Need a handmade gift that is pretty, practical, and finished in an afternoon? This quilted zipper pouch is it. It holds makeup, sewing notions, chargers, or gift cards, it uses just two fat quarters, and the simple quilting makes it feel like something from a boutique. Make one in Christmas prints for a stocking stuffer, then keep going — a small stack of these solves most of your holiday gift list.
What You’ll Make
One lined, quilted zipper pouch, about 9″ wide by 6″ tall, with boxed corners so it stands up on a counter. The outside is lightly quilted, the inside is a smooth contrasting lining, and the zipper opens wide. A confident-beginner project — if you can sew a straight seam, you can make this, zipper and all.
Materials
7 of the 8 materials below (88%) are available at Linda’s — links included. The last one is easy to find anywhere.
- Confetti Cotton Christmas Fat Quarter Bundle, 12 Pcs. — pick one festive print for the outside of the pouch. One bundle makes many pouches. Get it at Linda’s.
- 308 Christmas Green Moda Grunge - Fat Quarter — a rich green lining that makes the inside feel finished. Get it at Linda’s.
- Floriani Heat N Sta Fleece (Fusible) 45″ x 1yd — fusible fleece gives the pouch its soft, quilted body and helps it stand up. Get it at Linda’s.
- 2024 White Aurifil Cotton 50wt Large Spool — for quilting, seams, and topstitching that blends into light fabrics. Get it at Linda’s.
- Olfa Deluxe 45mm Rotary Cutter — for cutting the rectangles cleanly and quickly. Get it at Linda’s.
- Quilting Pins Fine by Clover — to pin layers and seams before sewing. Get it at Linda’s.
- Riley Blake Designs Quilty Clips — perfect for holding the zipper layers together without pin holes. Get it at Linda’s.
- One 9″ nylon zipper — in a color that coordinates with your fabric, available at most craft stores or your local quilt shop.
Steps
- Cut everything. From the Christmas print, cut two rectangles 10″ by 7″ for the outside. From the green fat quarter, cut two rectangles 10″ by 7″ for the lining. From the fusible fleece, cut two rectangles 10″ by 7″.
- Fuse and quilt. Following the fleece package directions, fuse one fleece rectangle to the wrong side of each outside piece. Quilt each piece with simple straight lines about 1″ apart, or stitch diagonal lines corner to corner. Trim both quilted pieces neatly.
- Start the zipper sandwich. Lay one quilted outside piece right side up. Lay the zipper along the top edge, right side down, with the zipper pull on the left. Lay one lining piece on top, right side down. Clip the layers together along the top edge.
- Sew the first side. Using a zipper foot if you have one, sew along the top edge close to the zipper teeth. Open the layers out, press them away from the zipper, and topstitch about ⅛″ from the zipper.
- Sew the second side. Repeat on the other side of the zipper: quilted piece right side up, zipper right side down along its top edge, then lining right side down on top. Clip, sew, press open, and topstitch.
- Open the zipper halfway. This step matters — leave the zipper at least halfway open so you can turn the pouch later. Move the zipper pull inside the pouch area.
- Sew the pouch together. Place the two outside pieces right sides together and the two lining pieces right sides together, with the zipper pushed toward the lining. Pin or clip around all sides, leaving a 3″ opening in the bottom of the lining. Sew around with a ¼″ seam.
- Box the corners. At each of the four corners, pinch the seam so the side and bottom seams line up, forming a small triangle. Mark a line 1″ from the point, sew across it, and trim off the tip. This gives the pouch its flat bottom.
- Turn and finish. Turn the pouch right side out through the opening in the lining. Push the lining corners out gently, sew the opening closed with a neat edge stitch, tuck the lining inside, press lightly, and zip it closed.
Tips
Go slowly over the zipper teeth and use a regular, not extra-fine, needle — and never force the machine over the metal stop at the end of the zipper; sew just past the fabric edge instead. Clips really do work better than pins along the zipper because the layers are thick. For gifts, tuck in a gift card, lip balm, or a few wrapped candies before you hand it over. To clean, spot clean or hand wash cold and lay flat to dry so the quilting stays plump.
Where to Get Everything
Seven of the eight materials — the Confetti Cotton Christmas fat quarter bundle, the Christmas Green Moda Grunge fat quarter, the Floriani Heat N Sta fusible fleece, the White Aurifil thread, the Olfa rotary cutter, the Clover quilting pins, and the Riley Blake quilty clips — are all at Linda’s, linked above: 88% of the list from one shop. The 9″ nylon zipper is easy to find at most craft stores or your local quilt shop — bring a fabric scrap along to match the color. Happy sewing!
