So I've got this wonderful little bag pattern that I'm hoping to get up in my Etsy shop in the next few weeks. My testers have given me great feedback and I'm almost ready to put it up.
It's a pretty basic bag, but so cute! It will be great for beginners, and you'll learn how to do a zipper, a pocket and really nice looking corners. I designed it to be a church bag, perfectly sized to hold a set of scriptures, but it makes a great little tote, too. That's where I keep my current crochet projects and all my hooks (although that will change soon -- come back for a crochet buddy tutorial!).
If you're interested, I'll put up a coupon code when I get it in my shop and give you a discount! But for today, I'll share a little snipit about how to do the zipper. I've seen this method used in several patterns, but unless you get lots of pictures and really break it down, it can be really confusing. Hope this helps with your next project!
This method is for a zipper on a pocket when you have two pieces of material.
So here's the back of my bag lining, and I've marked a box right in the middle that's 3/8-inch tall and about 6 inches long. I'm going to sew right on top of these lines, and I want my zipper to be a little bigger than this box. This box will become a hole that I will lay over the top of my zipper and sew in place, so make sure you've made it small enough to have fabric to sew onto the zipper. See how the zipper compares to the box?
So now you'll flip back to the front of your lining; you'll pin your pocket in place with right sides together. (I made sure to sew my zipper about an inch down from the top of the pocket so you'll have room to stitch up your pocket later). Also, make sure those pins are well out of the way of your box.
Flip your pieces back over so you're looking at the back again, and sew right over the box you drew, making sure to sew well over your beginning place and you back stitch on the short sides.
Now grab your scissors -- you're going to cut a slit right along the middle of this box, stopping about 1/2 inch from the sides. Then from there, you'll cut diagonally to each corner, so you'll have a little triangle at the end. Try and get as close as possible in those corners as you can without snipping the stitching.
Now you can take out your pins, and from the back side, you'll reach through the hole and grab your pocket and pull it to the back side. Then press it nice and flat.
As you can see, my corner bunched a little bit but I was able to press them mostly flat. The closer you can get to those corners when you cut your hole, the flatter it will lay. Now here's the hole for your zipper! While looking at the front, you'll lay your zipper underneath, pin in place and sew.
I like to make sure the head of the zipper is nice and snug against one side, and then just make sure it's centered as you pin the rest of it.
That's the quick and simple version of what I've got in my pattern, but it should help you place your next zipper! Happy sewing!
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