Hello dear friends! I am so excited to be part of the Wonderful Things blog tour, showcasing Bonnie Christine, of Going Home to Roost, beautiful line for Art Gallery Fabrics. I loooooove the colors and the airy feel of this line so much. When I started thinking of ideas for my blog post, I kept thinking about how one of the most wonderful things in my life is my family. I have 2 young boys (ages 6 and 2) that keep me on my toes all day long and make life so much fun. I knew that I wanted to make a diaper pouch for my purse that I am proud to carry around as my post for the blog tour. Here’s a not-so-fun-fact from my past life: I used to carry around our diapers and wipes in a ziploc bag.  So much of the baby industry is just that, baby, and I never could find a diaper pouch I was happy with. I am very pleased with how my pouches turned out. They feel sophisticated and I doubt anyone looking into my purse would expect there to be 3 diapers, a Huggies wipes container, a tube of diaper cream, and a changing mat in my beautiful pouch. I have written up a tutorial for anyone else who might want a sophisticated diaper pouch in their purse, too.

Here’s what you’ll need to make 2 pouches:

4 Fat Quarters

1 yard of Pellon SF 101 fusible interfacing

(2) 12″ zippers

From this you’ll cut FOR EACH POUCH:

(2) 9″ x 12″ lining panels

(2) 8-3/4″ x 11-3/4″ SF 101

(2) 5-1/2″ x 12″ main outer

(2) 4″ x 12″ accent outer

(1) 2-1/2″ x 4″ for zipper tabs (these are optional, but a surprisingly easy way to up the sophistication level)

(1) 12″ zipper

Construction:

Begin by making the outer panel by sewing together (1) 5-1/2″ x 12″ main outer and (1) 4″ x 12″ accent outer. Repeat for the second side. Follow the manufacturer instructions and fuse the SF 101 to the wrong side of each panel.

Next, it’s time to make the zipper tabs. Grab your 2-1/2″ x 4″ zipper tab fabric and press it in half lengthwise, with the wrong sides together. (This is “hot dog style” if that feels a little more familiar to you. 🙂 Next, fold in each side to the newly pressed center line.

Cut this in half and make 2 pieces that are still folded and ~2″. Next up, you’ll need to trim your zipper down to be 11″ long. Make sure you don’t cut off the actual zipper pull and don’t use your fabric scissors. Ask me how I know about both of these things……. Place one end of the zipper all the way into the fold of the zipper tab and attach it to the zipper. (I must have switched pouches as I was making this bag…. Sorry for the change in fabric).

Trim the excess off of the zipper tab.

Repeat for side 2.

Now it’s time to install the zipper onto your panels. If you haven’t installed a zipper before, please don’t be afraid. It is only a matter of taking one extra step and basting it in place that helps the process SO much. As you install the zipper, here’s how the zipper sandwich should be:

Outside panel right side UP

Zipper right side DOWN (the zipper pull will be touching the outside panel)

Lining right side DOWN

I usually leave the lining off until I have basted the outside panel and zipper together with a stitch length of 4 on my Juki. Center the zipper on the panel (you could make a mark if that is helpful to line up centers) and baste. Once it’s been basted, add the lining right side DOWN. Flip the lining over so it looks like this:

Then carefully press the outer panel away from the zipper (don’t worry about the lining being pressed just yet). Topstitch just the outer panel and the zipper. It should look like the photo below. Your next zipper sandwich will be as follows:

Lining right side UP

Unit 1 Right side UP (Just like in the photo)

The other outside panel face DOWN

Follow a similar procedure as you did with side 1 of the zipper and baste the bottom layer (this time it’s the lining) and the zipper, then attach the outer panel face down. Press the outer panel away from the zipper, topstitch as you did before, and you should have a unit that looks like this:

Next we will open the zipper at least half way, then pin the outside panels right side together and the lining right side together. Make sure to have a 3-4″ opening on the bottom of the lining so you can flip the bag right side out. I don’t know why, but I didn’t take any photos of this step. Sew it together with a 3/8″ seam and make sure you do NOT sew over the zipper tabs.

Before you flip it right side out, we need to box the corners. Grab a corner in your hands and gently flail the fabric out to make it look like the photo below. You want your seams to nest. Measure 2″ down from the corner and draw a line. This is your sewing line. Sew and then trim off the excess, leaving behind about 1/2″ of seam allowance.

Repeat this process for each of the 4 corners. Flip it right side out and stitch the opening closed.

You should be left with a beautiful bag! This has become my new go-to for baby showers and gifts as it is something I really appreciate having in my purse and I hope other moms will as well!

Be sure to check out the other bloggers on the blog tour and their Wonderful Things projects that they’ve been sharing for the past few weeks. In case you missed it, Ashley Cowan posted yesterday and be sure to check out Elise Baek tomorrow!

A big thanks to Bonnie for trusting me to make something beautiful with her gorgeous fabrics.