Cut the fabric as follows:
- 2 x 4 1/2" circles from outer fabric
- 2 x 4 1/2" circles from lining fabric
- 2 x 4 1/2" circles from batting
- 1 x 2" square from outer fabric
You will then need to cut one of each of the circles in half, leaving a full circle and 2 half circles in each of the outer, lining and batting fabrics. You will also need a zip at least 5" long and a metal key ring.
Take a half circle of batting, outer fabric and lining and sandwich with the zip. You need the batting first, then outer fabric right side up, followed by the zip facing down and the lining faced down on top. Make sure the flat edges line up along the top edge of the zip, then pin and sew together with a 1/4" seam allowance.
Fold the fabric layers back and create another sandwich using the other half circles, attached to the other side of the zip. Place lining right side up, then zip right side facing up, outer fabric right side down and batting on top. Again, ensure all the flat edges line up along the edge of the zipper tape. Pin in place and sew with a 1/4" seam allowance.
Carefully trim away the excess batting along the seam to reduce the bulk. Then, fold the fabric back and give it a good press, making sure all the layers of the fabric are laying flat away from the zip. Top stitch along the edge of the zip to create a neat finish.
1. fold in half crease, then open out
2. fold raw edges in towards the centre crease
3. with the raw edges sat along the centre line, fold the fabric in half
4. top stitch down each side of the tab
You must now prepare your zip. Unzip the zip half way back. On the outer edge of where your circle sits, you need to tack across your zip. You need to hand sew around the teeth several times to hold the zip closed (don't worry it wont be seen in the finished pouch!)
To attach the tab, you need to fold the tab in half so the raw edges are together. Now place on the top side of zip where you have tacked across it. The raw edges should face the outer edge of the circle, with the folded edge towards the centre. Sew across the tab to hold it in place.
Take each of the full circles and sandwich on top of the project. With the zip facing up, add the full circle of outer fabric on top facing right side down, then the batting and finally the lining on top right side up. Make sure the zipper pull is in the middle of this sandwich, open enough to turn but not near the edge to get caught in the stitching or cut off!! Clip or pin the sandwich together, making sure the edges of the circles all line up.
Sew all the way around the circle, easing the fabric around and periodically lifting up the presser foot to get a smooth edge. To make the zip extra secure, you can back stitch over the ends a couple of times as you sew around. You can then cut off the overhanging zip.
To help the pouch edges look neat and make turning out easier, trim away the excess batting from between the layers.
Trimming around the seam allowance with pinking shears also helps to remove excess fabric and ease the turning out. You can always use normal scissors to clip around the curve if you don't have pinking shears.
The final stage is to turn the project out, press and top stitch around the outer edge of the pouch. The top stitching should enclose the raw edges on the inside of the pouch to create a neat finish inside and out. To finish the edge of the zipper, you could simply leave a gap in the top stitching to allow the zip to close all the way to the top. However, I didn't like the zipper tape being visible when the pouch was open, so I top stitched over the zip. I then used the colour matched thread to hand stitch the teeth together at the very end, using a ladder stitch catching beneath so the thread didn't show and the teeth were pulled tight together (if that bit doesn't make sense and you are as fussy as me and want to know... send a message and ill try to explain in more detail, but I'm sure nobody else will worry about it!!). To finish, simply add the key ring and it's ready to use.
Mx
