I had it in mind to make another Metro Double Zip as a gift. I did it, but I didn’t give the gift as I wasn’t happy with how it came out.
It is perfectly serviceable, but I wanted it to look good if I was going to give it as a gift.
Metro Double Zip Pouch #3 – back
I was in a little bit of a rush and did things a little differently than I did on the second Metro Double Zip. That was a mistake, but I didn’t write down the parts that I made larger on the second one. Thus, I didn’t remember I kept some parts the same, which was part of the problem with the first one.
I love the strap technique!!!
As you can see, the back is quite boring without the waves. I could have fussy cut something, but was at Tim’s and didn’t have a lot of fabric choices. I really want to get this pattern to be more stuck in my brain. I have to make a few more and think of some different embellishments for the front.
3 pouches ~ Metro Double Zip
While I was looking for something I found a similar pouch I received as a gift from BAM. I thought it might be an Aneela Hoey pattern, but I didn’t see it on her website or in her book. There are a million pouch patterns out there and it could be modified from a completely different pattern or made up.
I was pleased to finish the Fish Hackney in time for DH’s birthday. It has been awhile since I started this project. I am not sure when, but I bought this fabric in October of 2024. I didn’t make a note of cutting out the pieces, but it was sometime after that. I am glad to cross it off the list as it has been on my mind. I am also happy that DH seemed pleased with it. He was planning how he would use it, however, and thinking it would be good for storing reels, because the thickness of the pouch would protect them.
Fish Hackney top with handle
He did notice the issues that I had such as the weird handle placement.
I also had some trouble with the placement of the turning hole. I had forgotten that I needed to turn the lid as well as the bottom separately.
Fish Hackney – mesh pocket
I went with the standard mesh pocket this time as I wanted to just get it done and not think about different options.
I made a note on the pattern to match the zipper tabs to the zipper and the foldover elastic/binding rather than the lining fabric. I think my zipper tabs look fine. They would have been less noticeable if I had used grey fabric.
Fish Hackney – interior bottom
I didn’t have quite enough of the lining fabric for the lining gusset. The stripe looks cheerful.
This is the one pattern I can think of that includes information about anchoring the lining. I did that on the front and back. The lining is still a little saggy baggy, but ok.
Fish Hackney – smooth top
I also used the Frankenfoam I made at Sew Day a few weeks ago. I covered it with ProFuse and I couldn’t see the seams in the foam.
Of course, now I have used up some big pieces of the Frankenfoam, I am going to have to sew more small pieces together again.
I like this pattern a lot and am sad it has been such a long time since I made one. So many patterns! So little time!
After my adventures with waves the other day, I tried again and this version is great. I still wouldn’t put a driver’s license or credit card in the wave pockets, but some receipts or a photo would be ok.
I think the non-pocket side of this pouch is a little boring, though I guess it wouldn’t be if I fussy cut some cool fabric for that side. I think extra pockets is better, though.
Metro Double Zip #2 with wave pockets – back
I made the vertical measurement of the pouch a half inch taller as well, because I thought everything at the top was a little squished. I am pleased with the way this version came out. I plan to make a few more of these. I had one special request for it, so I’ll see what I can do.
BTW, the way Sara told me to make the strap is genius! I didn’t understand the directions at first, but when I got it, it was one of those AHA moments I wish I had known years ago.
I saw a picture of a pattern on IG. I couldn’t get the wave design out of my head. I didn’t want to buy the pattern as I don’t need a coin purse, or a pattern in Chinese. Also, I wanted to try it larger and thought I probably had several patterns I could use. I decided to play around with the Metro Double Zip pouch. This is a Sew Sweetness pattern from Minikins Season 2 that I thought would work in this context.
Minikins Season 2 is the one season from which I haven’t made many of the patterns. I am not a wallet or a clutch person. I mean I use a wallet and clutches occasionally, but not made from quiltmaking cotton. I also have grocery bags and am not into Essential Oils. As I have said before, I bought this season for the Day Trip Wallet. This also means that I am very excited when I have a reason to make one of the bags or pouches from this season.
The Metro Double Zip pouch is an unanticipated gem. I made two of them, each of which took me about 2 hours, aside from figuring out the wave. It was fun to figure out the wave pockets.
I have seen a number of curved pockets lately and I want to learn more about them so I can add them to bags as I want. My experience with the EPPic has made me positively bold!
Metro Double Zip #1 with wave pockets
The first one is totally usable, but MVP and not quite as usable as the second. I didn’t get the wave pockets right. They are a little small and floppy.
Still, I was fairly excited about actually making a change to a bag that wasn’t terrible. All of the stitching and turning of the pockets made them a bit thick, so I’ll change that along with making them taller.
I decided to enlarge the I Spy pattern to accommodate the Joni Tote templates I bought from Sew Hungry Hippie. I know I am mixing pattern companies, but I don’t care.
I have only made one other enlarged I Spy. The pouch came out ok, but was just a bit short for holding the Joni templates. 🙁 Part of the reason is that I had already cut the lining for some reason. I think it might have been leftover and I was trying to use it up.
This is part of the reason I buy bag patterns. Still, I have plenty of large templates and will use this pouch for the Mistflower Water bottle carrier (Minikins Season 4) templates.
Large Fairytale I Spy with templates
After realizing my error, I wondered if I put the sizes from the pattern into a spreadsheet if I could figure out different sizes by some calculation. I haven’t tried it yet, but am undeterred.
I used some measurements for the handle from another handle and must have forgotten how to measure. It works, but is a little small.
I finished and sent off this latest Enigma to friend who helped me with a project. It matches the Multi-Pocket Organizer that I gave to her last year.
Nykky’s Rose Enigma-top, open
Like the Green Enigma, I struggled with this Enigma. Many things went wrong and I felt like this project took longer than it should have. Still, I think it turned out well and I am pleased I was able to send it off.
The Tula Pink dots look so great on the inside. This line had some challenging colorways, but the pinky-purple is a favorite of mine.
It also lightens up the inside so it easy to find things.
Nykky’s Rose Enigma-back
I fussy cut various parts a little bit so the roses would be highlighted on the back.
The rose pink of the background looks very cheerful. The shapes and shading of the flowers are nice as well.
Nykky’s Enigma-riveted
This is one of the bags that I riveted. Riveting the handles adds to the strength of the bag.
My friend sent me a picture of her closet, which she recently had redone. In it I can see the bags I have made her on the shelf.
Nykky’s closet
The next Enigmas will be finished on the Elna, so hopefully, I won’t have as many problems.
I am pretty excited about how well I matched the horizontal zipper tabs on this one. I also feel like this pouch has a delicate look to it.
Pink Echinacea I Spy – small
This pouch will house Purse Tab templates. Mary and I talked about these when we were riveting the other day. They could be used on the Oxbow Tote to reinforce the side, which was an area we decided would be detrimental to rivet, because it would cut the thread on the side seam.
Pink Echinacea I Spy – small – back
I also top stitched this one since I used the stick-on interfacing, like the other two.
I mentioned making multiple I Spy pouches when I talked about the Poppy I Spy the other day.
I made all three in assembly-line fashion, so they all got done at once and I made the same mistakes with all, which was forgetting the interfacing! 😉
Rose I Spy – medium
The lining fabric on this pouch is a Heather Bailey print. I only had a fat quarter, or only had a fat quarter left, and fussy cut it so the rose would show up when the bag was empty. The motif would also be a nice surprise when I take out the templates out of the bag.
Somehow the Echinacea print doesn’t clash too badly with the roses. At least I don’t think so. I like using different prints for the lining as it helps me associate a certain template with a certain pouch.
Rose I Spy – medium for the Newfoundland templates
This pouch will be used for the Newfoundland pouch templates. The Newfoundland is a little like the Sew Together Bag as it has an accordion section in the middle creating some organization. It has a similar feel.
I haven’t made the Newfoundland before. Now that I have been reminded that I have the templates, I will put it on my list to try.
I finally finished the green Enigma. I shouldn’t say ‘finally’, though it did take longer than expected. I felt like everything that could go wrong did go wrong and I am not sure why. Still, it looks great and I am not embarrassed to give it as a gift.
I still want to rivet the handles, but that requires a little coordination with my “rivet press dealer”. LOL! And I can give it without the rivets if necessary.
Tim’s Enigma – open
I am still planning on making a few more of these this year. I want to get over the drama I felt making this one and the pink rose one that I still need to finish.
The lining fabric is one I have kind of been saving. I had it in a pink/orange colorway, but think I used it for something. I really like the blue/green colorway and was looking for a special project on which to use it. I didn’t really try to match up the squares, but they sort of ended up that way, which was nice.
Tim’s Enigma – back, closed
Sara of Sew Sweetness’ quarterly challenge has just been announced. The challenge is to use some aspect of quiltmaking in your bag or pouch. This bag requires quilting on the bottom, so it qualifies. I may enter it as my entry. I don’t expect to win, but it is fun to participate.
I cleared out a box of acrylic templates that had been in my fabric closet for awhile. I wanted to be reminded what was in there. I was surprised to find some smaller templates as well the large ones I knew were in there. I am sure I had a plan when I put the small templates in the box, but I didn’t remember the plan when I found them.
I still want to make a bag for large templates, but that is a project for another day. On that day, I decided to make 3 more I Spy pouches, one for each of the template sets.
I like to highlight a special fabric on the lining. I had very little of the Anna Maria Poppy (Bright Eyes??) left, so I decided to use one of them for this pouch. The last time I used this fabric was for the Andalusian pouch.
This large I Spy will be used for the Mustang Purse Organizer templates. I made a set of these for my Mom in 2021. I have a vivid memory of making them in my machine’s old location, which was before I redid the whole room.
Poppy I Spy – large, back
For some reason, I forgot to interface the pieces so I added a bit of the Sewfisticated 2mm stick on interfacing right before I closed the turning pocket. It was a little tricky to get the paper off the stick-on side of the interfacing, but I managed it in the end. This interfacing is much thicker than the SF101 called for in the pattern, but it worked.
The interfacing made the pouch very stiff. I top stitched around the whole edge. It made the pouch very structured and I kind of like the feel.
Poppy I Spy – large for Mustang templates
I am also using some tags I bought for another purpose to label the pouches. Thus far, I have been relying on post-it notes, which are unreliable in this context. All of the templates are engraved, but the words are hard to see sometimes.
I did make an I Spy pouch with the poppy print before. I would say ‘great minds think alike’, but I don’t think one can say that when it is yourself! LOL!
After looking at all of the Enigmas, I decided to make more this year. I have been slowly working on two new Enigmas in between working on other projects. These are gifts, one of which will be sent off soon and the other is for later this year. I am ahead of the game to a certain extent. I think I plan to make 8 total this year, of which these are number 3 and 4.
When I sewed the Bone Enigma I followed the directions exactly with regard to rivets. The directions say to add rivets before assembly. The rivets can go anywhere, but I wanted to put them on the ends of the handle, just to reinforce it. It is at the stage of assembly shown in the photo where the directions say to add rivets.
Peony Enigma with rivets – full
This is great except for Enigma bags already completed. I decided I wanted rivets on my Enigma bag. The bag is already complete, so I consulted with Mary and we decided it could be done. We had to squish the top a little, but the overall procedure worked and my bag now has rivets on the handle.
Peony Enigma with rivets – detail
I wanted silver, but Mary thought a gunmetal finish would look better. I am pleased not to worry about ripping out the handle.
Megan’s Bone Enigma has been on my list for awhile. It doesn’t show up on any of my 26 Projects lists, because I hadn’t started cutting or sewing. It only shows up on my UFO Challenge list, because I have been wanting to make it for awhile and hadn’t quite gotten to it.
I could have waited to write the “All the Enigmas” post, but I will have to write another one as I am already cutting others out.
Megan’s Bone Enigma-interior
This bag goes with Megan’s Hand Bone Hackney. She said she liked this fabric and I hope that is true. I bought it for another purpose for which the fabric will not be used. I did make several projects from it, but still have at least 1.5 yards left.
One thing I did on the bottom, which are pieces that need to be quilted, was fuse the fabric, both lining and exterior, to the foam using MistyFuse**. I had forgotten to cut the lining and exterior larger before quilting and wanted to try and mitigate shrinkage. I think I could have left the bottom unquilted, because the MistyFuse really adhered well to the fabric. I was kind of surprised since the MistyFuse has been laying around my workroom for years.
I am pleased with how the center looks. I just feel like it came out really well. The fabric, a Birch Organic, looks really great.
Megan’s Bone Enigma-bottom
I tried really hard to line up the fabric so that the motifs were oriented in the right way.
In the photo of the bottom you can see how the motifs are oriented towards the top. See the handle? When the bag is closed the part of the bottom with the skull forms the back of the bag and that skull as well as the other motifs are right side up.
Megan’s Bone Enigma-bottom-> back – closed
Cool, huh? Sadly, I did not match up the motifs on the top piece with the back piece. I was pretty proud of myself for doing this much, though I don’t think anyone will notice. *I* notice and that is what is important!
Megan’s Bone Enigma-top closed
I am on the fence about the striped handle and pull tabs. I didn’t have any solid black at the time I cut those. The design works pretty well, but I think a solid black would have been better. Or maybe a black and grey stripe? Not sure, but I’ll have to think about it. I did use this same strip on the handle of Hand Bone Hackney, so that is something.
An unintended effect looking at the top is that the handle is enclosed by two hand bone motifs! It looks kind of cool.
I also used MaryC’s rivet press at Sew Day to put rivets on the handle. I am super excited about that!!
Megan’s Bone Enigma -side
Megan’s Bone Enigma -side
I still love the diagonal zipper. I thought the zipper tape I chose would be too large, but it worked out ok.
Well, even though that number hasn’t been picked in the UFO Challenge, I have finished it. I am giving it to Megan today, so needs must.
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This is my first finish of the year! Finally! The Enigma might be my bag of the year as I feel excited about this bag and am eager to make two more.
I started this, because I had another one on my to do list and thought making two at a time would be quick and efficient. I also thought (and really hoped) it would, maybe, be chosen as the UFO project for the first month of the guild UFO challenge. As mentioned, no such luck, so I held off making the one on the list and just worked on this one.
Diana’s Enigma – open, side view
I made this bag for the Angel Mother, and my birthday twin, Diana. I have made a Day Trip Wallet and two Dogwood pouches using the same fabric. I have no idea if she likes it, so I’ll just keep on making bags for her until I run out.
Diana’s Enigma bottom
I wanted to fussy cut the front so it looked a bit better than mine. I ended up fussy cutting the bottom, which ends up being one side. It looks good, but you can’t really see it.
I really like that big flower.
The more times I make this bag, the easier it becomes, but the more I like the construction. I watched part of the video and there were some helpful hints in it. The video is totally worth the purchase when you buy a Sew Sweetness pattern.
Of course, the Enigma is part of a 12 pattern bundle. While Minikins Season 3 is probably my favorite, I have also made several of the patterns from Season 4. See the various projects and decide which season you like best.
