Easy - Peasy Vinyl Zipper Bag

Easy – Peasy Vinyl Zipper Bag

‘Sew’ easy you will want to make one for all your friends!

Easy – Peasy is a term coined in the 1970s by a little girl in a British TV commercial.  In the commercial dishes were being washed by her mom using Lemon Squeezy detergent.  When the dirty dishes were clean the little girl said to her mom… “Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy” and hence a new phrase was invented.

  

Necessities

2 Outer Cover Designs (paper or fabric)

Fabric for Lining and Zipper Stoppers

2 Pieces Fusible Vinyl (Available at Glad Creations 612-724-1079)

1 Zipper

Extra Tools

Sewing Machine

Rotary Tools

Tape

Pinking Shears

Curved Template

Permanent Marker

Zipper Foot                                            

To Begin:

Cutting:

1½” x 3” rectangle for zipper stoppers

2 - 8½ x 5 ½” fabric for lining (Cut the 8½” measurement on the straight of grain)

9” x 12” fusible vinyl

***FYI…You can make this bag as big as you want.  The zipper just will need to be trimmed 1” smaller than the width of your lining fabric.

Fold the 1½” x 3” rectangle in half and press right sides together.  Fold sides in toward center and press.  Fold in half and press well.  Cut in half.

Tape Zipper to your cutting board.  Move zipper down about 2”.   Place tape approx 1½” down from end.  With rotary cutter cut a straight edge just below the zipper stoppers.

 Insert cut zipper end into fabric zipper stopper fabric.  Pin.

 Sew catching both front and back of fabric zipper stopper fabric.

Trim zipper 1” shorter than width of lining material (7½”)  Repeat - Insert cut zipper end into fabric zipper stopper fabric.  Pin.

Vinyl:  Iron front cover material (Remember the Ladies picture) to fusible vinyl following the manufacture instructions.

Cover design under protective vinyl paper

Fusible vinyl

Once vinyl is stuck to front, flip, and iron top side.  Use protective  vinyl paper!

Trim off excess vinyl.

Mark a curve on the front bottom corners with a permanent marker. Use a template or drinking glass or measuring cup.

Sew front section to zipper:  
Place front facing up.  Center and place zipper pull side down.  Pin to front with very small pin ‘bites’.  The zipper pull should be on the right.  Place lining face down.  Use a few more pins taking very small pin ‘bites’. 

Fit your machine with a zipper foot and sew zipper in place.  Be careful of the zipper pull.  Once your foot gets close it will need to be moved.  With your needle in the down position, reach between the layers and move the zipper out of the way.

Press front and lining wrong sides together perfectly flat with zipper exposed.  

Top stitch next to seam.

Sew back section to zipper:  Place back facing up.  Place zipper/front section facing down.  Pin together with very small pin ‘bites’.  Place lining face down.  Use a few more pins taking very small pin ‘bites’. Sew as before moving the zipper when necessary.  Make sure front and back are even.

Press front and lining wrong sides together. Top stitch near zipper.

Trim off any lining fabric that might peek out.

Bring linings together and pin front and back together (lining in the middle) taking small pin ‘bite’.  Line up top edges near zipper.  Pin bottom corners using a hefty pin ‘bite’.   

Start stitching about a quarter inch down from top edge them back stitch to top edge.  Continue stitching around edges and along curved drawn line at bottom corners.  Back stitch at other top edge as well.

Use pinking shears to cut around edge.  Voila - Done!!!

Enjoy!!!
Annemarie
www.QuiltsRemembered.com

A few other ideas for bags…vintage cpatterns…pretty wrapping paper...copy a picture of your favorite quilt or family photo...and …of course your favorite fabric.   

Short and Sweet...Small and Crazy!

I’ll make this post short and sweet.  I wanted to post some close-up pictures for my Jo’s Little Women students of our latest project called “Yankee Doodle”.  The quilt is designed by Jo Morton.  This was a challenging quilt.  Not only are there 56 or 57 – 3/8” diameter hand appliquéd circles in the center (small and crazy – right?), but there are a whole lot of stars to appliqué too!  This quilt took approx. 50-60 hours to complete.  I have no idea if that is really slow or very fast; I’m just glad it is done. 

The selection process.  Auditioning 90 fabrics for the stars.  Close-up of star applique.

Star center and close-up.

Me and my Yankee Doodle at Glad Creations, Quilt Block - Minneapolis, MN

Finally,  this cabinet has been passed down in my family.  It is over 100 yrs old and a cherished part of our family.  In the storage below you can see approximately 70 or so small quilts from the Little Women Club.  

Enjoy and happy quilting,

Annemarie
www.QuiltsRemembered.com

So Many Quilts

Last Tuesday was Jo's "Little Women" club at Glad Creations Quilt Block.  We had lots of show and tell and lots of fun.  Here are some of the quilts and highlights of the evening...

Debbie, a past employee of Glad Creations and a prolific quilter she says she gets so much done because she eats lots of fruits and veggies.  She's a crazy hard worker and does perfect work.  Below is some of her handiwork. By the way...she likes to make two of all her small quilts!!!

Jane also brought  several wonderful quilts.  She likes taking Jo's patterns and re-arranging them to make bigger quilts or sometimes table runners.

Back side of one of Jane's quilts.  See the star fabric, it really cuts up well on the diagonal.  (So sorry the picture of the front side didn't turn out well)

Jane's "Raspberry Swirl" rendition

There were several examples of "Pottery Shards".  I gave each of my students a square of the 'ladies' fabric to include as an alternate square.  It's the gold one that looks like ladies faces in a row like a film strip.

Also, a few "Raspberry Swirls" showed up.

It was a really nice night!  Thanks to a great group of quilters!

Happy quilting!
Annemarie
www.QuiltsRemembered.com