Drawstring/Zipper Pouch

I’ll be the first to say it. I’m a lazy seamstress. I hate pressing, I often cut crooked. My seams aren’t always a perfect 1/4 or 5/8 inch. I just want to make stuff and have it come out cool. Having said that, here’s my tutorial on a drawstring and zipper pouch made from a combination of repurposed jeans and quilting cotton. If you can forgive me for cutting corners, I'll let you press and be as meticulous as you'd like.

Supplies:

Jeans

Main body- 18 x 12 inches

Quilting cotton

Zipper pocket- 15 1/2 x 7 inches

Lining- 18 x 12 inches

Drawstring casing (2)- 9 x 2 1/2

Notions

Thread

Zipper- 5+ inches (extra can be cut off)

1 yard or cording or ribbon

Process:

To put in the zipper pocket, we’re going to create a welt pocket, then sew in a zipper, and stitch up the fabric to create the pocket. If you’ve never made a welt pocket before, you might want to try it first on another piece of fabric…or at least look up complete directions. It’s kind of like a magic trick.

Lay the denim right side up. Lay the zipper pocket fabric right side down on the top left half of your denim. With a pencil, draw in a 4 3/4 x 3/4-inch rectangle about 2-3 inches from the top of your fabric. Using your sewing machine, stitch around this rectangle. Cut a line down the center on the rectangle and create reverse arrows at each end. Be careful to cut all the way to the corners, but DO NOT cut the thread. 

Now the magic happens. Shove all of the lining fabric through the opening you just cut. Pull it straight in the back until a clean open rectangle appears in the denim.

Pin your zipper behind the opening. Topstitch around the rectangle with denim side up, taking care to put the slider in the rectangle opening and NOT breaking your needle on the zipper stops. You may want to use a zipper foot, but a regular foot works just fine, too. Cut off excess zipper.

To create the body of the pocket, fold the lining fabric up so that the top edges match up (right sides together). Sew both sides. The top will be sewn in with the casing/lining sandwich.

So far, so good? Excellent.

Take the drawstring casings. Hem each side with a 1/8 to 1/4 hem. I just do a single fold so the cord slides more easily. Fold in half, wrong sides together. If you’re an ironer, go ahead and iron them folded in half. Find the middle of your denim piece on the long side and pin the casings in place at the top with a 1/4 inch gap at the middle with raw edges up. There should be enough room on the ends for a seam. Add to the top your lining fabric, right side down. Sew along this top edge.

Lift up the lining fabric. If you’re still ironing, press the seams open. Fold in half with right sides together, meeting the lining to the lining and denim to denim, matching the seam. Stitch. 

Here’s another slightly tricky part. Lay your bag flat, with the lining at the top and the denim at the bottom. Cut out 1 1/2 inch squares at each corner. You’re creating boxed corners. On the denim side, sew across the bottom. Open up the boxed corner, match seam to seam, and stitch. Repeat for other corner. On the lining side, sew about 1 inch on each side of the bottom, leaving the center open to turn the bag. Box the corners just like the denim side.

Turn bag right side out through bottom of lining side. Tuck lining inside the bag. Stitch opening shut.

Add cording through casing. Put one cord through clockwise, the other counterclockwise, each ending on opposite sides of the bag. Knot securely. You’re finished!