I finished another Cotton Candy Pouch over the weekend. As mentioned in a previous post, this pattern is from the Minikins Seasons 1 & 2 (no affiliation) by Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness.
Chrysanthemum Cotton Candy Pouch – inside
I made an effort to fussy cut fabric this time so my pouch highlighted some great fabric. Sara does this in her pouches and I really like the look. I cut the side panels out of the Philip Jacobs fabric, which was not correct – I keep thinking those side pieces are the main fabrics. I decided to use them on the inside, reversing the way I put in the fabric.
I had some trouble with the zippers, but in the end the video about veering the zipper off the project and the project video finally got the thole technique into my head. I want to cement it. I think I might make another pouch with some of the Echinacea fabric I got from the last Modern Quilter’s Box.
I finished the Inside Outside Pouch at Craft Night on Monday. I only had the binding left and that was a good task to work on.
The pattern is pretty easy, especially after making the Boxy Clear pouch as many of the steps are the same.
Inside Outside Pouch inside detail
One problem I had was with the zippers. This was not a problem with the pattern, but was a problem with how to measure zippers. I know now that you measure from puller to stopper, not from end to end. The zippers in this pouch are a little short, but it shouldn’t matter in the grand scheme.
I used some leftovers from projects for Mom, so she will probably end up with it. I am not sure how much I like this product. It is a good pattern and easy to follow, but the pouch is kind of large and I am not sure how I would use it. I’d like a smaller version for my binding makers. I may try making a smaller one.
After making the Boxy Clear Pouch, I decided to try the Inside Outside Pouch. I was so pleased with how quickly the Boxy Clear Pouch went together that I thought 2 additional zippers wouldn’t be so bad. I am still working on small projects while I wait for my design wall materials to arrive.
I cut the pieces out during Virtual Craft Night on Monday and felt like it didn’t take much time at all. I think I felt like I was cutting out similar pieces to the ones I cut for the Boxy Clear Pouch.
On Tuesday night, I started sewing right after work and spent about an hour on the project. I really got a fair way into the process before I stopped because it was getting late.
There are many aspects of this project that are the same as the Boxy Clear pouch so it feels like I am reinforcing skills or pattern steps that I did the other day. also, I think I am used to working on the complicated (but fabulous!) ByAnnie patterns and this one is much easier, though just as effective.
I did not want to stop working on it. I was having such a good time and making such good progress that I wanted to keep the feeling going. I may be able to finish tonight. Then I may have to start working on a second version!!!
I talked about the Boxy Clear Pouch yesterday. I realized I had more to say about this project, which surprised me since it is a small project.
Boxy Clear Pouch – zipper end detail
One of the things I liked was the finishing on the zipper. On the stop end, the designer, Aneela Hoey, has the maker stop 5/8 inch from the end. I didn’t know why, but realized that it was to accommodate the zipper draping over the end of the pouch.
Boxy Clear Pouch – inside detail
In general, I try to avoid zippers hanging over the end of a pouch, but this pattern’s design makes me realize what the designer is trying to do. Utilizing a long zipper makes the pouch into one that opens wide. This means that things can’t get hidden inside. Somehow I didn’t realize it or realized it only briefly and then forgot.
Boxy Clear Pouch – zipper detail
I could have done a bit better job on the beginning of the zipper, but, again, Ms. Hoey does a great job with the design. The beginning of the zipper is far enough back so the binding doesn’t get in the way and there is no issue with sewing through a million thickness layers on the end.
My one criticism, which is the same criticism I had with another one of her patterns, Speedy Pouches, the binding ends. The designer doesn’t really say what she does to tuck in the ends. I cut them off and tucked them in as well as I could to make them even with the top edge of the pouch, then I handstitched them down. I’ll have to take a look at her website to see if she ever talks about it.
The one thing I did wrong, which ended up not mattering much, was switch the lining and the exterior fabric. The pieces were fairly uniform and the pouch ended up looking fine with the lining fabric on the outside.
Boxy Clear Pouch
Boxy Clear Pouch – back detail
I am pleased, as I said, with how this project turned. The pouch was larger than I expected even though I made the small size. I would have liked an even smaller version
I finally broke into my stash of Aneela Hoey patterns. I have one of her books, Stitched Sewing Organizers** and a couple of her patterns. I hadn’t made anything from any of them. Recently I started thinking about the various patterns I have that I have not made. I decided, while I am waiting for the parts for my design wall, to concentrate on some small projects. Since I had been talking about the Aneela Hoey patterns with Angela, I decided to make the Boxy Clear pouch.
This whole project took me about 4 hours of work. I didn’t rush because I didn’t expect to get this project done in one sewing session. However, I was able to finish it!
The directions are very clear and the drawings help a lot. I did have to read over the directions a few times as I made the pouch, but everything was pretty clear as long as I went slowly.
The pattern comes with two sizes and I made the small size as I thought I might want to use one for my bias tape makers. It turned out to be larger than I thought it would be, though I may still make one for the bias tape makers. I have to put them somewhere, after all!
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I was trolling YouTube for some some reason I can’t remember and found a video for a vinyl pouch. I actually found several, but one from So Sew Easy caught my attention. I think it caught my attention because I have been thinking about the vinyl pouches in the UCAB pattern and how I could make something more useful. I was thinking about making pouches similar to the Comfort Stitching Speedy pouches I made for the officer gifts. That pattern has a lot of binding, which is nice looking, but annoying to sew. All of these random bits of information contributed to my thoughts. The thoughts all sort of dovetailed when I saw this video.
Vinyl Pouch
I decided to use some scraps to make a pouch loosely based on this video. As you can see, I used some fabric scraps from the projects I have made for mom. I was lazy and the scraps were handy.
Instead of having the ends of the zipper sticking out, I wanted to try encasing them in the seam.I am pleased with the way the ends came out, but I finished the zipper tab and it meant there were a lot of layers through which to sew. In the future, I will leave the sides of the zipper tab open in order to reduce the number of layers. This assumes, of course, I can finish them and they don’t show on the inside. Unlike in the video, encasing the zipper in the ends of the pouch means that this will not be a widemouth pouch.
I also wanted to try boxing corners. Boxing corners means that the pouch will not be as tall, but the user will be able to put 3D objects inside. I was thinking of thread. The boxing worked well, but I had two problems. First boxing vinyl is a hassle. The video shows fabric on the top. I think, if i make something like this again, I will put a fabric strip on the bottom as well. One of the benefits of this pouch is seeing inside and I would want to preserve that feature. Second, I chose a size (1.5 inches) that was a little too small. I think I would try a 2 inch square next time.
The seams aren’t finished and that is always a problem for me, but I didn’t want to take the time. I would if there was fabric on the bottom.
This project is not a loss. It may not meet my perfectionist standards, but I think it is perfectly serviceable.
