Zippers. Sure, I've sewn a handful of zippers into clothing and a pillow cover, but I've never been comfortable sewing zippers. I could follow the instructions in a pattern well enough, but ask me to sew in a zipper without a pattern, and I'd be lost. Until last month, that is. As part of my goal to learn a brand new skill, I wanted to really learn how to sew a zipper in a bag. A bag with a lining.
I purchased Elizabeth Hartman's Perfect Zip Bags pattern here. The pattern has instructions for making three different bag styles, each in a small and large size. Plus it offers a bunch of strap options and guidelines for adding patchwork details, so you can really make an endless variety of bags from this one pattern. Pretty cool.
I made this cute little lined wristlet bag (shown in the photos above)... with a zipper! It's the Style A bag from the pattern, in the larger size. I love Elizabeth's technique of finishing each end of the zipper with fabric tape before stitching the zipper to the bag. It makes for a really professional-looking detail.
Once I finished the wristlet from the Perfect Zip Bags pattern, I knew I needed to practice with a design of my own. I had enough canvas scraps left from my aprons to make this simple zipper pouch. It's similar to the Style C bags, but I modified the proportions and details to make it my own.
What new sewing techniques, or other skills, do you want to master?
I want to master any kind of sewing that doesn't involve the thread getting tangled, the needle getting stuck, and me wanting to throw the machine out a window. :) I'll just let more talented people like you make stuff that I can buy.
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love the colors on that flowered fabric!