This is my 4th time making the Wholecloth Patterns Tether Pouch, so I thought now would be a good time to share my latest two. Since I’m new to bag sewing, I think I’m still trying get the hang of certain things before moving on to others. But also, these little zipper bags are so useful and cute, and I can’t get over how little fabric it takes to make them!
I finally got around to making one for myself and I love it! This is the large size which is the perfect size to hold my phone and other items. I made some silly mistakes at the beginning of sewing it, but you can’t really tell.
My sewing machine ‘width’ was still set to 3 for when I was doing a zigzag stitch for another project, and that makes the needle off centered. So, when I sewed the bottom zipper, it was at 5/8″ seam allowance instead of 3/8″. (*face palm*) I had already topstitched, and I wasn’t about to unpick it, so I just made little adjustments on the other steps. Which means I had to cut about 1/4″ off of the bottom before sewing all of the layers together at the end. Not a huge deal, just really annoying that I didn’t notice sooner.
I’ve learned a few things while sewing this together so many times, so I’ll attempt to share those to hopefully help you if you’re a beginner bag sewist like me.
#1 – No zipper stoppers: I bought zippers exactly the size that I needed, but for my first three, I left the metal stoppers on. This made sewing much harder because I was so paranoid about breaking a needle (and I did at least once, that I remember). So, this last time I used a screwdriver to pry them off. I now understand why people just order zipper tape and zippers separately.
#2 – Fabric tabs are better: I used webbing for my daughter’s Tether Pouch and the tabs unraveled and came out, so I had to go back and replace them with fabric tabs. I think if I would have burned the ends before sewing the webbing, that would have helped, but I also think the fabric tabs just end up looking nicer too.
#3 – Don’t sew around the bag in one go (last step): I have a really hard time basting the tabs in place, so I started by sewing the lining to secure both sides of the top zipper first, then stopped. Then I sewed one tab at a time. I purposely left the tab a couple of inches longer so that I could hold it in place while I was sewing, otherwise it and the hardware would move and that makes you want to curse and throw things (I don’t know this from experience, of course). Then, once I was sure it was in the right place and secure, I could trim the extra fabric off. Then I sewed around the rest of the bag. This is still my least favorite part but doing it this way has made it much less painful.
Bonus: Trim the seam allowance before turning the bag: The side where the zippers and all of the layers are can get really bulky, so I trimmed the seam allowance to about 1/4″ and it helps the edges of the bag lay much nicer.
I was very on the fence about making this bag all black or to color block it, but I really love the way it turned out. The beige fabric is a cotton denim, and the black is a cotton canvas; both from Divazus. My lining fabrics are scraps from other sewing projects, but they’re all favorites from Fibers to Fabric. All of my zippers and hardware are from Wawak.
I finished this bag just in time to take on a trip with me to Porto, Portugal and it was perfect for carrying my phone, money, and earbuds. It was fun to twin with my kids who also brought theirs.
Now, it’s so nice to throw on a take with me to the store or the park and have it right where I can easily get to it. I’m a fan!
I shared this purple Tether Pouch (large size) that I made for a friend on Instagram a while ago but thought this would be the most fitting post to share about it here.
The purple fabric is a cotton/polyester, and the beautiful lining fabric is a cotton fabric. I found both at a local fabric store. I love the cool design of the lining. The beige strap I made with same cotton denim that I used for my bag. I had originally made a strap with the purple fabric, but it didn’t look very nice. So, I tried with the cream to match the zippers, and it looked much nicer.
I was so excited to give it to my friend that I couldn’t wait, and I gave it to her a couple of days before her birthday. I’m so happy with how it turned out and she loves it too, which is the best feeling!
Thank you for reading my blog today, and happy sewing! xoxo
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Great job, Tori! I love how you intermix beautiful clothes with very practical items from post to post. It’s fun and interesting to follow you!
Thanks Grandma! 💕 I really enjoy it!
The bags look great and I love how flat they lay and still have everything organized to find it easily without having to dump stuff out. They are also comfortable to wear and easy to keep valuables safe.
Thanks Sandy! I loved using yours when we took our first trip to Portugal and I’m so happy to have my own now. They really are super useful bags!