Here is a quick little tutorial for making a zippered pouch with a lining. It isn't that hard and I always feel like I have really accomplished something when I am finished ---and they make great gifts!
I was a mentor for one of the youth at our church. At Confirmation they are each given a different bible verse, special to them, to mark the occasion.
I wanted to give my Confirmand (the sweetest girl) a gift with her bible verse so I decided to make a little zippered pouch with the bible verse sewn inside. I printed the verse onto printable fabric (purchased on a roll from Joann's) and sewed onto the lining before stitching the pouch together. I also covered the lining pieces and the piece with the scripture with iron on vinyl before I sewed. I wanted her to be able to use it for make-up etc.
Another bonus was that it doubled as the "gift bag" for this beautiful handmade cross .
Zippered Bag Tutorial
To make a pouch begin with 4 pieces of fabric (two of outer fabric, two of lining fabric) all cut the same length as the full length of your zipper and any width you choose.
Make a zipper sandwich. Place 1 piece of lining fabric face up, then the zipper and then the outer fabric right side facing down. Line up the three edges.
With a zipper foot sew across the top between the edge of your zipper sandwich and the zipper teeth (closer to the zipper feet).
When finished and you pull fabric back it will look like this. Repeat this for the other side(edge) of the zipper. Oops the fabric should go all the way to the end of the zipper.
When both sides are completed it will look like this. Hopefully you will have pinned before sewing and all of your edges will match up beautifully (unlike mine). You can top stitch along the zipper now, if you like.
Bring both pieces of lining to one side and both pieces of your outer fabric to the other side. Un-zip zipper at least halfway so you can turn it once it is stitched. If you forget to un-zip the zipper you won't be able to turn your pouch right side out.
The zipper teeth should be pinned toward the lining side. I lay the zipper ends on top of each other with teeth facing the lining side and pin.
Sew all the way around 1/4 inch from the edge. Make sure you sew on the outside of the metal parts on each end of the zipper, this will be easy to do if you cut your fabric the total length of the zipper. Leave a two inch opening at the bottom of the lining side. Clip corners.
Turn right side out. Stitch opening closed by machine or slip stitch by hand.
Push lining inside and you are finished!
These would make cute Valentine's Day gifts with a little love note printed inside!
Updating...
I’ve made seven so far and given away six. I’m am addicted to making these because it’s fun using scrap material. Next I’m sewing a few for my daughter-in- law’s baby shower. Thanks for the tutorial for this newbie to sewing!
Thanks for a wonderfully simple to follow tutorial! I made a handbag for my best friends birthday, and had 2 scraps of fabric left over (each a little larger than a credit card), spare lining, and the desire to make a little zippered pouch to match the handbag…and no idea how to get started – zips are daunting to the inexperienced!!
30 minutes after finding your site I had a wonderful little pouch which completely matches the bag, and is large enough to fit a credit card and some cash. I also added a little wrist strap sewn between the outer and lining, so she can carry it more easily.
It took me longer to work out how to put the zip foot on the sewing machine than to make the pouch!
[...] pictures and it was easy. After I finished embroidering all four pieces of fabric, I looked to this blog to help me sew on the zipper to the fabric. I also included a pocket in the purse to fit my smart [...]
[...] right side out after sewing. I made it up as I went along but here’s a handy tutorial for sewing a lined zipper pouch if you’d like to make some yourself. (I just made sure our bags would be long enough to hold [...]
[...] If you’re interested in learning how to sew a basic zipper pouch yourself, I recommend this tutorial from Skip To My Lou. I use these little pouches for everything! Advertisement [...]
I made 2 of these now and I’m having the same problem both times. The top corners where the zipper is, the corners won’t push out and sit on a diagonal AND my lining doesnt lat flat.. At the upper corners, it seems “puckered”…. Any suggestions? I bought lots of fabric to make these as gifts but I’m a little discouraged…
Well, Jen, I’m having exactly the same problem as you. And my lining fabric ended up on the outside. Gotta head on back to the thrift store for some 10cent zippers and will practice on some cheap fabric til I get it right. If I figure out what we’re doing wrong I’ll post another comment! Maybe someone with more zipper experience can help us out!
[...] a pattern in the book Weekend Sewing, and I’ve looked at many pictures of little sewn zippered pouches. It looks like the method in the book is very common, but it’s simply not working for me. The [...]
I am a brand new at sewing, and after reading this article I bought some cute fabric and made my first little bag! It turned out great, even though I’m so inexperienced. I can’t wait to make more. The next one, which I’m starting now, is going to be a little pouch for my e-reader. Thank you so much for this great article!
brilliant article, having done a sewing course last month and made a make up bag at it I had fancied making some more for the loxcal pre school group, imagine my horror on discovering that I’d forgotten how to do the zip part! easy to follow instructions have restored my faith and my memory!! thanks..x
thankyou so much it reallu helped me a lot easy way and simple way of sewing it
[...] of raw fabric and fraying, exposed edges. I saw a great tutorial for a lined zippered pouch on Skip to My Lou. The tutorial is pretty clear and the end product is definitely something I would use. I think I [...]
[...] the outside from Anna’s gathered clutch tutorial (I have made several!), but I mostly used this basic tutorial for putting together any size zippered pouch, because I thought the directions were very [...]
Hi, thank you for your tutorial, it’s really helpful.
But i was wondering if you have an instruction on how to make a clutch bag that doesn’t show the zipper?
Thank you so much!
[...] a birthday gift for my friend Nicolette, inspired by her greyhound puppy, Billie Jean. I followed these instructions for the pouch. For her face, I traced her photo and printed it out to make a stencil, then [...]
[...] used a combination of Anna’s zippered clutch tutorial and this tutorial from Skip to My Lou on making any type of zippered [...]
[...] her idea for the card holders. I ignore her instructions about the zipper altogether. Next, I go to Skip to My Lou’s tutorial on making a lined zippered pouch, and I use her easy method for sewing the pieces together, including the [...]
[...] if it would be better to start with a simpler tutorial for a zippered pouch. Maybe something like this with some firm interfacing for [...]
[...] decided to try this incredibly simple little lined zippered pouch tutorial at Skip to My Lou. It looks so easy, and it really should have been easy, even for a [...]
Wow! If I’d known it was this easy I would have made a gazillion by now! I’ve been lazy and just done them envelope style with a little velcro button. Thanks for the tute.
[...] started with this very simple tutorial for a basic lined, zippered pouch. If you’re like me, and you don’t like to follow formal patterns, this tutorial is [...]
PERFECT! Exactly what I was looking for to make a little change purse to match a new purse I’ve sewn. Thanks for an easy to follow tutorial!