Mary Made It: Zipper Purse

Is it a purse? Actually, more of a wristlet or coin purse. It's not an actual "purse" really; the way I think of that word when I hear it is a large tote bag with pockets. If you make one, you can call it anything you'd like. Zippy the Zipper wristlet? Fred? Sure, whatever. Give it a gender and a personality too! Go crazy! Or, not. It's your call.

Let's make this! Please forgive me for the lack of macro-photo skills. I'm better at sewing than I am at taking photos. If it's blurry, just squint. It won't help, but it'll make you think it's you and not me.

Choose two long zippers. The longer the zipper the larger the purse. The zippers do not have to be the same size or the same color, but they should be the same width and have a similar zip. I'm using two long red metal zippers that are nearly the same, although one is longer than the other.

Start by sewing the zipper butts together. Is that the technical term for the end of the zipper? Specifically, the butt end? It is? Great. I thought so too.

You can use a regular presser foot rather than a zipper foot for this project. Nice of me to mention that now after you just changed out the feet, right? The zipper foot isn't necessary because you'll be sewing on the very edge of the zipper and it is out of the way enough to use the regular foot. It shouldn't be an issue. If it is, then use your zipper foot, or use wider zippers.

Now, you have one really long zipper that has a head at each end and two butts in the middle. It will not unzip all the way from end to end but that's ok. Both zippers will unzip to the middle, which is cool.

Take one head and fold it down so the zipper is folded on top of itself. I didn't measure but folded about 3.5 - 4 inches. This is the width of your purse. Sew along the edge.

Now it looks like this:

You will be sewing in a spiral fashion from one end to the other. Once you get that first section sewn, the hardest part of the project is next. Sewing around the first bend. You can do it!

For the first corner, I pin the two pieces of the top of the zipper to where it will be sewn because those little stumps want to slide away.

Important thing to remember before you get to the very end, let's just do it now, unzip it a bit. Sew the stumps down and continue to sew the edges along the other side.

Getting started is the hardest part and you are way past that now. Pat yourself on the back! Sew around another corner, it's awkward and funny, just do it.

Spiral around and around right to the end of the next head, and you should end up with a tube of zipper. If you did not, then you screwed up somewhere and you need to get your seam ripper out and go back to the top of this tutorial and try again. Stop cussing, it happens. And I don't know where you went wrong. For the rest of you, Yay! you are almost done!