Double Zip Pouch Pattern Tutorial ~ DIY Tutorial Ideas!

In this short tutorial, I’d like to show you how to sew a pretty (cosmetic) pouch with two zippers. DIY Sewing Tutorial.

1. General Information

MATERIALS LIST
2 x Outer fabric: Width = long side of an A4 sheet (29.7 cm) Height = 15 cm
4 x Inner fabric: Width = 25.7 cm Height = 13 cm
2 x Zippers: approx. 20 cm in length (either pre-cut zippers or continuous zipper tape)
4 x Zipper facings: Width = 6 cm Height = twice the width of the zipper
A 1 cm seam allowance (SA) is already included in the pattern!

The outer fabric can also be cut in two pieces [with the division at 11 cm]. In this case, please add a 1 cm seam allowance to both sides of the cut edge.

Size: The finished pouch will measure approximately 24 x 10 x 4 cm.

Fabric recommendations:
For the exterior, you can use any type of woven fabric, as well as faux leather, oilskin, or coated fabrics. If you choose to use a lightweight fabric for the exterior, be sure to add interfacing!
[I would advise beginners against using faux leather, as its thickness makes it more difficult to sew—especially around the corners, where it can become quite bulky.]
The interior pockets must be made from a lightweight fabric!! Standard woven fabric works best.
For the zipper bindings, use a sturdy fabric or canvas.
The amount of fabric required depends on the height of the exterior and interior fabrics.

!!! Please read through the entire set of instructions before you begin. This will help you avoid potential mistakes !!!

2. Creating the pattern
First, you need to create your pattern. It is best to cut out all the pattern pieces from paper, using the measurements provided above.
This way, you won’t have to measure everything again next time.
If you plan to construct the exterior from two (or more) separate pieces, be sure to mark the cutting edge on your pattern piece to indicate that a seam allowance needs to be added!

3. Cutting the fabric
Now, cut out the individual pieces according to the materials list. Remember that the exterior fabric may require interfacing.
If you are using continuous zipper tape, cut it to the required length and slide on the zipper pull.

4. Sewing
To start, we will prepare the zipper sections. Once the bindings are attached, these sections should be the same length as the interior fabric—that is, 25.7 cm.

Place one of the binding pieces—right side facing down—at the end of the zipper, then fold it back around the zipper and pin it in place. Now, stitch the binding in place and fold it over to the wrong side.

Next, topstitch the binding close to the edge.

Naturally, you repeat this step for all four sides of the two zippers. It is especially important to work with great precision during this step, as any discrepancies—such as zippers that are not exactly the same length or bindings that do not align perfectly—will be very noticeable later on.

Next, trim both pieces evenly to the correct length of 25.7 cm. It is best to lay the zippers one on top of the other to ensure that the bound edges end up being exactly the same length.

The zippers should now be exactly 2 cm shorter on each side than the outer pieces and exactly the same length as the inner pieces.

Now, lay out an outer piece, a zipper, and an inner piece.

Place the zipper—with its top side facing down— centered (!) onto the right side of the outer piece.

Place the inner piece on top, with the right side facing down, and pin all three layers together.

Now, stitch everything together. The best tool for this is a zipper foot. IMPORTANT: The seam should begin 1 cm away from the edge of the inner piece and also end 1 cm before the edge!!!

When you reach the zipper while sewing, leave the needle inserted in the fabric (to prevent the fabric from shifting), lift the presser foot, and carefully pull the zipper past the needle. Then, lower the presser foot again to continue sewing.

Now fold the inner piece back and stitch the front and inner pieces together close to the edge. Again, leave a 1 cm gap from the end of the zipper. [Up to the pins.]

Do the same with the other outer piece. For this, in addition to the outer piece, you will need another inner piece and the second zipper. If you are using a divider, make sure not to mix up the sides—the same applies to the zipper!

This is what the other side looks like.

Here, too, make sure that the seam ends 1 cm early. Otherwise, it will not be possible to properly sew the inner pocket together later on.

Now turn both outer pieces over and attach the corresponding second inner piece to the other side of the zipper. The two inner pieces should be positioned with their right sides facing each other.

Once that is done, place both outer pieces together, right sides facing, and pin them in place. Please ensure that the edges of the zipper binding are perfectly aligned!

Now you can sew all the layers together. Use the zipper foot again for this step. Once again, maintain a 1 cm distance from the edge of the fabric.

Once you fold the inner pieces—which you’ve just sewn on—upwards, it should look like this. Unfortunately, it’s not technically possible to topstitch here, so I simply press firmly along the edge with my fingernail to make the fabric lie in an upward position.

Now it is time to sew the inner pockets together. To do this, align the corners and pin the pieces together all the way around. [It gets a bit tight right by the zipper.]

Using a straight stitch, you can now topstitch all the way around both inner pockets. It’s a bit fiddly near the zipper— just sew as far as you can. It won’t be possible to sew all the way to the very end. IMPORTANT! Make sure to leave a turning opening in one of the inner pockets!!!

Now, the sides of the outer pocket are to be closed. To do this, pin the sides together, making sure that the folded seam allowance—at the point where the zipper is located—is included in the stitching. The bottom must NOT be sewn shut yet!!!

Since the zipper wasn’t sewn all the way to the end earlier, we need to finish that now. You can simply continue sewing in line with the existing seam [white dashed line]. Make sure you don’t catch the inner fabric in the stitching.

I’ve also topstitched the side seam using a zigzag stitch, since I used faux leather. I think this will help the bag hold its shape better. I didn’t need to do this for the version I made out of fabric, though.

Next, it’s time for the top corners. To do this, grasp the outer pocket at the center of the bottom edge—on both the right and left sides—and pull outward. Then, align the side seam you just stitched so that it sits directly on the seam between the two zipper bindings, and pin them together.

Then, stitch the corner together— ideally, keep the stitching within the seam allowance. This allows you to turn the little pouch right-side out and check the corner.

Now you can gauge whether the seam needs to be moved a bit further inward. If so, simply sew a second seam... [That’s what I did here.] …but BE CAREFUL! Make sure you don’t accidentally catch the inner fabric on the back side in your stitching!

Now, as you turn your little pouch right-side out, you can check once more to ensure the corners take shape nicely and look uniform.

At this stage, you can also easily open the zipper on the small pouch that contains the opening for turning the piece right-side out. This is very important—otherwise, it won’t be possible to turn the pouch later on!!!

Now turn the bag right side out again, bring the bottom edges of the outer bag together, and sew them shut in one go.

To ensure the double-zipper pouch has neat corners at the bottom as well, you now need to stitch across them.

To do this, pull the side sections apart and align the side seam exactly with the bottom seam. Then, sew perpendicular to the bottom seam. For the length of the seam, use the same length you used for the top corner. This ensures that the corners are uniform. [In my case, the seam was approx. 4.5 cm]

The distance to the corner then follows quite automatically.

Since this seam is subject to quite a bit of stress, it is best to sew over it a second time. Now you can trim the corner and finish the edge with a zigzag stitch.

Once you have sewn both corners, it is time to turn the pouch right side out. Reach through the opening left for turning and carefully pull the pouch through. Once it has been turned, pull the inner pouch—along with the opening used for turning—out through the zipper.