Like so many other quilters I have entered the world of sewing cosmetic bags, and I completely understand the appeal! Last week I needed a gift for a friend at work. You know the situation, you don’t want to make the recipient uncomfortable by spending too much money, and at the same time you want to come up with something better than body wash. Enter a small, serviceable, pretty, quick, handmade item. The make-up bag a.k.a. zippered pouch.
There are many great tutorials on the web and I blended two of them to get the look and functionality I wanted. I used Terri’s technique to make the vinyl-fused lining and quilted outer fabric for the bag, and the assembly technique posted by queenofdiy at craftster.org. Queen’s bag is the same style as Terri’s; I just preferred queen’s directions, which are similar to Maryanne’s at Sew Together.
My supplies, except for the 2 - 1" fabric tabs for sewing in the zipper.
My stash is light on modern fabrics so I decided the next best thing would be a batik for the outside fabric. And since my zipper stash was limited to baby pink or baby blue (what was I thinking?!), black and white, it didn’t take long to decide to go with a fabric that had black in it.
Pattern (left); Outer fabric, quilted, right and wrong sides (right).
A bird's-eye view of the finished bag
Before finalising the pattern, I measured a few of my make-up bags and I decided I wanted the finished size to be 8”w x 5”h x 2”d. So I modified queen’s instructions and added 1 inch to the top and side, and made the base of my side triangle 1” instead of 1.5.
This is the first time I used iron-on vinyl and I found it very easy to work with. It was surprising how supple the fabric was after the vinyl was applied, especially because it’s thicker and stiffer off the roll — even when peeled from the backing.
I’m really pleased with the finished product, which I made in under 2 hours. And if I hadn’t sewed the zipper upside down the first time, I’d have been done that much sooner 🙂
Threads on Threads 
Great post.