Switching it up

I’ve been wanting to try some handmade bags and pouches, which means stepping into the world of zippers (Yes, it’s a whole new world!  There are sooooo many zippers, and you can buy all kinds of coloured pulls to change them out and wow it’s really fun just to look at them all …).  as well as various stabilizers and techniques and enough ideas out there to boggle the mind.  But I’m starting small.  I like pouches.

However, first I thought I’d just “wing it” and throw together a tote bag using up some scraps and a slip-plus-zippered-pocket idea I learned in an online class.  I didn’t use a pattern for this – thus, the obvious things that result from poor planning that I won’t do next time! – and it turned out OK.  Yes, just OK.  I know, I know, I’m not supposed to point out mistakes.  But seriously, parts of it ended up looking really good and other parts not so much, and I’m using them as reference points! haha

Just for the record, the visible “X” stitching on the inside was intentional because that darn lining wouldn’t lay in there there way I wanted it to so I needed to tack it down.  Note to self: next time quilt the lining with the outside pieces as part of the sandwich and bind the inside seams to finish them off.  I can’t stand loose bag linings!

Those handles should have been the same color as the dark berry bindings.  But I was using up scraps, remember, and I didn’t have enough berry.  So they’re orange.  The end.

Full disclosure: that heart patch is covering a water spot from my stupid iron that I couldn’t wash out without laundering the whole bag and I honestly don’t know what would happen to the stiff fusible stabilizer in the bag if I did that, so I added the heart to make it even more whimsical!

Why do I expose my otherwise hidden issues?  So that maybe someone else who encounters a similar problem will find a solution here! LOL

The pouch below was made according to a pattern, with a cool zipper technique and of course, even though it wasn’t called for, I had to do some free motion quilting on the bottom section.  I’m a quilter, people, so I’m not going to just sit here making things if I can’t quilt them somehow!

It turned out really cute and I’m going to make more of these.  Like, probably today.  They’re a great way to use up scraps (you’ll notice I took photos of both sides of the pouch to show how I pieced the upper section) and they go together so quickly!

If you want to learn the one zip technique, check out this class on Craftsy: The One Zip Way.  Who knew?  🙂