ZIPPY TUTORIAL and stuff

OK so some people on the various FB pages etc  have been asking how I make my zippy bags.

I do not profess to be the worlds best but this pattern works for me .

When I follow patterns I seem to get "movement" and pieces shift and quite honestly it looks a bit naff so I elected for a one piece QAYG so that the zip fitting etc is done after the quilting is done.

TODAY I am using a Sweetwater fabric  from their Lucy's crabshack

http://www.fatquartershop.com/Lucys-Crab-Shack-Sweetwater-Moda-Fabrics.asp

Now I can't use the FQshop but I hear from my US team that they are really good . and I personally know that the Sweetwater ladies are fantastic as they make my labels

http://www.sweetwaterstreet.com/custom_labels.html

so my thanks to the ladies of Sweetwater for yet again making anotehr great range of fabric and I hope they don;t mind me using their fabric to show you what I am doing.

Please please if you use my links please acknowledge . A lot of hassle has been gonig on re fabric designers and "makers" and copyright and acknowledgement  of use of product  and it;s an area I don;t want to cloud todys issue with however I will say

If you are a designer and you SELL your design to a manufacturer who them sells yr design to a little old sewer like me and ~I make something nice out of it and write about it on my blog

please remember this : I paid for it . It;s mine .

Product placement is a dirty dirty habit that grew from the film industry .

OK so less controversy and more sewing ...

So I have quilted this sympatetically ( I followed the lines of kite tails )

but feel free to quilt yrs as you like

And I like a zip slightly set down one face as you know .....

so I decide where I want my zip to be and ten pin and tack ( well sometimes I tack ) 

Here is the zip fitted ... so you end up with a sort of TUBE of fabric .



THere you go ... a tube of quilted zippy goodness.

Now I finally decide where to seat the zip and pin then sew down the sides and trim as you are going to make french seams ( internal enclosed seams )~

Trim well and tight as these can be quite large. 

THen you turn it inside out and get Charlie the chopstick and poke those corners right out .. YUP Charlie Chopstick is a valuble member of the team  GO ON ... poke thiose corners out . THere is a fair amount of fabric so it will need a bit of poking.  GO ON stop being a wimp and poke them out .



Right then you sew up along the sides making sure you have

enclosed your external edges. Give yourself some room here .



Right ... now the bit I can never describe ...

Take the sides of the bag and pull them at 90 degrees ..







See like this!!!!  Thats it . Pull them 

Decide how wide a base you want and you measure down from the triangle.

DO NOT TRIM   these will provide the support for your bag base.

Turn the bag right way and trim yr threads .

Fill it with what you like ... 

Now I attmepted to be a good girl today and so I tidied my stash .

I can see some gaps ohhhhh but I now must wait till November to do a big fabric shop. 

 I also put everything away properly  so it is quite tidy FOR NOW

but lord only knows for how long. 



I am also working on my table runner for my swappee !! I think she will like it ...  I have laso competed a baby floor mat , worked on the sweet 16 quilt , made the zippy and just generally fiddled .

Anyway I needo t go and make it messy again

HAPPY SEWING
Love Raven xx