Zippered Pouch

• 1/4 yard vinyl
• 9 to 12"-long zipper with plastic teeth
• 8"-long piece of 1/4 to 3/8"-wide grosgrain ribbon
• 1/4"-wide double-sided adhesive sewing tape (such as Wonder Tape by Dritz)
• Matte-finish, transparent adhesive tape or tissue paper or Teflon foot for sewing machine
• Zipper foot for sewing machine
• All-purpose thread to match vinyl
• Size 90 sharp sewing machine needle

Finished pouch: 7x5"

Sew this project with 1/4" seams. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

From vinyl fabric, cut:

• 1 -- 7-1/2x10-1/2" rectangle
• 2 -- 1x1-1/2" rectangles

1. Place zipper, right side up, on a flat work surface, directly above the 7-1/2"-long edge of vinyl rectangle. Unip so the pull is near the zipper center. Trim off each end of the zipper so zipper is 1/2" shorter than edge of vinyl rectangle, or 7" long. Do not move the zipper pull.

2. Following package instructions, adhere double-sided adhesive sewing tape to wrong side of both short ends of 1x1-1/2" rectangle.

3. Gently peel off tape's paper backing to expose adhesive; fold vinyl over 1/4" on each taped edge to make a 1" square with two "hemmed" edges. Press folds with finger to secure.

4. Place a piece of double-sided tape atop each "hemmed" edge. Peel away paper backing and carefully place the closed end of zipper atop "hemmed" edge of vinyl square.

5. Fold remaining half of "hemmed" square over cut end of zipper, encasing the zipper's raw edge to create a zipper tab. Press fold with finger to secure.

6. Repeat steps 2–5 with remaining small vinyl rectangle and the opposite (open end) of zipper. When you adhere the two open ends of the zipper to the tab, stick them to the tab with the teeth abutting, but keep the zipper pull out of the way

7. Using one of the Sewing with Vinyl tips (below), a 3.0mm stitch length, and size 90 sharp needle in your sewing machine, sew across the zipper tab close to folded edge. To help your machine sew evenly, first sew on and just off the edge of a small scrap of fabric. Without cutting thread, lift presser foot and place edge of tab beneath needle. Lower presser foot and slowly stitch across the tab width to finish the edge. Repeat with tab at opposite end of zipper.

Sewing with Vinyl Tips

When you machine stitch on vinyl you need to make some adjustments, as vinyl sticks and doesn't want to move through the machine beneath the needle. Here are some ways to make vinyl easier to sew:

• Add tissue Paper between the machine foot and vinyl. Tear away the tissue paper after stitching.
• Use a Teflon Foot: This non-stick specialty machine foot works well when stitching leather, vinyl, and suede.
• Add dull-finish Scotch Tape to the bottom of your presser foot. Trim excess tape as needed to fit. The tape gives the foot traction on the vinyl, making machine stitching easy.

1. In same manner as before, adhere tape to wrong side of each short, 7-1/2" edge of large vinyl rectangle and turn under 1/4" hem. Finger press to adhere "hems."

2. Atop each "hem", add tape directly over folded edge. Remove paper backing.

3. With right side up, adhere the taped vinyl edges to the zipper, keeping the edges of the vinyl next to, not over, the zipper teeth, to make a tube.

4. Gently roll tube until zipper is in desired position. Here the zipper is 1-1/2" from top of the roll. Cut tube open along bottom edge only.

5. Open up tube and lay flat.

6. If your machine has a zipper foot, it probably looks similar to this. It fits on the machine so the needle goes either to the left side or the right side of the foot. (As shown here, the needle is on the left side of zipper foot.) Refer to your machine manual for details. If you don't have a zipper foot, you can still sew in a zipper. It will just be a little harder to get close to the zipper teeth with your stitching line.

7. With prepared zipper foot on machine, sew along one edge of vinyl near the zipper teeth. When you approach the zipper pull, stop with the needle down in the fabric. Lift the presser foot, slide the pull up and out of the way. Then lower the presser foot and resume sewing to edge of vinyl. Repeat to sew the opposite side of the zipper.

1.  Open zipper half way. With right sides together, fold the rectangle in half aligning the 7-1/2" ends. The vinyl may stick together. If it doesn't, use tape or clips to hold layers together. Don't use pins as they leave permanent holes in the vinyl. With prepared regular presser foot on machine, sew along the 7-1/2"-edge with a 1/4" seam allowance. Then sew each side seam. Clip the corners right outside the seam line.

TIP: If the bulk of the zipper tab is preventing you from sewing the seam close to the tab, use the zipper foot for the side seams so you'll be able to stitch right next to the tab.

2. Turn bag right side out. Use a rounded object, such as the eraser end of a pencil or a chopstick to gently push the corner of the bag out. Trim the ends of the grosgrain ribbon in a point. Thread one end of ribbon through zipper pull. Even ends and tie into a square knot to complete zippered pouch.