fabric purse Tutorials zipper pouch

Mini zippered coin purse- tutorial

There is almost nothing that isn’t cuter in miniature- houses, dogs, food- and purses.

This little coin purse is diminutive in size, but large on function.  Perfect for summer outings- put in a couple dollars and your I.D. and you’re prepared for any last minute snow cone adventures or lemonade stand encounters.  The bright colors will help you find it even in the most cavernous beach bag.

Measuring a mere 3″ high and 5″ wide this coin purse might seem too small to do much, but adding a 1″ gusset allows for a surprising amount of space inside.  And this little guy is lined with laminated cotton- perfect for keeping out sand and easy clean up if it gets dirty from all those coins.

Are you sold yet?  Feeling like you NEED one?  I’m here to help.  This is a quick sew and uses very little fabric.  If you don’t have laminated cotton, don’t fret, this can be made using any scraps you have on hand.

Let’s get sewing.
(*note that the fabrics in the tutorial are a bit different than the final product shots, hope that doesn’t add any confusion)

Materials:

fabric– 4 pieces 3 1/2″ X 5 1/2″ (2 interior and 2 exterior)
        *In this example I sewed 2 different fabrics together for the outside of the purse- the flowered cotton was cut to 2 1/2″ X 5 1/2″ and the laminated cotton was 1 1/2″ X 5 1/2″.  I sewed them together using a 1/4″ seam allowance.

fusible fleece– 2 pieces 5″ X 3″ (not shown)

Zipper– You only need a 5″ zipper, but if you have a longer one you can use it instead.

In the picture, you see two small scraps on the zipper- these were going to be a tie on the zipper, but I ended up using laminated cotton instead so it wouldn’t fray.

Directions:

1. Fuse the fleece to the wrong side of the exterior pieces

(I waited until I had fused the fleece to top stitch the seam between the two fabrics of my exterior, it helps hold the fleece in place.)
2. Line up one piece of exterior fabric with one piece of lining fabric- right sides together.  Slide the zipper between the layers lining it up with the top of the fabric.
  (In this photo the pieces are off-set so you can see them all, they should be lined up right on top of each other before sewing)
3. Pin in place, then sew the pieces to the zipper.  Pull the fabric away from the zipper, wrong sides together.  Press the seam and topstitch.
(*a tip for pinning when using laminated cotton: Pin in the seam allowance so the holes don’t show.  If you use small pins, the holes in the laminate aren’t too bad, but larger pins can leave noticeable holes.)
4.  Line up the other pieces of exterior and interior fabrics, right sides together on the opposite side of the zipper.  Repeat step 3.
(you can see the bottom of the first side peeking out under the second side.  Use the first side as a guide to line up the second side so they are straight)
5.  Now we are going to make the pouch.  First, you will need to trim the zipper so it is even with the fabric- before you do, make sure your zipper pull is open, and within the pouch, so you don’t cut it off completely.
 
6.  Pin the exterior pieces together, right sides together, and the lining pieces together, also right sides together.  Fold the zipper toward the lining pieces.
7.  Sew around all 4 sides, leaving an opening in the bottom of the lining to allow for turning. 
8.  Gussets:  to make the gusset, you will start with one corner and pull out the sides so the seams are lined up in the middle.  Using a ruler and a pen, mark a line where the width of the corner is 1″.  Sew along that line.  Repeat for the other 3 corners.  Trim the corners to a scant 1/4″ seam.

 9.  Turn the coin pouch right side out.  Sew the opening in the lining closed.  Push the lining into the pouch exterior.  Press pouch.  Take a scrap of laminated cotton and pull through the zipper pull, tie.

 Now fill that baby up for gifting, or toss in all your spare change and go enjoy some lemonade.

Tomorrow I’ll show you how to create this fun wrap card to gift this to your favorite teacher.
*Edited: You can find the tutorial for the card here.
Happy Sewing!
xoxo,
Amy 
Linked up to Friday Flair at Whipperberry. 

You Might Also Like

  • Ronda Batchelor
    May 8, 2013 at 3:20 pm

    that is just too cute!!

  • Beverly {Flamingo Toes}
    May 8, 2013 at 6:15 pm

    Oh the cuteness!! I love it!

  • Gwen @ Gwenny Penny
    May 9, 2013 at 12:40 am

    This is soooo adorable!!! Love it, Amy!

  • grandmavicki4
    May 9, 2013 at 1:13 am

    So Love this!!! Wanted to make 3 of them tomorrow for the young people I work with! Thank you so very much!

  • Debra Hawkins
    May 14, 2013 at 4:37 am

    This is so cute! I love coin purses, I cannot get enough of them. Cute fabric too.

  • Alison Bayne
    August 26, 2013 at 11:44 am

    Love this tutorial and can't wait to get my sewing machine out once our building project is over – would you like to link it up at the blog hop I co-host? We would be so happy to have you join us here each Sunday. http://www.mumtopia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/Hop5.html#.UhPVPtLOZwQ