the coating.

A nylon coil zip is the right type: it bends around the pouch, sews through easily, and can be cut to length because the tabs cover the ends. Metal zips look good on canvas but cannot be sewn across, so they need to be exactly the right length. If your zip is too long, the post on shortening a zip shows how to make a new stop.

How do the zip tabs work on a pouch?

The tabs are the detail that makes a pouch look finished. Each tab is folded in half across its length with the raw edges turned in, then sandwiched over the end of the zip tape and topstitched, so the zip ends up shorter than the pouch width and the side seams run through fabric, not through zip teeth. Without tabs, the side seam has to cross the coil, which leaves a lump and a visible zip end at each corner.

Make the tabs before anything else. Open the zip halfway, trim it so the tape is 2 cm (3/4 in) shorter than the pouch width at each end, slide a tab over each end with the folded edge toward the pull, and stitch across 3 mm (1/8 in) from the fold through all the layers. Trim the tab to the width of the zip tape.

How do you sew a lined zip pouch, step by step?

Seam allowances are 1 cm (3/8 in). Use a straight stitch at 2.5 mm and the zipper foot for steps 2 and 3.

1. Interface the outer pieces. Fuse the fleece or interfacing to the wrong side of both outer pieces, pressing from the fabric side with a pressing cloth. Mark the center of each top edge with a pin.
2. Sew the first side of the zip. Lay one outer piece right side up. Place the zip face down along the top edge, pull on the left, centered on the pin. Lay a lining piece right side down on top. Pin or clip through the three layers and sew along the zip with the zipper foot, 6 mm (1/4 in) from the teeth.
3. Press and edgestitch. Fold the outer and the lining away from the zip, wrong sides together, and press. Edgestitch 2 mm (1/16 in) from the fold, through the outer and lining, so the fabric stays out of the zip's path.
4. Sew the second side. Place the remaining outer piece right side up, lay the assembled unit on it with the free edge of the zip along its top edge, face down, then the second lining piece right side down. Sew and edgestitch as before.
5. Open the zip halfway. This is the step people forget, and without it the pouch cannot be turned.
6. Sew around. Fold the pouch so the two outer pieces lie right sides together and the two lining pieces lie right sides together, with the zip in the middle. Push the zip tabs toward the lining side. Sew around the outer: down one side, across the bottom, up the other, pivoting at the corners but leaving the notched squares open. Sew the lining the same way, leaving an 8 cm (3 1/4 in) gap in the bottom.
7. Box the corners. Pinch each notched corner so the side seam meets the bottom seam, flatten it into a straight line and sew across with a 1 cm allowance. Do all four, two on the outer and two on the lining.
8. Turn and close. Pull everything through the gap in the lining, push the corners out with a blunt tool, fold the gap's edges in and stitch it closed by machine close to the edge or by hand with a ladder stitch. Push the lining into the pouch and press, keeping the iron off the zip teeth.

What are the common mistakes when sewing a zip pouch?

• Closing the zip before sewing around. The pouch is sealed with no way to turn it. Open the zip halfway at step 5, every time.
• Sewing the zip tape in with the seam allowance. At the side seams, fold the zip tape toward the lining so it is caught flat rather than standing up in the seam.
• Skipping the edgestitching. The lining then catches in the zip the first time it is used.
• Corners of different depths. Measure each boxed corner seam before sewing it; a 5 mm (3/16 in) difference shows as a lopsided pouch.

If this is your first time with a zipper foot, the post on presser feet shows how to move the needle to either side of the foot so you can sew close to the teeth from both directions.

Can you make the pouch in any size?

Sewly's zip pouch pattern draws the outer and lining to the width, height and depth you type in, from a flat 12 cm (4 3/4 in) pencil case to a 40 cm (15 3/4 in) wash bag, and works out the zip length and the tab dimensions for you. The sewing guide lists the fusible fleece or interfacing with the pieces, and a pouch takes so little fabric that it is a natural handmade gift to make in a set of three sizes from the same two fabrics.