I recently attended a quilting / sewing retreat in Wisconsin, and while there I found out that my friend Nicole was working on a pouch pattern. I asked her if I could test it out, and she said yes!
Nicole is super clever and has made about 11 billion pouches in her lifetime, so knew that any pattern she created would be well-written and fun to make. And it was!
I whipped up these two cuties while at retreat, but I didn’t take any photos of the process, so I thought I’d make a couple more and share about my experience.
Why I love this pattern
Did I mention that you actually make TWO pouches with this pattern?
In A Zip produces two different sized pouches at the same time, which makes you feel so much more productive!
These would make a great gift for someone (but you’ll probably want to make some for yourself, as well).
As a bonus, this project comes together super fast, and requires very little in the way of fabric, Soft & Stable, and zippers.
In A Zip Fabric Requirements
This pattern only requires three fat quarters:
- One for the pouch exterior
- One for the lining fabric, and
- A third one for the bindings
I chose a super bright triangle print fat quarter from the Kaleidoscope line from Annabel Wrigley for Windham fabrics (it’s the Trove print in Wisteria) as the exterior fabric. I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to use this FQ in a quilt, so I thought it would be perfect for this project.
The lining fabric is an old FQ from my stash (it’s from the Darlings 2 line by Ruby Star Society), and I chose a bright acid-green Speckled fabric for the binding.
Quilting
The first step in the pattern is to quilt your exterior and lining fabrics together with some Soft & Stable. Luckily, I had a scrap in my closet that was *exactly* the right size for this project - I love it when that happens!
To make the quilting go smoother, I used a bit of Odif 505 spray to adhere the layers together. I get much better results when I take this extra step (especially when I’m using my Juki sewing machine to do the quilting). My Juki doesn’t always produce great quilting results, and I only use it for projects that are the size of a fat quarter (or smaller).
For the quilting, I decided the easiest thing to do would be to follow the lines printed on the fabric. I think it turned out really well, and the quilting went really quickly!
Quality of instructions
Over the years at retreat, I’ve seen Nicole make hundreds of pouches (no exaggeration), so I knew that she’d write a quality pattern.
I appreciated that she included details that will ensure success like instructing you to stay-stitch around the perimeter of any cut pieces, and tips on when and where to place a label. Since I always *ALWAYS* forget to include labels on my pouches, this was an extra-helpful reminder for me!
I didn’t have any questions during the construction of my pouches - everything was pretty straightforward and easy to understand.
In no time, I had two finished In A Zip Pouches!
Usefulness
I love the size of these two pouches!
The bigger one will be perfect for transporting my larger items like scissors and rotary cutters the next time I travel to retreat, and the second pouch fits my smaller items perfectly.
They’re both roomy, easy to open, and easy to get items in and out of.
I think it’s a great pattern that would be suitable for beginner bag makers, and produces two adorable pouches in no time flat. 10/10, would recommend!
If you want to get a copy of the In A Zip Pouch for yourself, you can find it here.
Happy pouch making!
