I forgot to post about this project :) After the huge success of my Batman bag, I decided to try my luck at making a matching zippered pouch! I'd never made anything with a zipper before, but I inherited a shoebox full of them from my grandmother last fall. Unfortunately most of them are pretty long, so I picked the smallest I could find (6") and made a little bag off of that. Luckily I also inherited a sewing machine and a zipper foot :) (I did have to google zipper foot images, because I had no idea what they looked like!)
I cut out a great Batman and Batplane from my Batman sheet to use as the outside. I lined it with the same linen I used for the opposite side of my Batman bag. If you've never sewn with a zipper before either, there's a great tutorial at twelve22. One thing I learned (that should have been obvious, but I make silly mistakes) is that you want the fabric to be longer than your zipper! Mine was, but just barely. Next time I'll give myself a little more leeway. For the strap I'm just using my camera case strap! Haha - I wasn't planning on using a strap, but decided to take the pouch as my "clutch" downtown last weekend and it definitely helped!
I really like it. It's the perfect size for my phone, credit card, and lip balm. It also perfectly fits pens and pencils. And it feels great in the hand. I hope you like it :)
I've been sitting on this pattern by Lula Louise and this amazing Batman sheet I picked up at a thrift store for a while now. Finally I really needed another bag, and have the time, and decided to make it! It started off by me emptying out my giant box of sewing stuff. Since I'm an amateur and very poor, the only things I really keep on hand are scraps from old clothing and thrift stores and a few pieces of sale fabric I couldn't pass up. After sifting through, I cut the pattern out of the Batman sheet and some white linen. The pattern doesn't call for pockets, but I need them. I used yellow t-shirt sleeves to back a couple villains; I made a double pocket with a flap; and I made a couple invisible pockets on the Batman fabric.
After getting the pockets on, I was back to the pattern. Sewing the two pieces together wasn't bad (well, curves are slightly problematic). The bottom of the bag was really the hardest part (besides the pockets). It called for a basting stitch to gather it around the short ends, but that didn't really work too well for me. I did better when I just gathered it by hand. Of course, at this point it was 2am ;) I also actually pressed the fabric every time I was supposed to!! I'm so proud of myself for actually trying to make something pretty... (Also, notice my beautifully color-coded pins *swoon*)
Once I had the bottom sewn on, I turned the bag right side out and whip stitched the hole closed. Isn't she beautiful? *tear*
I'm really jazzed with how it turned out.
*note: I had to cut the Batman side in two pieces, because I wanted the pattern to be right side up on both sides! *pats self on back for foresight*
