Join Me In June!

Ahoy ahoy! Happy Sunday to you all! In the past month or so, I've posted a few zip pouches I've made (see here and here). I was asked about tutorials for them, so instead of telling you "Yeah, sure!" and then making you wait forever (which we know will happen :) I decided to dedicate each Sunday in June to a different style zip pouch (kind of like how last year we made four different totes). Zippers aren't as scary as you may think they are, and you'll be able to modify the sizes of the patterns to make whatever size you want. So what are we going to make?

A straight-sided, flat-bottomed makeup pouch.

A double-zip wristlet. And, I don't have a picture as I haven't made it yet :) but a pouch just like this only with a single zipper across the front and nothing across the top.

And a 3-D boxy pouch (EXCELLENT for makeup and travel bits).

Zips aren't scary, though I get why people are nervous about them. Little purses and bags like the above are a great way to bone up on your skills without needing huge amounts of fabric. I buy my zippers in bulk from ZipperStop, but ZipIt on Etsy is a great shop as well. To complicate matters, when I use zippers I buy these so I can replace the original pull with one a little larger (that I can also put a piece of ribbon through if I feel like it). This also enables me to get a couple zippers from one big one--you cut off the ends, pull the old pull off, and put the new one on (it's a little tricky of a process to get used to, but I can do it with my eyes closed now). This doesn't work with Coats & Clark brand zips, but it works a treat for YKK brand. Just something to consider. Otherwise you can buy zips and use them without changing a thing. Lots of rambling there, just in case you were wondering why my pulls don't match my zips.

For all the pouches I'd recommend twelve-inch zippers, except for the 3-D boxy pouch for which I'd get sixteen inches. They'll be a liiiiiiitle long, but I find zippers easier to work with when they're a little longer than necessary. Hope to see you in June!