Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 4 of 4

Continued from 
Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 1 
Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 2
Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 3

My edges lined up much nicer this time. Pin both layers together staying toward the center of the bag to prevent waviness in the edges.

Start by stitching at the top right hand corner. Sew about 1/2", backstitch the same amount, then continue stiching around the bag. Stop with your needle down in each corner and pivot the bag. Finish by back stitching the seam back and forward 1/2", reinforcing the as in the beginning. I use a regular machine foot and 2.5 cm stitch length in a straight stitch.

Continue to open the zipper the whole way, and turn the bag right side out. It's absolutely a Ta-Dah! moment for you.

Go to Part 1 of 4
Go to part 2 of 4
Go to Part 3 of 4

If you're looking for a sweet deal on nylon zippers, I found one today on Amazon.
*By clicking through this link on Pink Doxies, this site will receive a small compensation. Thank you.

54pcmix Nylon Coil Zippers Tailor Sewer Craft 9 Inch Crafter's Special

$9.05 + Free Shipping=$0.17 a piece !

Come on, Doxie girls.
Let's go sew some zipper bags.


Linking up with~
Freshly Pieced
Sew Fresh Quilts
Freemotion by the River

Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 3 of 4

Continued from 

Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 1 and 

Part 2

Replace the sewn pieces on your workspace in the same position. Flip the backing section on top of the zipper section, and sew to the out facing only just as you did with the first piece.

Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 2 of 4

This is a continuation of Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 1 of 4

Press with a warm iron staying away from the nylon teeth. A hot iron may damage the zipper. (Feel relieved that the hardest part is over.)

Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 1 of 4

Zipper bags are one of my favorite things to make. I have tried to produce the simplest tutorial to help even a beginner make one successfully. Please let me know if you have any questions, or I can make something more understandable.

Modern Heart Zip Bag

I thought my little orphan block would be 

helped by framing.There were some darker strips 

that I’d decided were a bit too dark, but that 

was after I’d sewn it together.  I think the deep 

purple helped the colors pop, and the low 

volume background recede.  

To give it a little edgier look, I offset the border. 

This gave me both a solid color, and larger space 

to add some SLQ as an accent, and I had fun. 

It’s just a little pattern of crossing lines that 

ensures the sandwich is secure.

The backing was a diagonal print to start with,

and I marked every 1/2" with a chalk pencil.

I chose not to quilt every line, though, and 

picked a few here and there to keep it random. 

I used Aurifil #2309, my go-to 

off-white quilting thread in 50 wt.

I used a little contrasting fabric on each end of my 

zipper to get a good fit. I always use nylon zippers 

with bags! Metal zippers look very cool and hip, 

but those teeth can destroy your manicure in 

a heartbeat when you’re trying to get in and 

out of a bag--not that I have a mani, you know.

I chose to sew down the zipper on the inside

instead of finishing all the edges. Just the 

tiniest bit showed out from underneath.

The backing is a diagonal print from the ‘Elementary’ 

line from ‘Moda’. I like how it helps the bag 

from looking ‘too cute’.

I sewed front and back pieces wrong sides together 

in a scant ¼" seam. Then I added a Anna Marie 

Horner floral binding. It created contrast on the 

back, and picked up the heart fabrics in the front.

Tah-dah!

I wonder what I should do with it now?

I'm thankful for the rains this spring,

and our beautiful show of blooms.

The azaleas are in full bloom now,

and I'm awaiting my pink poppies.

Come on, Doxie girls.

Let's go outside and enjoy the sunshine

until the mosquitoes eat us up!

Linking up with~
Crazy Mom Quilts
Fort Worth Studio
Quilt Shop Gal
Confessions of a Fabric Addicit
TGIFF
WIP Be Gone LAFF
Quilting Jet Girl
My Quilt Infatuation
Freshly Pieced
Sew Fresh Quilts

Quilt Story

Falling Star Pillow Finish

Do you remember this Falling Star block I was 

working with a few weeks ago?

I thought it would make a quick practice piece for FMQ,

 and decided I should turn it into a mod pillow.

I inserted a covered zipper in the back to make it washable.

The black and white hatched fabric

is from JoAnn's, and teams nicely with everything.

I'm Planning a Party! Wanna Come?

I'm proud to say the tote is done. 
The handles are on, and it's ready for service. 
No more travelling in blue Ikea bags for me.
Woohoo!

Unisex Baby Quilt

I finished this little quilt top this afternoon. I'm SO happy how it turned out. I think it says, "Baby!", and neither girl nor boy. Mission accomplished. That's what I was aiming for. We've got company coming this week to visit, so it might not be a finished quilt by week's end, but I'm shooting for it. It's given me so many more ideas on how to use the Depression fabrics.

One Charley Harper and a Zombie Dog Bed Done

My daughter requested a dog bed for a friend. Could it be something edgy for one very feisty dog? I love the Zombie fabric, and luckily had some leftover in both my stash and scrap bins. They agreed, so I used the same piecing method as the Love quilt. Free-cut strips, and improv piecing. I didn't pay much attention to the layout, but evened up the strips when they were long enough. I was aiming for a 24"x24" top.

Low Volume Projects--Who? Me?

Even I have to snicker to myself when I say that I really enjoy the look of low volume quilts. Super-color-saturated-me! Perhaps it's the yin and yang I crave. I had my first introduction to it with A Month of Sundays by Cheryl Arkison. Also inspiring was Sunday Morning Quilts by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison. I think this one book gets pulled off my shelf weekly. I started digging deeper into the low volume theory, and I believe that Malka Dubrawsky was the first person credited with the term, but there are others, too, who were involved in it becoming the trend it is today. Looking at Dubrawsky's work, she's also a strong user of saturated color. So, maybe finding balance is in our nature.