Good day!  I have been busily sewing on my peacock bag.  It is so so pretty!    I have enjoyed the colors and textures, really I enjoy just about everything about this bag. I have embellished it with beads and even added two fobs! I used a necklace that I picked up at the store for $2.00 and took apart.  Oh yea!!  And well worth it, don’t you think?

Now this bag is ready for  the lining.  I like making lining. It really finishes a bag off to perfection. But I think a purse needs a zippered pocket.  They are really easy to do.   Here is how you do it:

Supplies: 

I’m not giving  exact amounts because every bag is a different size.

• Lining fabric
• Coordinating pocket fabric scraps
• Interfacing
• Matching zipper

Directions:

• Place your bag over folded fabric and cut around it making it about an inch bigger all around. 
• Serge or zig zag around each piece to keep the edges from fraying.
• From your coordinating fabric and interfacing cut 2 pieces the size of pocket you want.  Mine measured 7×10″.
• Cut one more interfacing half the width. Mine measured 3.5×10″
• Iron one large piece to the back of both pieces.  Iron the extra pieces to the top edge of one piece making it extra sturdy.
• Measure your zippper about a 1/4″ above and below the teeth. 
• Mark the double interfaced piece of fabric by making a 1/2″ wide rectangle the length of the zipper about 1″ down from the top. Mine measured 7.5 x 1.5″. The picture is upside down. Sorry:)
• Mark a dashed line down the center and 1/4″ line from both ends
• Make a diagonal line from the corner.
• Pin the piece right sides together where you want the pocket opening to be.
• Sew around the rectangle on the solid line. Don’t go over the edges like I did. You will get puckers.
• Cut on the dashed line and into the corners. Be very careful here because you are cutting the lining as well.
• Pull the lining piece inside of the hole you have just made.  Look how nice it looks on both the front and the back!
• Now it is time to sew in the zipper-pin the zipper on the right side opening.  I like to place my pins going in the direction of the fabric because they cause less movement that way.  But be careful though, they will poke you!
• Sew with a zipper foot around the zipper. 
• Place the remaining pocket piece on top of the other and sew around it making sure to not sew the lining. In other words, sew the two pocket pieces together.
• Use a zig zag or a serger to keep the fraying under control. 
•  Doesn’t that pocket look nice?
• Next I added a little bling to the zipper pull for a little bit of fun:)

There you have it!  A beautiful blinged up zipper for a purse or a jacket, or whatever!!  That wasn’t hard at all:)!

I can’t wait for tomorrow because my bag will be done and I will be able to use it.  Yea!!!  I will definitely share a few pictures with you.

Until then I hope you have a SWEET evening.  Thanks for dropping by!

–Tracy:)