Well from my last post I told you I was having a nasty flare up of Fibromyalgia. I’m having a couple of good days instead of all bad ones, still waiting for Pain Management appointment though. But, the few good days had let me get on with a bit of sewing and craft. As sewing does keep me sane!

From my last post Sewing Goals 2021, I mentioned to pace myself and break down sewing tasks into smaller steps. I have achieved this by setting myself an hour a day at most for crafting and checking off my task list.

My husband suggested that I use Trello which is an app that is the easy, free, flexible, and visual way to manage your projects and organise anything.

It is great, I’ve added each project that I want to work on and within that project card a checklist which steps to complete said project. It even has a deadline function to it and reminds you nearer to end date which comes in handy for my sponsored blog posts.

Crafting

I really enjoy using my Cricut Explorer Air 2. I’ve been experimenting with vinyl along with cardstock.

The boys really enjoyed having their belongings personalised. Ethan and I have the same phone case, so this was ideal to tell which one is which.

Rhys has a favourite mason jar which he uses for juice and has a soft spot for Stitch from Lilo and Stitch. In all fairness, I do too and really enjoyed creating this one. I have put this through the dishwasher and it has survived!

Sewing

In January, we only have one birthday which is my niece Millie who turned 9. After having a chat with my fellow Felicity Fabrics Blogger girls. I decided to make her Made by jacks Mum Explorer T-Shirt. I raided my stash, found this gem that I bought from Like Sew Amazing last year. With all good intentions, the fabric was going to be a Tee for me but never got round to using it. So this was an ideal time to get it used.

Thankfully, Millie and Rhys are nearly the same age, only a couple of months between them. I made her a size 9 going from Rhys’s height. It was whipped up in no time at all when using Mrs Singer aka Singer overlocker 14SH754 and used Mr Singer aka Singer Quantum Stylist 9960 for the twin needle hem.

Here is the finished present along with some handmade tags and card I made with the Cricut too.

Hand’s up, who has the Billie sewing pattern since it was released back in November and only got round to making one till now. That’ll be me! I’m sure I am not alone in hoarding sewing patterns as well as fabric?

It was well worth the wait. I used this now sold out animal print jersey in aqua from Felicity Fabrics also Liz aka thatbakerwhosews used this jersey too. Here is Liz’s Billie with the balloon sleeves, how awesome it is!

Mrs Singer came into play to get this sewn up in speedy time. No garment isn’t complete without a garment label from KATM.

I made a size 5 from the shoulders, grading out to a 7 for the hips. With help from Felicity girls, I got the size just right for my frame.

Coming up in February

I’m a guest blogger for Crafty Sew and So. So here is a sneak peak on what I have been working on.

All will be revealed on 7th February 2021. So keep your eyes peeled over at Crafty Sew and So

I’m hoping to have a Buddy Sew a long with Laura aka Missmadeitmyself via Zoom to make the Nina Lee Picadilly PJs using this fabulous fabric from xxstitchedupxx . I have 2.5m and its extra wide too, so I have plenty to make whichever version I decide to make. Now, what buttons do I go for?

I did toy with the idea to make a dress out of it but thought I will get more wear out of them as PJs!

There you go folks, a round up of my January makes. What have you been sewing this year so far?

Happy Sewing

Sal

xx

The post My January’s 2021 Creations appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

Unfortunately I’m not, Fibromyalgia has flared up big time. I’m in a lot of pain, not sleeping and generally feeling really naff at the moment. I’ve been given new medication and a referral to pain management clinic. Fingers crossed I’ll be back to my normalish self soon.

After watching Tamlyn’s video about her sewing goals, last week. I thought that’s a really good idea to try and set myself no set specific garments like #makenine. I have kicked myself in the past for not getting them completed and this year will be different!

So here goes, my hopeful sewing plans for 2021.

Slow and Steady

As you know I do have chronic health conditions, I work part time and trying to home school the kids too at the moment is a challenge. In future sewing projects from now on, I’m taking a leaf out of Samantha’s book. I will break tasks down or set myself an amount of time to be sewing. Not to rush, enjoy the process, hoping I’d make less silly mistakes this way and save myself some energy.

Sew Practical Clothing

I don’t about you lot but I’m no way inclined to make pretty dresses at the moment as I can see this year being in the majority of lockdown. Yes I know, It isn’t the right way to look at it but why make something that you won’t get much wear out of. I am wanting to make myself more loungewear, for example jogging bottoms, comfy tops etc. I’m thinking of finally getting round to make the Stella joggers from Tilly and the Buttons Stretch book and making quite a few Billies’ too.

Use the Stash

Yeah… I have a stash and half! You know what it is like when there is a sale on and think I must have that fabric but never have a project in mind at the time. It needs to change and only buy fabric with a specific project in mind. I’ll be going through parts of my stash and plan some makes. I know of the top of my head that I have 2.5m Tilly and the Buttons hand print jersey and 2.5m lemon print jersey which are destined for the Juno Pjs. I just need to print out the pattern or trace it, which ever will be quickest way to get it together I think.

Sewing Community

On Instagram alone, there is a huge sewing community with plenty of challenges and swaps to take part in. I really want to take part more and get to know more like minded people in the world.

I’m taking part in Megs aka pigeonwishes Galentine’s Day party which is to make something in either pink or red. I also posted about making this back in November’s post, at least I’ll get there eventually!

After looking in my stash I’ve got the beautiful add it up in pink by Ruby Star Society which will be a tried and tested Stevie top by Tilly and the Buttons. Who doesn’t love a cute bow and an easy sew. Yas!

Finally, be kind to myself

I really need to be kinder to myself and practice self care more.

Pace myself, try not to do everything all at once.

Rest more!!!!

Eat better and drink more water.

Don’t beat myself up if I don’t get my sewing tasks complete, when it can wait for another day.

Does anyone else have any sewing goals for the year?

Happy Sewing

Sal xx

The post Sewing Goals for 2021 appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

How you are all doing? Are you ready for 2021? It seems so strange that a year has passed already yet it has been a very peculiar one indeed!

The lovely Jayne aka Loopymabels_closet and Sarah aka Rosysewsmodernvintage  ran this sewing challenge last year and it was so popular that they decided to do it again this year! But what IS #swapsharesew I hear you cry? Well, in short it’s a swap challenge…you get partnered up with a fellow sewist and send each other a swap parcel which you then incorporate into a sewing project. Plus you get to get to know a liked minded sewist and become friends. Also up for grabs is some lovely prizes from @emporia_patterns @felicity.fabrics @patternunion @mavenpatterns

My partner was the lovely Lynne aka Chadders1965 who is a very busy lady with a heart of gold. I received this lovely package from her… the chocolate buttons was devoured by the kids but made use of the face mask and foot mask right away!

The little zippered pouch is perfect for keeping my little tools safe in one place while working on a project.

For our project, we decided to use the Tilly and The Buttons Indigo Pattern and we chose different fabrics but decided we would send each other the pockets of the fabrics we was making so we had snazzy pockets.

This beautiful Pink Dalmatian Print Viscose is from Sew Anonymous and was an absolute bargain at £5 per metre!! If you haven’t seen Aimee’s beautiful array of fabrics at great prices before, where have you been?! I really would recommend you give her online shop a visit.

The alterations that I made to mine, was the usual sleeve adjustment of shortening the length of the sleeve by 1.5″ and I made a straight size 6 in tunic length. I still draw lines on my fabric to make sure I get them straight when I sew!

To minimise the *Maternity* look of the indigo (*in my opinion it does have that feel to it) I put in some waist ties to bring it in at the waist a bit more which has done it a lot of favours. Otherwise, I’d look like a sack of spuds!! So I made the ties

I cut out two rectangles of fabric – 20″ length by 1.5″ wide. then sewed one end shut then continued along the length to make a tube. To turn these bad boys out so easily was the prym turning tools and made it a breeze!

When it comes to gathering I use dental floss as I try and use the normal method of gathering with 2 or 3 rows of stitching but always end up breaking the threads when pulling…Grrrr!!!

All I do is set my machine to a zig zag stitch and place a line of dental floss at the centre of where the stitch would be leaving an extra “tail” of floss at the beginning and end of the fabric.

Start the zigzag so that it stitches on either side of the floss, but doesn’t pierce it. Then pull the fabric along the floss to gather it. You can knot one end of the floss to keep the gathering tight if you prefer. Et Voila, easy gathers!!

Also you can not have a biccie or two when getting rid of the gather stitches once you’ve sewn it in place eh?

With making this I did retreat to my bedroom to sew in peace but being a mum you don’t get that luxury hahaha the kids followed me.

I was adamant to keep the pockets even though I’ve made the Tunic length, so all I did was shifted the pocket notch up by an inch so no sneaky show of the pocket plus it fits me better this way for my short arms!

Here is my Indigo with a little video, I’m trying to get technical hahaha!

Plus, no garment isn’t complete without a Kylie and the machine label, especially one of her new sweary sewist ones!

I really enjoyed this little swap as I got to make new sewing buddies and such a lovely touch to have swapped fabrics, with wearing my Indigo it will remind me of Lynne

Has anyone else been taking part with any of Instagram Sewing Community swaps/projects?

Happy Sewing, All the best for 2021!!

Sal

xx

The post SwapShareMeet 2020 appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

Shopping for fabric online can be really tricky then matching for the right sewing project. Will it be the right weight? Too stiff? See through?

You can now create your very own fabric reference book with this beautiful A5 binder, complete with 25 sturdy card inserts, that’s room for 50 fabric swatches! Keep them in age order, fabric type, colour or source! Or if you like me totally random!

The fabric swatch book will serve as a reference guide to keep a record of your fabrics, where you purchased them, their name, fibre composition, weight and if you have any stashed away. Perfect for when you need to see if you have the right fabric in your stash or you need to buy!

This book gives me some serious Dexter vibes and totally love this! If you aren’t familiar with the Dexter series its on Netflix or if you have Sky its on Sky Atlantic at 6pm Monday-Friday.

Basically, Dexter Morgan works as a Blood Splatter Analyst for the Miami Police  But at night, he is a serial killer who only targets other murderers and keeps a blood slide for each of his victims!

So in attempt to orgainse my Stash i sorted through it and had piles for 3m+, 2-3m, 1-2m and under 1m.

When piled neatly in the corner of my bedroom it doesn’t look that I’m such a fabric addict does it? I need to work on storage for said fabrics!

Put it does point out that i am in need of sweatshirt fabric(s) for Billie Jumpers, the new Tilly and the Buttons pattern.

I made a start on filling in the book with a Beanies Cinder Toffee flavoured Coffee and used some washi tape to secure my swatches.

So this product is very good in organising the stash and pointing out what fabrics you don’t have at hand. Plus it would make a thoughtful gift for Christmas and Birthdays for the Sewing people in your life.

What do you do to make sure your sewing inventory is in order? If use discount code yorkshiresewist it’ll save you 10%.

Happy Sewing!

Sal xx

**Disclaimer – I received this Product free of charge before it’s release in exchange of my review and promotion through Social Media Channels.**

The post An exciting new product for dressmakers has arrived! appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

I’m trying my hardest to put some plans in place for Autumn/Winter wardrobe and definitely found a few gaps!

I don’t have many Cardigans, I’ve recently made Pattern Scout Lulu Cardi which is fab to wear with dresses but it’s more a Spring/Summer accessories and then i have my Wendy Ward Kinder Cardi that i use for work. So i am in need of a snuggly cardi for everyday wear.

So after having a lovely little chat with Aimee of Sew Anonymous I’ve bought this beaut Pink Melange Jersey it will be perfect for the Ellie and Mac Chapman Cardigan or Cardigan Love, but still can’t decide which one but I have both patterns in my stash!

Then I bought this luscious Candy Pink Dalmatian print viscose when Sew Anonymous first opened as it was an absolute steal at £5 a metre and with it being 142cm wide too you can definitely get a dress out of 2.5m. So I’ll be making either Tilly and The Buttons Stevie Dress with the Add on Pack or Lotta.

Also not forgetting my bargain from Samantha Claridge Studio of Ruby Star Society Add it up which will be a Long Sleeved Stevie Top. Unfortunately, that colourway is out of stock but she has many more bargains left to be had, so please check out her Sale section.

Then finally getting some winter coloured pinafores in my memade wardobe! I’ll be using this Fabulous Taupe Corduroy from Sew Anonymous to make a Bobbi Pinafore for my 1st Fabric Addict Post for Aimee at Sew Anonymous.

Then Finally for my upcoming Blogger make for Felcity Fabrics an memade combo that will be perfect for the chilly weather!

A Freya from Tilly’s Book Stretch using this delicious Rose Pink splashed dots.

Then a Tilly and The Buttons Cleo to go with the Boudeaux Corduroy.

Phew! Have you noticed that I’m going towards colours i wouldn’t normally go for? Thinking I’m living dangerously for a change!

So what have you got planned for your memamde wardrobe?

A big Thank you to Felicity Fabrics and Sew Anonymous for providing me with these beautiful fabrics for an exchange of a blog post of what I make with the fabrics provided.

Happy Sewing!

Sal xx

The post Autumn/Winter Sewing Plans 2020! appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

Hope you’re all having a great start to 2020!

At last I’ve finally got round to making myself the Kinder Cardigan from Wendy Wards book of Sewing with Knits. I’ve made quite a few of the other patterns in her book but not cardi untill now!

I was kindly gifted this beautiful grey glitter sweatshirting from Fabrics for All in Leeds they have a fab range of sweatshirting fabrics it was hard to narrow it down to this one for that’s for sure!

I’ve found in Wendys book when it came to making the Peak Tee it was quite roomy at the shoulders for me, so I went a size down rather than the recommended size for my bust but then Graded out to the right size from the bust onwards. Also the usual sleeve length alteration by shortening it by an inch, dam my short arms!

I decided to go for the hip version as I wanted a nice layering cardi for use at work and at home.

After making my alterations on the pattern pieces I got into cutting it all out using my Rotary Cutter and Mat.

Not forgetting my Tailors Chalk to mark too.

Wendy’s instructions are great to follow and this was sewn in no time at all and I just love using a twin needle for hems to give my garments that professional finished look. Maybe one day I’ll treat myself to coverstitch ?

Also the Man Mog aka Raylan came to have nosey what i was up too!

Of course I couldn’t resist in adding a Kylie and The Machine in seam label to the side seam with ‘yes I made it’ I just love these cheeky labels!

So here is my Kinder Cardi that is soo comfy to wear and sooo snuggly so it’s a definite win for the secret PJ club! I’ve worn this loads, it’s great for work as they are just wonderfully deep, I can out my notebook and pen in one pocket and keys, sellotape and scissors in the other? Win win! I Def need to make of these but I kinda want to stick with plain colours rather than printed so then I can pair my cardi with my many printed tops.

Here it is out in the Wild! Yeah it’s cold in Yorkshire so i needed my hat on still plus its great to cover a bad hair day too!!

Unfortunately the fabric I used has sold out but this one shown below would be perfect too which is available from Fabrics for All

Happy Sewing!

Sal

Xx

**Thank you for Fabrics for All for providing myself with this Fabric in exchange of my Blog Post**

The post Another addition to the Secret PJ club – A Glittery Kinder Cardigan! appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

Happy Bank Holiday to those of you in the UK!!

Now I’m not sure about you guys but I normally tend to stick to indie pattern companies as they tend to fit me better with little adjustments compared to the big 4 where in previous attempts of using them, I’ve not had much success with them and end up being in the unfinished project pile like forever!

A few weeks ago it was Mr K’s birthday where we attend the Great Northern Shooting Show at Harrogate, where in all fairness we all enjoyed it and I did feel a bit out of place of wearing my Colette Patterns Hawthorn dress as the other ladies attended wore jeans and boots but hey I am unique after all ?

Gem has recently opened up her shop Bobbins and Bolts in Harrogate too so it would be rather rude not to pop in and say hello whilst we was at Harrogate anyways!

Gem’s shop is just gorgeous and my youngest found the den and was quite happy to be sat there whilst we chatted and of course picked up so lovely fabrics!

I thought I was quite restraint really… must of been the presence of the hubby and boys ?

I’ve always wanted to have an off the shoulder top but for some reason never got round to making one.. thinking it’d be too complicated but nope I was wrong!

This sewn up so well and the instructions were quite clear.

The only adjustments were needed was taking 4″ off the sleeves, 4″ off the shoulder straps and taking another couple of inches off the elastic round the back.

I really love the tie details of the sleeves as they are soo pretty inside too.

Now you can’t have a handmade garment without adding a cute label in right?

Thankfully we decided to go to Scarborough for the day before the notorious bank holiday weather hitted, so here is moi in the gardens on South Beach, how beautiful does the garden look!

Of course we all had a fab time there, making a croc out of sand! Also you can’t go the seaside without having a go at the 2p machines where the boys actually won a prize a piece from a pound worth of 2ps! Now that never normally happens does it!?

So happy bank holiday to you all and hope it’s not raining somewhere and if it is blame me as Ive done some summer sewing!

Sal

Xx

The post Simplicity New Look K6542 appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

So, as we announced on Instagram a little while ago, Becca and I are all geared up for the next round of Sew Up North! We, and hopefully some of you, will be hitting the coffee (and cake) shops of Leeds, probably buying lots of fabric and charity raffling our hearts on September 29th in Leeds city centre.

We will once again be supporting the fabulous Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity. We have got THE most incredible list of raffle prizes, even more than last year, and so we’re hoping to be able to top our fundraising record of £724. So if you’re coming, bring your raffle ticket pennies!

Tickets for the event will be released in the near future (watch this space) as will more detail on the specifics of the day, but we wanted to let you know the high level at this point.

As has already been spotted by some keen previous attendees on Instagram, Costa have cold-heartedly closed the branch on Briggate at which we formerly kicked off proceedings. But never fear! We have located another venue and sweet talked John Lewis into letting us meet up at their 4th floor cafe in the new Victoria Gate store. (To be fair, when I asked whether we’d be OK to bring over 100 fabric mad shoppers together in their usually reasonably calm and quiet cafe on a Saturday morning, they didn’t argue!)

After grabbing a drink (and possibly a bun or a bacon butty?) we will once more disperse into the fabric shops of Leeds. We’ll be leaving this to happen organically (ie we won’t be forcing you to pair up and form an orderly crocodile around the city centre!) but don’t worry if you’re thinking of coming alone; sewists are an unusually friendly bunch and I’ve never yet seen anyone stranded.

After shopping time, we will meet up once more at the Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen, where you will be able to buy lunch and/or drinks from the vendors downstairs (assuming they’re granting us the same space as last year, we will be upstairs), enjoy a grand fabric and pattern swap, grab any last minute raffle tickets and then sit back and enjoy watching more sewing related prizes than you knew were possible being won; who knows, you might be one of the lucky ones?

There are a couple of small changes from last year. Firstly, as mentioned, we’ve changed the initial meeting point, but since John Lewis is a fairly large landmark and definitely still sells lots of nice drinks and snacks, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Secondly, to reduce the stress levels for Becca and myself, we have decided not to hand out goody bags this year. I’m really sorry to anyone who’s disappointed by this, but they took a lot of time and a fair amount of personal investment and this year, we neither of us have the headroom for it. It also stopped us being able to mingle and chat to people ourselves, so we’ve decided to make things more straight forward all round.

Thirdly, and again in the interests of our sanity, there will be another blog post in the next couple of weeks asking for volunteers to help out with certain tasks on the day. So many people kindly offered to help on the day last time, and we were a smidge tired at the end, so we’re going to be sensible and accept some willing volunteers this time around! We hope no one’s offended by this!

Finally (and this is the good bit), according to Becca I’ve got the gift of sweet talking to the Belgrave into allowing us to have more people this time around within their Health & Safety limits. 150 tickets will be available in the next couple of weeks; there is no charge for these, but it does allow us to be sure that we’re not breaching the requirements set by the Belgrave who let us use their space free of charge.

So, pop the date in your diary and keep an eye out for the posts over the next few weeks. We have been absolutely stunned by the generosity of our raffle prize sponsors and we’ll be whetting your appetite with all the goodies on offer. And there will be a post when the tickets go live.

Hope to see you there?

Sally and Becca x

The post It’s been a while crocodile!!! Sew Up North 2018 appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

Sorry I’ve been  missing in action… I’ve had the dreaded Cold/flu bug which knocked me for six and has taken me nearly a month to get over it!! So i am behind on my Blog and keeping you all updated on my Social Media but i am still here honest!

So January’s Make is the lovely Sunny Top by  Friday Pattern Company. Did you know that Friday Pattern Company donates 5% of all proceeds of the pattern to Against Malaria Foundation, how lovely is that!

I opted to make view B and according to my measurements i cut out a large for the bust and graded out x-large for the waist and hips.

Now look at this pretty Fabric from Girlcharlee! This Coral Peach Floral on Slate Grey Cotton Jersey Blend Knit Fabric is just gorgeous. It has amazing colours of peach, coral pink, cream, mocha, burgundy flowers and roses on a pretty grey background. Fabric has a very smooth hand, good stretch, and is light to mid weight. The Largest rose flower measures 2.75cm.

There was only 20 pages to cut and stick together so this was quick to assemble compared to other patterns!

With only 3 Pattern Pieces, this was a breeze to assemble as i ignored the instructions…. i felt it was taking the long way round of assembling so i sewn the shoulders together first, then set in the sleeves and then sewn from the sleeve hem, pivot at the underarm and continued down the side of the top. Then hemed the necklince, sleeves and bottom of the top by turning it under by 1cm and then stitching in place.

Upon reflection, i would lengthen this top by about 2″ even though i am on the short side (5 foot 2″) i felt that the top was a little short.

But here is the ever so pretty top on ‘Dorris’

I do love the curved hem and the arms are roomy so it’s perfect for everyday wear or even work as it is quite smart looking in this gorgeous fabric!

A very big thank you to Mark at Girl Charlee for providing the fabric for this project, so if you haven’t made your way across to their fantastic online shop of  a vast array of jersey fabrics, then what are you waiting for.. go and treat yourself!

It’s also 1 make down from #2018makenine list! Yay! I will get all 9 made, i hope….. LOL

Sal x

The post January’s #Sewmystyle Project and 1st of my #2018makenine complete! appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

Hi All! I haven’t posted a Tutorial for a while so i thought I’d share with you a nice looking Zip Bag which is quite roomy for a range of uses! But this is one is going to a Friend who needs a little bit of cheering up after a rough few weeks. I’m hoping that this will help! It seems the most annoying thing about pouches using Zips that I’ve seen or made in the past are those pesky corners. Don’t know about you but i hate seeing the ends of zips and it looks a bit odd with the zip ‘jumping out’ of the pouch and it doesn’t look nice and neat. Sorry i think i have an OCD about it!

The zip is not actually sewn into the side seam – the tab encases the ends of the zip. Then the sides are sewn with the lining in place – there’s no bulky stuffing used for lining inside the pouch just interfacing. Bias binding is used to cover the raw edges inside the Bag for a neat finish. Supplies:

• 0.5m (50cm) Fabric for outside of pouch I’ve used Art Gallery Wonderland Petal Flamingos in Coo
• 0.5m (50cm) Fabric for lining I’ve used Liberty Fabric Tana Lawn Mitsi Valeria B
• 0.5m (50cm) Interfacing – I’ve used Medium Interfacing as i wanted it to be sturdy yet soft.
• Zip 11″ (28cm) or longer as you can soon shorten it.
• Basic sewing supplies:
  • Thread and a full Bobbin – nothing worse that running out mid way through a seam!
  • Scissors – If your aren’t using a Rotary Cutter and Mat.
  • Rotary Cutter and Mat.
  • Pins
  • Tape Measure – I love the cuteness of this retractable tape with the polka dot finish and it measures up to a whopping 150cm aka 1.5m!!
  • Marking Tool – This Pen by Prym is the best marking tool I’ve used as it chalks out soo easily and preciously and in a handy pen format so no more broken tailors chalk pieces everywhere or on your hands!

Cutting out time! Cut all of the following – Each Piece measures 11″ x 8 3/4″ ( 28cm x 22cm):

• 2 x Outer fabric
• 2 x Lining fabric
• 4 x Interfacing
• Two squares 2″ x 2″ (4cm x 4cm) for the zip tabs

For the Bias Binding, cut from lining fabric a strip 1 1/8″ x 20″ (3cm x 51cm) if you don’t have enough length to make it one go you can always precut the Binding to the length of the side seams – 7″ (15cm) x 2 and Bottom Seams 3″ (7cm) x 2. Four strips in total. Fuse interfacing to the outer pouch pieces and the lining pieces.

Right, let’s get Making! On the Outer Pieces, mark 1/4″from each edge on the Top of the Piece on the Right side of the Fabric. Trust me you will need this later! Cut out 1.5″(3.8cm) Square from the lower edge of each Outer Pieces. Repeat for the Lining Pieces also.

Making the Zip Tabs: With your 2″ (4cm) Squares,Fold in Half, Press and then fold again so that one end of the square is now folded nicely with no raw edges on show.

At the end of the zip, mark 1/4″ (0.6cm) away above where the zip ends and chop off the excess.

With Right Sides Together, line up the edge of the zip with the raw edge of the Zip Tab Square. Make sure the folded edge is not being sewn. Stitch along the zip using a 1cm Seam allowance.

Fold the Tab up and over the end of the Zip and that the folded edge underneath matches the top and stitch in place as near as you can to the edge and to make sure you catch both the top and underneath of the Tab to secure in place. Trim the Tab to slightly wider than the Zip itself. There you go, one Zip Tab made! Now to repeat for the other end of the Zip!

Just look of how pretty that the Tape looks now! Next up, attaching the Zip to the Pouch! Place the Zip Right Side down on the Top edge of the Outer Piece and make sure that the Zip ends match up with the marks on the Pouch that we made earlier. Then pin in place and stitch along using 1/4″ (0.6cm) Seam Allowance.

With the Right Sides Together, place the Lining Piece over the Zip, matching the raw edge of the Pieces and pin in place. Make sure that the Zip is in between the Outer Piece and the Lining Piece just like a sandwich. Then flip it over so that the Outer Piece is on top and stitch in place using the previous stitching as a guide to sew in place.

Press the Pouch Outer and lining away from the Zip and that’s one side down and now to repeat on the other side with the last remaining pieces.

Now onto Sewing the Pouch together! Open up the pouch so that the Linings are Right Sides Together and the Outer Piece are Right Sides Together too. Pin along the bottom edge and Sew together using 1/4″ (0.6cm) Seam Allowance. Then press the Seam open.

Turn and flip the lining over the Outer Fabric so that the Lining is on show. Make sure that the Zip is opened 1″ (2.5cm) to make sure you can open the zip after sewing the Side Seams. Pin the Side Seam from the top corner of the Square Cut out to the top of the Pouch using a 1/4″ (o.6cm) Seam Allowance and make sure don’t sew through the Zip Tab by accident.

Now to Finish the Seams! From the Strip we cut out earlier or if you have already cut down the strip to sizes required, it’s time to make into Bias binding. Cut the Binding to the length of the side seams – 7″ (15cm) x 2 and Bottom Seams 3″ (7cm) x 2. So you have Four strips in total. Fold one strip length ways Wrong Sides Together and Press. Open the strip up so you can see the crease that has been formed along the centre. Bring the top edge to meet the centre crease and Press. Bring the bottom edge to meet the centre crease and press. Give your bias strip one more press from the right side and there you go all ready to attach to the seams! Pin the Binding in place matching the raw edge of the Side Seam with the long Edge of the Binding and stitch using 1/4″ (0.6) or follow that the crease. Trim the Seam Allowance a little as this will help for the Binding to fold over easier and then pin in place and Sew as near as you can to the edge to secure. Repeat for the other Side Seam.

We are nearly there! Now to Finish the Bottom. Pinch the Bottom of the Pouch so that the Side Seam matches the Bottom Seam and the Corner Cut out is flat. Press the Side Seam to one side and then pin and Sew using a 1/4″ (0.6cm) Seam Allowance. Then finish the Bottom Seam with the Bias Binding the same way as the Side Seam. Repeat for the other side. All we have to do now is is turn the pouch out to the Right Side, push the corners out gently with your fingers and here you go! One beautiful neat pouch! Beautiful both inside and out!

The finished Measurements are 10″ (26cm) Width at the widest point at the top and is 6 3/4″ (17cm) High. So there you go folks, i hope this has sparked your interest to make your own Pretty Pouch! With this tutorial, i am entering the competition to be a Prym Ambassador. I feel that I’ve shown little tricks on making it look high end, so it’s nicely finished inside and out. Prym products allows me to utilise my skills better with accurate measuring and precision marking where i have made this Pretty Zip Pouch from Scratch without a Pattern. I would love the opportunity to work with Prym and show people what they can make in no time at all. Happy new Year too! Happy Sewing! Sal xx

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