Bags, Wallets, and Zips

TUTORIAL: Lil Cutie Pouches

Ask and ye shall receive!Β  Here’s the tutorial for the Lil Cutie Pouch.

You need:

  • (1) 8″ tall x 6.25″ wide piece of exterior fabric (interfaced)
  • (1) 8″ tall x 6.25″ wide piece of lining
  • (1) 2″ x 3″ piece of fabric for key ring loop
  • split key ring
  • 8″ zipper

 

This one’s quick! Make a couple at a time and keep one for yourself this time (I did!).

{1/4″ seam allowances throughout}

 

Cut your exterior & lining pieces in half (they’ll measure 4″ tall x 6.25″ wide each, you’ll have 4 pieces total)

Take your 2″ x 3″ piece of fabric, fold right sides together the long way, sew.Β  Turn right side out and press with the seam in the middle of the fabric. Β Press in half to make a loop, baste raw edges together if desired. Β Set aside.

 

Lay down the first exterior fabric right side up, place your zipper teeth side down with the zipper pull to the left.Β  Lay one of the lining pieces right side down.Β  Pin if you’d like.Β  Using your zipper foot sew together.

 

Flip wrong sides together. Next lay your remaining exterior fabric piece right side up, place your zipper teeth side down with the zipper pull to the right this time.Β  Lay the remaining lining piece right side down on top of the zipper.Β  Pin.Β  Sew.Β  Flip wrong sides together, press.

 

Flip right sides together (be sure to open your zipper about half way now).Β  Tuck in your tab that you made earlier between the exterior pieces of fabric, with the tab’s raw edges facing out.

 

Sew around entire perimeter leaving a 2-3″ opening in the lining for turning.

 

When I’m sewing around the perimeter, I make sure to push the zipper towards the exterior fabric on both sides when sewing across the zipper (zoom in on the above picture if you need to).Β Β Clip corners, trim excess zipper.Β  Pull inside out through the opening.Β  Use chopstick to push out corners. Β Tuck raw edges of opening in, sew opening in lining shut with small seam allowance, or stitch closed by hand.Β  Push lining into exterior.Β  Press.

 

Attach your metal key ring, you’re good to go!Β  Stuff in all those gadgets and whatever else you might need, a camera, cell phone, iPod, you name it.Β  Let me know if you have any questions, I’d be happy to help.

 

111 thoughts on “TUTORIAL: Lil Cutie Pouches

  1. Liz says:

    This is great! As soon as I can get off the island to get some zippers, I see a few of these in my future. Thanks.

  2. anne says:

    I am making several of these as we speak. I found your tutorial through One Pretty Thing. These are going to be perfect for gift cards this Christmas. It’s so much cuter to give a cute little pouch like this with the gift inside!

    Thanks so much for sharing. I’ll be sure to post a link from my blog.

    Oh, and I was wondering if it would be okay for me to give a handful of these to a friend who is trying to raise money for a family in need?!?! They are holding a bazaar to help fund some medical bills, house payments, etc.

  3. Anna says:

    Go for it Anne, hope the fundraiser goes well!

  4. Robin says:

    Anna! Thank you so much for the tutorial! I immediately had to dig into the scrap pile to make a couple of little pouches, which came out great because of your super-clear directions. πŸ™‚

    Your site is adorable. I linked back to you from http://somenotesfromafar.blogspot.com.

  5. Annie says:

    So cute!! Thanks for the tutorial. I’ve been looking for something small to hold my bus pass and cell phone; I think this will work perfectly!

  6. dana says:

    Great tutorial! And I like how you added the “terms of use” phrase at the bottom. That’s a good way to do it.

  7. Dancing Lady says:

    Hi, this puch is great!!! I want to start to sew and this tutorial is perfect..
    Thanks a lot and congrats for your creations, I love all of it!
    Vera from Italy

  8. You are the coolest!! I am still learning to sew and you made this look like something I can actually try out. Thank you!! Keep your fingers crossed for me.

  9. Jessica says:

    This was fantastic! I had never sewn a zipper before and you made it so easy. Thanks!

  10. styathm says:

    such a cute project! would be great to hold some makeup in it! thanks for the inspiration & hope to start sewing soon!

  11. BiEha Besh says:

    tank for te tute….tanks much,,im sure gonna try dis ;p ngeee~

  12. Erin says:

    This was the first time I’ve sewn a zipper! I’m so excited about how it turned out. Thanks for the GREAT tutorial! =-)

  13. i am loving these tutorials! its so nice to find someone who explains how to insert the zip – lots of them just say ‘sew in the zip’ but i need more guidance than that!

    Just a quick question – does cutting the zip ‘harm’ it in any way? it’s such a good way to get round sewing over the awkward nobbly bits!

    if you could reply to carol@orangebirdstudio.com that would be great

    thanks!!!

    carol x

  14. Holly says:

    Just made 2 of these adorable pouches – what fun! My son just requested one for his Poke’mon cards, so I guess I should find some boyish fabric soon! Thanks for the great tutorial!

  15. tΓΌlin says:

    çok kolay görünüyor πŸ™‚

  16. Micah says:

    I just made this for the first time today! I had the pattern marked as a favorite and was waiting until the perfect time to make it. I am using your birthday idea – I’m giving it to a 4 year old with $4 inside! It was SO QUICK AND EASY!!! I timed myself and I seriously made it from start to finish in 20 minutes!!! I LOVE this pattern!! I will use it over and over again! Yeah for wholesale priced zippers at zipit :D. Thank you so much, Anna! Keep the great ideas coming!!

  17. trish says:

    Good Morning.
    My husband asked if I would create something he can put his cell phone in while at work (he is not allowed to bring it in to the office). So I am planning to use your tutorial (wish me luck-zippers scare the daylights out of me). Can you please tell me where you purchased your 8″ zippers? I have only seen real long ones at the stores.
    May I link back to you when I finish?
    Sincerely ~ Tricia

  18. Katie says:

    I love this tutorial. I’ve made a handful of these in different sizes already and I love them all. I put up pictures of the one I made today and shared the link to your wonderful tutorial here:

    http://notesfromaveryredkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/08/walrus-pouch.html

    Thanks so much for sharing! Have a nice evening!

  19. Zerin says:

    I don’t know if its a stupid question… I fairly new to the sewing world. I would like to know, what kind of materials you use for lining for projects like these.
    thanks,
    zerin

  20. Anna says:

    hey zerin, no such thing as a stupid question. I just use mostly quilting weight cottons, but for sure experiment and try other fabrics since it’s a pretty forgiving project!

  21. britty says:

    Hello Anna,
    today I made a pouch using your tutorial. Thanks for the very easy to follow directions!

    Britta

  22. Stacy says:

    I am an inexperienced sewer and am trying to make these. I do not understand:
    Cut your exterior & lining pieces in half (measuring 4 x 6.25 each, you’ll have 4 pieces)

    “Take your 2 x 3 piece of fabric, fold right sides together the long way, sew. Turn right side out and press with the seam in the middle of the fabric.”

    Do you do this for all 4 pieces? I don;t see the reduced size in the pictures. it looks like you used the 2×3 size pieces?

    Sorry!

    They are really cute.

  23. Anna says:

    hey stacey~ you’ll have four pieces, 2 for the exterior and 2 for the lining each measuring 4 x 6.25 each. The 2×3 piece is for the keyring loop. Hope that helps!

  24. Stacy says:

    Thanks Anna! That clears it up.

  25. FionaPoppy says:

    I just wanted to say Thanks for this great tutorial. It was really quick and easy and it took me less than half an hour to make a little coin purse for my daughter to put her school lunch money in. She is thrilled with it. Thankyou!

  26. Jess says:

    Anna! I love these and pretty much everything else you post! I made some as party favors for my little girls birthday party, she loved stuffing them with goodies for her friends. Thanks for the awesome tutorial, love following your blog. I made the clutch too, but forgot to take pictures πŸ™ You can see her party on my blog. http://suchislifephoto.com/blog/?p=292

  27. Liz says:

    This is really great! Thanks for sharing. I will be featuring you on our blog ziggycrafts.blogspot.com I can’t wait to get started on mine!!

  28. mossfamily says:

    Just wanted to tell you that i discovered your blog not too long ago & am in love! Thanks so much for all your hard work on these tutorials. I am very new to sewing & this tutorial gave me the courage to learn zippers! And these were so easy that i made 8 of them for gifts over two evenings after the kids were in bed. Thanks so much!

  29. Kristin says:

    Awesome-tastic pouch Anna! Very easy instructions and so fast. Christmas gifts for all the little girls (and a few grown gals too) – check!

  30. Grace Face says:

    brilliant tutorial! so quick and simple, i made one in less than 20 minutes!

  31. Kristen says:

    I love these! I found you through a link on cluckclucksew. I will totally be making these for stocking stuffers this year!

  32. Ruby says:

    Thanks you just saved me. I had a few last minute gifts to make. Made 3 of these in an hour.

    1. Mary Edel says:

      Say, what did you do with extra length of zipper, push in pouch or cut. Tutorial didn’t state. Thank you

  33. Denise says:

    Thanks for helping me to sew a zipper for the first time! I just finished my second one.

  34. Em says:

    These are so cute and fast – and saved me from having a ‘I can’t sew worth a crap’ type of day! I love the clear instructions – see my little pouch at http://emandthegang.blogspot.com/2011/01/i-tried.html
    Thanks again!

  35. Anonymous says:

    I love this project! But I have a question… I made this last night and couldn’t figure out how to sew around perimeter and leave an opening in the “lining” to flip it around. I had to leave an opening in the extererior fabric. What am I missing?
    Thanks!

  36. Anna says:

    hi anonymous-
    you’ll start sewing at the lining, go all the way around, and stop about 3″ before you reach the point where you started sewing. Sounds like you just started in the wrong spot… hope that makes sense. πŸ™‚
    anna

  37. Cola says:

    Thank you Anna for this tutorial! We made a few last night! Pictures: http://madebycola.blogspot.com/2011/01/sunday-sewing.html

  38. April says:

    Thanks so much for the great tutorial! I wanted to let you know that I blogged about it here (http://sewingnovice.com/2011/01/20/lil-cutie-pouches/)

  39. Thanks Anna for the tutorial!! I have finally done my first zippered pouch, and started to make modifications to suit my needs!!! THANKS!!

    https://www.blog.noodle-head.com/2009/10/tutorial-lil-cutie-pouches.html

  40. recycledrats says:

    I finally brought up the courage to stand up against my zipper phobia and made one of those little pouches today. It came out great! Thanks for the great tutorial!

  41. Kelsey says:

    Hi, I just made one of these fabulous little pouches today. I’m very happy with it! Super cute and super quick. πŸ™‚ I’ve really enjoyed discovering your blog here. Keep it going. πŸ™‚

  42. Shannon says:

    I’m thinking about attempting this for a gift next week. (Making my first skirt today has me feeling invisible, I think!) As a novice sewer, can you explain what you mean by “interfaced” on the exterior fabric? Is that just the iron on stuff I’ve seen? Thanks so much for your great tutorials! ~Shannon

  43. Christine says:

    this is pretty much the first project i’ve ever sewed! i just finished! and besides being in awe of my new found powers, i want to tell you how impressed i am with your tutorials! your step by step pictures are amazing. i never got confused and that’s saying a lot given this is my first real sewing attempt! thank you!

  44. So great tutorial for women, i like it very much. … and i will make it, thanks…

  45. I found you through Pinterest, and I’ve made two so far. (with my own modifications, of course.) Thanks!

  46. Mary says:

    Thank you for this tutorial, Anna! I think my first attempt at a project like this turned out well and am looking forward to making more of them!

  47. Sophia says:

    That tip, sewing around the perimeter and pushing the zipper towards the exterior fabrics… truly MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD for me… I’ve been making coin purses for friends as xmas gifts and they never came out right (needless to say that the very detailed instructions I had said nothing for this). Thanks so much for sharing!

  48. Anonymous says:

    This is a great tutorial on putting in a zipper to a lined item. I have been unsewing and resewing from a different pattern, and THIS is the BOMB! Thank you for the great tutorial and the great picturs.

    Mary Malone

  49. Susie-Alice says:

    This is so fantastic! Having made small purses from various patterns, this is the easiest one yet! Will definitely be using it again…and again!

  50. Alexis says:

    I’ve made about 12 of these over the past couple of years. I keep forgetting to tell you how much I like this tutorial. I’m not a confident sewer and I found this super easy.

  51. Anonymous says:

    is this in inches? or centimetres? thanks!

  52. Anna says:

    Inches! πŸ™‚

  53. Rita Need help says:

    I really need help with the zipper part?!

  54. Rita needs help says:

    I need help with the ones starting with lay down the first exterior fabric and ending with flip wrong sides together… Thank you I love your blogggg so muchhhhh

  55. Anna says:

    Hi Rita!
    I guess I would suggest to just grab some scrap fabric and use a basting stitch (longest stitch on your machine) and just play around with it. email me with more questions okay?

  56. JO says:

    THis is just a thank you note!!!Thank you s9o much! I just finished my first one! Let me congratulate you on how relatively easy your instructions made this project seem. Everything was easy to follow except when I tried to add the second side onto the zipper. It was a bit confusing. (to the get the correct sides facing the right way and stuff) besides that… this is a gorgeous project….simple, easy, and fast!

    πŸ™‚

  57. Anonymous says:

    Love your tutorials!! Quick question for you. I have a 7 in zipper. Could I just cut my fabric pieces 7 x 6.25 instead of 8?

    1. Anna says:

      yes! πŸ™‚

  58. victoria Stevens says:

    Just finished my fourth purse! Love the pattern. Thank you! πŸ™‚ victoria

  59. Gong Mi says:

    We are lucky to appreciate your blog. Want to become a friend with you.nfl jerseys cheap

  60. Elmira says:

    wow! where to find such a board line?

  61. Anonymous says:

    i love your tutorials. i can understand them clearly. thanks.

  62. claire says:

    I am making one right now! The tutorial is great – thank you πŸ™‚

  63. Shelley says:

    I had to send you a message. I have never been able to get the zipper in pouches and make it look nice. Your tutorial is awesome. My little pouches are perfect. Thanks so much. Cute little gifts for everyone now.

  64. Anonymous says:

    These are wonderful! I was wondering if it was okay if I used 7″ zippers instead of 8″ zippers. I looked everyone and couldn’t find any 8″ zippers and the ones I did find were $2 more than the 7″ ones.

    1. Anna says:

      Yes! you can totally use 7″ zippers. ps. Zipit on etsy has tons of all sizes of zippers for cheap! πŸ™‚

  65. Laura says:

    Hi, thanks for all your hard work!! I appreciate all your tutorials…
    Made a couple of these little pouches and Theo are beautiful ;-). Just having a little problem with the lining… Sometimes it gets caught up with The zipper… Do you have a solution for it?

    1. Anna says:

      That’s so nice of you to say. πŸ™‚ As far as the zip getting caught in the lining, make sure you press the fabrics away from the zipper really well before you connect them to join the lining/exterior. You can also topstitch along either side of the zipper after pressing as well on that same step!

  66. monkeycocoa says:

    amazing!!! I wish I could do it one day!!! I’m now still practicing how to sew the zipper. πŸ™‚

  67. Buncobuddy says:

    I love projects to use up my scraps – and this one is great. I’ll be sewing tomorrow! Thanks!

  68. Aurora says:

    This is a great tutorial. I made about 8 of these for all my aunts for Christmas this year. I made 3 changes: 1) I didn’t cut the fabric in half and left the finished pouch at 7″x5.5″; 2) I added strips of fabric over the ends of the zipper, which makes it get stuck at the end less and gives a nice finish, and 3) I used D rings instead of split rings. In a couple of the cases, I used the embroidery stitches of my machine to add a pretty top stitch.

    I see a couple other people wrote in about the lining getting stuck– the way I should have fixed this permanently instead of with an iron is to overstitch the lining to the zipper to hold it back.

    Also, when stitching along the perimeter, I left the 3″ opening at the bottom instead of on the sides. This helped turn it more.

  69. Jen Adkins says:

    Can you help me at all or point me in the direction of a tutorial to do a similar lined zipper pouch, but with the long AND one short side of the pouch being zippered (like an L along the pouch?).

    I am looking at a carrier for a phone on a lanyard, but find it too difficult to get the phone out of a classic “coin purse” when it’s ringing, so figure if I could open up another edge it might help.

  70. Carrie says:

    Thank you for this great tutorial! I learned to sew from my mom, but she hates putting in zippers so I avoided it, too. I followed the steps exactly and my pouch came out perfectly! Thank you for helping me conquer my fear of zippers – I see a whole new world of sewing projects opening up. πŸ™‚

  71. Darlene says:

    Thank you for this tutorial…I found it on Pinterest and it is so simple even though it took me a few tries to get it right and I will make more!
    (your tutorial is great I just didn’t pay close enough attention to what I was sewing, seeing and reading)

  72. Anonymous says:

    thanks for this tutorial,and i have a request for weekender bag tuttorial.please post weekender bag tutorial please please……………….

  73. I-love-this-tutorial!!!! My daughter is 16 and prefers a zippered keychain wallet over a purse. Her existing wallet has seen better days. So imagine my excitement when I found your tutorial!!! One question: I only have 9″ zippers on hand at the moment. Can I use 9″? Thanks so much.

    1. Miss Jeannie says:

      Yes because you cut off alot of the zipper! Im answering because I ran into the same issues!

  74. Anonymous says:

    Just made my first one and will definitely be making more. Thanks so much for such a great tutorial! I only had a 7″ zipper but when I looked through the instructions and saw the extra length was cut off anyway, I just had to be more careful about centering it down against the material to sew and it worked just fine. I love this pattern. Its exactly what I’ve been looking for. THANK YOU! πŸ™‚

  75. I am amazed! Wonderful tutorial according which I am able to make really nice pouch. I tried a lot of tutorials but without such results.Thx.

  76. Miss Jeannie says:

    You have saved my sanity! I was having major problems getting the zipper heading the right way in relationship to the front! Thank you for a wonderful tutorial!

  77. Susie B says:

    Thank you. Can’t wait to try.

  78. thais says:

    awesome, thank you. i made one for each of my kids and one bigger one for my little one to put her pokemon cards in.

  79. Lyndsey says:

    These little pouches are awesome. Thank you for sharing. Is there a way to put a divider in the pouch as when I tried it was too big and curled inside once I’d turned the pouch the right way. Hope I’ve made sense. Thank you. :))

    1. Anna Graham says:

      Thanks Lyndsey. What I would try when adding a divider would be to sew using a larger seam allowance on the lining portion. So instead of a 1/4″ seam allowance try 3/8″ or even 1/2″, tapering a bit when you reach the zipper.

  80. Cass says:

    I bought the wrong size zipper I got a 6″ it seems long enough? Am I missing something or will it be too short? Thanks for your help ☺️

    1. Anna Graham says:

      I think that should work Cass. πŸ™‚

  81. Nell says:

    What is the size of the final product

  82. Samantha says:

    Can you please tell me w/ out ordering online where I may buy a zipper foot for my Singer? Do I obtain onr from a quilting store? Jo Ann’s .does not sell them. With out one I can not make lil cutie pouch.

    1. Anna Graham says:

      Hi Samantha,
      I would do a quick google search for your particular machine & model number. Possibly SewVacDirect might stock something? Hope that helps a bit.

  83. Alyceen says:

    Hey there~
    Thanks so much for this tutorial. This was just what I was looking for to make for a friend πŸ˜€
    Aly <3

  84. Lonnie says:

    I made three today! They turned out great. Super tutorial. ???

  85. Ann Waddle says:

    I am a little late seeing these but love them! I have been making zipper pouches for a while, but like the little tab on these as well as the size. But what I love – the scribbles on the cutting mat:) Keeping me sew happy!

  86. Tracey Hudson says:

    Thanks so much for the easy to follow tutorial, I’m about to make a heap of these for xmas gifts x

  87. Tracey Hudson says:

    Learnt a lot making these,, thankyou

  88. Janice says:

    I would like to know what type of interfacing you recommend for the bag. Was thinking about using decobond for stability but that might be too heavy. Just wanted to know what you use. Thank you for your help.

  89. Hi! I’m still a fairly new sewer and this will be the first piece I’ve made with a pattern. When you get to the step of sewing all around the perimeter, do you still use the zipper foot or should it have been switched out at this point. I’m sure this is a dumb question but I appreciate any guidance. I love your products and patterns! Thank you.

  90. Ann R says:

    Loving this pattern, thank you so much!

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