I've been sewing some project bags for myself lately. I've come across many good tutorials that I've tried to mix and match to find what works for me the best. I'm starting to have an idea of what I like and don't like.
I came across the Becca Bags by Lazy Girl Designs. It's now available at Craftsy. What's curious about it is that it only uses one side of the zipper tape, and it looks nice because there's only one side seam. I ordered the physical Sweetpea Pods pattern from Etsy before it was available online at Craftsy. I figured that at least it's slightly different than just the basic bag shape for which there are multiple free tutorials (some linked at the end of this post). I'll do a separate review post of that.
I had ordered a zipper by the meter and I'm so smart that I had to google how to separate the zipper tapes from each other (spoiler: you just pull them apart!). I found this video on Youtube by The Zipper Lady:
There are two methods shown in the video. The first method works without tools, and is very similar to the "trick" in the Lazy Girl Design's Sweetpea Pod pattern. The second method in the video is what I really took liking to, and you either need an extra set of hands or a fork. Because the video is blurry, I had difficulties seeing what exactly was being done with the fork. So I decided to make a photo tutorial!
What you need:
1) Zipper tape
2) A zipper pull that works with the zipper (obviously)
3) A third hand* or a fork you can bend approx. 90 degrees
4) Something that keeps your fork upright. (In my case: the bed frame & mattress - not pictured above).
* A third hand usually comes with a fourth one, but is not required. In my case, my hubby kindly provided the service but I also wanted to see how to do this alone. I think that using the first method in the video OR a third hand are the most robust methods, since you're not relying on the size of the fork's prongs and the hole in the zipper pull to match. But this is about the fork.
Instructions:
1. separate the zipper tapes by simply pulling them apart. Also, if you don't have a bent fork, bend a fork at a nice ~90 degree angle. (I sacrificed a cheap Ikea fork). I don't have pictures of these processes.
2. Slide the zipper pull on one of the prongs/tines of the fork. There's a hole in the pull of the zipper pull that can accommodate a tine. Note that the zipper pull is upside down.
3. Prop the fork up so that it's quite steady and doesn't slide downwards or to the sides. As I mentioned, the first working thing I could find was the space between our bed frame and quite a firm mattress.
Alternatively, you can just use a hand and skip the fork thing. Ask your person providing the extra arm to hold the zipper pull upside down, nice and steady. (It's easier to hold it steady when it's upside down since you can grab the pull of the zipper pull).
4. Feed the zipper tape evenly into the puller. Use your both hands so you get them in as evenly as possible. Note that you need to feed the tape teeth facing down since the puller is upside down!
5. Now just pull the tape some more and watch the miracle of zippering happen. Once your zipper pull is properly on the zipper tape, you can remove the zipper from the fork.
6. Now you're DONE! You have successfully attached the zipper pull to your zipper tape to make a functioning zipper.
7. Notes and thoughts:
- Obviously, usually your zipper is attached to a piece of fabric.
- Knowing how to add a pull back to your zipper enables you to switch the colors around or use just one tape of your zipper (like in the Lazy Girls Design). I suppose this is the main idea behind this.
- With this method, you also can cut away the stoppers of your regular zipper to remove the pull, attach the zipper tapes to your fabric without the pull - attaching the zipper tape is as simple as sewing any two fabrics together (though, if your zipper has enough extra length, you can just have the pull outside the project and it won't bother you there either)
- Then just add the zipper pull before you sew the seams that close the zipper.
- Because, or, if you add the zipper pull after attaching the tapes to your fabric, you want the ends of the tape to align as evenly as possible. That's why it's important to apply the zipper as evenly as possible (see step 4). In other words, directly using the first method in the video will result in your pieces being in about 1/4" misalignment if you cut 1/4" off the other tape. The "trick" in the paid pattern addresses this particular issue, or you can use the fork / 3rd hand method.
- If you only need to make a zipper from a by-the-meter zipper, alignment doesn't matter as much and your main objective is just to get the zipper pull on the zipper. You can do that by misaligning the zippers as much as you want, though less is more economical of course.
- Using only one tape of the zipper is only really practical with by-the-meter zippers & pulls since you need two pulls for each long length of zipper. In the pouch below I used a 35 cm / 14" that I had purchased not with this project in mind, and naturally didn't have an extra pull. So I took the puller of a similar purple zipper because the separate pulls I had weren't the same brand and didn't work. And now I have a purple zipper completely without a puller. I need to purchase some very short (i.e. the cheapest) zippers to be able to use that.
Here are some good, free tutorials for zippered pouches I've come across:
- Open wide zippered pouch: DIY tutorial by noodlehead - I like this method for the zipper end, specifically the "tail". Functionally the best, and no bulky corner seams at the zipper. I did notice that I really should mark the distances where to turn the zipper away from the seam etc, to have them line up nicely. But I was lazy. There's also a link to a size chart kindly provided for small, medium and large pouches!
- Full access zipper pouch tutorial by Jedi Craft Girl - This is very similar to the "open wide zippered pouch". I actually can't remember which one I used, but I think it was the open wide one. They do create the boxed corners differently. It's always good to have options.
- Zippered handbag - cosmetic bag tutorial - This one has the instructions to make the pouch from two pieces of fabric (one and one interior), so no bottom seam. I had difficulties with the somewhat sparse "photos only" instructions, and on the other hand there are way too many similar pictures of the finished bag, but it's a nice reference to combine with other ideas.
- Zippered purse with a flat bottom by Sew Together - This is a bit different, I haven't tried this yet. I think I prefer the project bags to have a wider opening with the boxed corners that this one avoids (click on the link to see what I'm talking about). Also, I think I prefer cutting out basic can't-really-mess-them-up-rectangles. But the tutorial's good anyways!
- How to sew a zipper pouch tutorial by Melly Sews - I really struggled with how many, if not all, tutorials skipped the details on how to sew the seam where the closed end of the zipper is. I think this had the best answer I could find. The image tutorial is good and adds additional support to the video tutorial.
I apologize if the tutorials I linked are on websites that are full of ads, I use an adblocker so I don't see them. And note: I haven't sewn in years. It tells a lot that I spent many hours trying to figure out why my sewing machine was not working properly, only to realize that I had threaded incorrectly. Oops.
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