Zippered Coin Purse Tutorial from Sally

As one of Bolt's esteemed teachers, Sally Hess is sharing with us this fun quick project to inspire you to make lots-o-little purses this summer.  I can think of about a million uses for these: cute little girls birthday present, a sweet friend surprise gift, or something to tuck inside a new tote, this coin purse has lots of options.  Try it, and please leave a comment and let us know what you think.

You’ll need:

A scrap of fabric about 5”x8”, interfaced

A 7” zipper

2 Ribbon scraps, each about 2 inches long (or longer if you want to make a wristlet)

Place the zipper face down on the fabric. The zipper should be slightly longer than the fabric is wide. Here I've used a 7" zipper and the fabric is about 5" wide. Center the zipper face down on the fabric, aligning the edge of the zipper tape with the raw edge of the fabric. Sew down the center of the zipper tape using a zipper foot.

Bring the opposite raw edge of the fabric up to the other side of the zipper tape. The right side of the zipper should be touching the right side (not the interfaced side) of the fabric.  

Sew the zipper to the fabric, again aligning the zipper tape with the raw edge of the fabric. Make sure the side seams will line up for the next step!

Here's where my zippered coin purse is different.

Instead of having the zipper at the TOP of the purse, align the side seams so that the zipper tape can be completely flat! This means the zipper will lie on the FRONT of the purse.

Be sure you OPEN THE ZIPPER before you sew the second side seam! 

I sew across the zipper teeth a few times, to be sure it is secure! 

Once you've sewn both side seams, cut off the excess zipper tape, using sharp scissors. It's important that you've used a nylon zipper, not a metal zipper or you could really trash your scissors. In the picture I'm using appliqué/embroidery scissors, but only because they were closest to the sewing machine that day! 

Trimming the corners before you turn the coin purse right side out removes the excess fabric (and zipper tape) that causes rounded corners. 

Turn it right side out and you’re finished! 

The photos don't show the ribbon being inserted, because it is put in the side seams. But here's how to do it:

On the side with the zipper stop, take 1 1/2" ribbon and fold it in half. Tuck the ribbon under the zipper teeth, with the raw edges of the ribbon lined up with the raw edge of the fabric. At this point, the zipper tape will be extended beyond the raw edge of the fabric, thus hiding the ribbon. Pin the ribbon in place and sew the side seam.

On the side with the zipper pull, take 6" of ribbon and fold it in half. Tuck the folded ribbon under the zipper teeth with the raw edges of the ribbon lined up with the raw edge of fabric. This side is trickier, because the zipper has to be open. Pin the ribbon in place and then place each side of the zipper teeth on top of the ribbon, holding the zipper teeth as close together as possible. Carefully sew all the layers, reinforcing the few stitches that are holding the zipper teeth together.

With the long bit of ribbon, you can wear the purse around your wrist or you can attach it to your Farmer's Market Tote Bag! That way your money is close by and doesn't fall to the bottom of the bag!