Toiletries Pouch Bag Tutorial ~ DIY Tutorial Ideas!

Making a toiletries pouch to put in your bag. It will fit nicely in the larger inside pocket of your bag. It is big enough to fit your essentials in, like {ahem} feminine products.

Materials:

    your 5″ x 5″ squares
    lining fabric 2
    light fusible interfacing
    zip (please check that it is a nylon zip)

Choose 5 of your 5″ x 5″ squares.

Cut these squares into quarters {so that you end up with twenty 2.5″ x 2.5″ squares}.

Sew your squares into pairs, by chain piecing them. Press seams open.

Sew two {only} of the pairs together, end to end. Press seam open.

Sew your other pairs into blocks of four. Press seams open.

Make 2 blocks of 8 squares by sewing 2 of each of the blocks of 4 together. Press seams open.

Sew the row of 4 squares {which you made in step 4} to one of your blocks of 8. Press seams open.

Iron your interfacing to the wrong sides of both blocks.

Optional: You can now quilt your little blocks however you choose.

Cut your lining from lining fabric 2. Cut one rectangle 8.5″ x 4.5″, and one rectangle 8.5″ x 6.5″.

What we are going to do now is sew the zip in so that it’s sandwiched between the rights sides of the lining fabric and the pieced block.

Lay your larger pieced block right side up on the table {with the top at the top side if you are using directional fabric}. Put your lining rectangle of the same size right side down on top of it.

Open your zip. With the zipper pull facing DOWN and at the LEFT, slide it between your 2 fabric rectangles. Line up the top edge of the zipper tape with the right (long) edge of the fabric rectangles. Pin in place.

Attach your zipper foot to your machine. Sew along the pinned edge, about 1/4″ from the edge.

Lay your piece back down on the table with the zipper pull facing DOWN and at the LEFT.

Draw a line at the left edge on your zipper where your fabric pieces end.

Now place your pieced block under the side of the zip yet to be sewed. Place your lining on top, so the zip is in between the fabric pieces. Line up the bottom edge of the zipper tape with the bottom* of your pieced block and the bottom edge of your lining rectangle {long edge}. Make sure they are both lined up at the left also with the line you drew on the zip. Pin in place.

*By the bottom here I mean the bottom side. If you are using directional fabric, turn your pieced block upside down so that the top is at the bottom edge.

Sew along the pinned edge, as in step 13.

Being careful not to iron your zip, press the fabric pieces back away from the zipper teeth to expose the zip.

Topstitch along the edges of the fabric along the zip, so that fabric won’t get caught in the zip when you use your pouch. Stitch as close to the edge of the fabric as possible.

Now we’re going to sew up our pouch. Pull your zip about 3/4 of the way closed. Don’t forget this step!

With right sides facing, line up the bottom raw edges of your pouch. The zip will be on one side of the pouch. Pin the edges. You can trim your excess zip now or after you sew your pouch together.

Last step! Switch back to your regular sewing foot. Sew around the 3 raw edges with an overlocking stitch. I don’t have an overlocker, however my sewing machine has an overlocking stitch. I believe most machines do. Its purpose is to prevent the edges from fraying by finishing them with covering stitches. Sew right on the edge of your fabric when using this stitch. When you get to your zip, sew back and forth a few times slowly.

Trim the excess zip if you haven’t already done so. Turn your pouch right way out through the zip opening, and push your corners out. You are finished!