Happy New Year Everyone,
I hope you have had a good holiday season. Hopefully you got a break and were able to catch up with some family or friends, or maybe both.
A new year can also be a fresh start.
Here in Australia it is summer holidays at the moment and a new school year starts at the end of January for most kids.
So my first project on the blog for 2019 is a very easy pencil case project.
It is made of a 10″ x 8″ piece of faux leather (sometimes called pleather) and a 10″ zipper. Remember to not put pins in the faux leather and do not put the iron directly on the faux leather. I had no problem using the normal presser foot and universal needle but if your sewing machine is not feeding the faux leather properly or is skipping stitches you may have to use a leather needle and a teflon presser foot or walking foot. I have written a couple of blog posts about projects made with faux leather before, that you can find here and here.
The photo collage shows step by step how to make it. Start by placing the zipper face down along one 10″ side on the right side of the faux leather and stitch with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Fold the faux leather away from the zipper and topstitch close to the edge. Repeat with the other 10″ side and other long side of the zipper. This step is easier if a longer zipper is used which is later shortened to the right length.
Pay attention to how the short edges are folded in the picture. Open the zipper at least half way and stitch the short edges. The faux leather doesn’t fray so there is no need to zig zag or overlock the raw edges.
Trim the zipper tape even with the short edge and turn to the right side. Push out the corners and you are done!
This pencil case project would also work well with oil cloth.
If you would like to make a lined box zipper pouch have a look at this post.
Until next time happy sewing and take care!
Annika