2 Sided Zips: a handy case tutorial from SewCanShe

Show off your favorite fabrics (and your sweet zipper skills) with these fun little zipper pouches. They are just the right size for your smart phone and there’s a handy little pocket for your id and a couple cards. I love how the 2 sided zipper opens up to show off the lining. It’s perfect for coordinating prints… will you put your favorite fabric on the outside so everyone sees it right away or on the inside for a shocking surprise?

This blog post has been converted to an optional PDF that’s optimized for printing. Find it here. The blog post below includes everything you need including a free template in the materials list and is totally free to read, print, and sew! Just hit CTRL +P on your computer to print. The Optimized for Printing PDF download for $2 is totally optional.

And don’t be afraid of the metal zippers (which are so on-trend right now). This tutorial is careful to stay clear of the teeth so there’s no danger of broken needles.

These are the 9” gold teeth YKK zippers from Zipper Island on Etsy. Aren’t they beautiful? A metal zipper will put some bling on your zipper pouch just like a piece of jewelry.

Of course, if you want to use a zipper with regular nylon teeth, that will work great too. For this tutorial I suggest using zippers with wider tapes, such as YKK size 4.5 handbag zippers.

Okay, on to our tutorial…

For each pouch, you will need:

• one 9” zipper (my zipper tapes are 10 1/2” long and the teeth measure 9”)

• 2 fabric rectangles 5” x 7” for the exterior

• 2 fabric rectangles 5” x 7” for the lining

• 1 fabric rectangle 5” x 7” for the pocket

• 1 fabric rectangle 3” x 4” for the swivel clip tab

• one 1” swivel snap clip

• 2 fusible fleece rectangles 5” x 7” for the exterior (such as HeatnBond fusible fleece)

• 2 interfacing rectangles 5” x 7” for the lining (such as HeatnBond fusible medium)

Start by fusing the fusible fleece pieces to the exterior fabric pieces and the interfacing pieces to the lining fabric pieces.

Stack the exterior pieces right sides together (very important!) and cut the top right corner into a nice curve. I love my creative grids ruler for this (I used the 3” radius corner) but you could achieve the same thing with a 6” diameter plate or bowl. Do you have an old CD or DVD lying around? That would be great to cut this curve too!

Repeat this step with your lining pieces.

Now let’s make the little card pocket. Fold your pocket fabric rectangle in half right sides together with the 5” edges aligned. Stitch around the edges leaving a 3” opening for turning.

Turn, press, and then topstitch along the folded edge, which will be the top of your pocket.

Center your pocket on one of the lining pieces with the top of the pocket near the curved edge. Pin. Stitch around the sides and bottom of the pocket, closing your opening for turning at the same time.

This part might appear tricky, but it is not. You are going to impress all your friends with a metal zipper on two sides of your little case!

Lay the zipper along the curved edge of one lining piece, with the wrong side of the zipper facing the right side of the lining.

Pay close attention that the opening of the zipper is at least 3/4” away from the bottom side of the pouch. See that the zipper tape extends by 3/4” at the top (which is the bottom of my pouch)? That is perfect. You will get it right if you simply align the top of the zipper tape with the bottom of the pouch. Don’t worry about the bottom end of the zipper. We won’t stitch over it.

Pin all along the curve.

Use a zipper foot on your sewing machine and baste in place with a 1/4” seam allowance. You could use a scant 1/4” seam allowance if you hate picking out basting stitches.

Repeat the process with the other lining piece, pinning and basting the wrong side of the zipper tape to the right side of the lining.

Pin one exterior piece on top of a lining piece with the zipper tape sandwiched in between.

Stitch around the curved edge with a 1/4” seam allowance.

Repeat with the other exterior piece on the other side of the pouch.

Carefully press the case sides right side out and topstitch 1/8” away from the seam. This keeps your fabrics from getting stuck in the zipper.

I left my zipper foot on for this part, but then switched back to my regular sewing machine foot for the rest of the pouch.

Now let’s make the tab. This part is optional, but it’s a cute touch and you can coordinate your clip with the zipper teeth. Fold your tab fabric piece in half with the 3” sides together and press. Open and press the edges to the center. Fold into a 1” x 3” strip and press again. Then topstitch along either side of the strip.

Wrap the tab through the opening on the clip and pin to the exterior side of the pouch 1” from the top (the bottom of the zipper). Baste in place, sewing through the exterior flap only (not the lining).

Re-fold the pouch with the exterior pieces facing each other and the lining pieces facing each other. Make sure that the zipper is at least part-way open.

Pinch the zipper ends so that the teeth are sticking out toward the lining.

Start pinning next to the zipper end (the bottom of the zipper that doesn’t open), and pin all the way around the pouch until you get to the zipper end again.

Start sewing on the exterior with the bottom of the zipper behind your needle, as close to it as you can get. It’s kind of bulky there. We want to sew close to that zipper end, but not over it because the metal teeth are dangerous to your needle! Use a 1/2” seam allowance.

Sew around the case, right over the other end of the zipper because you placed the teeth 3/4” from the fabric edge. No danger there.

Leave a 3” opening in the lining for turning.

When you reach the bottom end of the zipper again (where the metal teeth are showing) sew up next to them, but not on them. Turn the sewing machine wheel with your hand if you need to so you are careful not to go over. Backstitch.

Clip the corners. Trim the seams on the exterior and the lining to remove extra bulk. Trim the end of the zipper, if desired.

Turn right side out, using a blunt tool to form all of the corners. Gently press. Hand or machine sew the opening in the lining closed.

And you’re done! Aren’t these sweet little gifts? See more 2 Sided Zipper Pouches that I made in more feminine fabrics too.

Happy Sewing,