Made from a beautiful vintage fabric, this make-up bag would make a beautiful handmade gift for someone this Christmas. You can easily adjust the measurements to make it larger or smaller to suit your needs.
You will need
Two rectangles each of print fabric, cotton fabric for the lining, and medium-weight fusible interfacing, 8 ¾ in
(22cm) wide by 9in (23cm) high
Matching sewing thread
8in (20cm) nylon zipper
One 6 ¼ in (16cm) length of narrow rickrack for zipper pull
Dimensions
The finished make-up bag measures 6 ¼ in (16cm) high, 3 ½ in (9cm) thick, and 8in (20cm) wide at the top
1. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, iron the interfacing to the wrong side of both print fabric pieces.
Place the closed zipper, face down, along the top edge of the right side of one interfaced fabric piece, with raw edges even and with the zipper pull at the left, 3/8in (1cm) in from the side edge. Now place a lining piece right side down on top, lining up its raw edges with the edges of the interfaced fabric piece. Pin in place through all the layers. Hand baste (tack), then remove the pins. With the zipper foot on the machine, stitch just above the zipper teeth.
2. Pull the pieces of fabric away from the seam, so they are wrong sides together and the zipper is exposed. Lay the raw edge of the closed zipper face down along the top edge of the right side of the other interfaced piece, with raw edges even, with the zipper pull at the right this time, 3/8in (1cm) from the side edge. Place the other lining piece on top, as in step 1. Pin and then hand baste in place, and stitch just above the zipper teeth, with the zipper foot on the machine. Take care not to catch in any of the fabric that you attached in step 1.
3. Reposition the fabric pieces so that the two print pieces are facing right sides together and the two lining pieces are also facing right sides together, with the zipper in between.
Line up the raw edges, pin them together at either end of the zipper, and then open the zipper, before pinning all around the edges. Stitch a 3/8in (1cm) seam around the edges, pivoting the fabric at the corners and leaving an opening at what will be the bottom edge of the lining. (For more information on how to sew on a zipper, check out our tutorials blog.)
4. At one corner of the print fabric pieces, separate the two fabric layers and rearrange them so that the bottom seam and the side seam are aligned down the center, and the pouch body comes away from the corner in a triangular shape. Press the seams open. Using a ruler and a water-soluble pen, mark the line at right angles to the seam 1 ¼ in (3cm) from the tip of the corner.
5. Stitch along the line, then snip off the corner, leaving a ¼ in (5mm) seam allowance. Repeat steps 4 and 5—known as boxing the corners—for the other printed-fabric corner and for both lining corners.
6. Turn the pouch right side out through the opening in the lining. Fold in the seam allowances on the opening and slipstitch the edges together. Push the lining into the bag. Tie a length of rickrack to the zipper pull, knotting the ends.
For more practical sewing projects for the home, check out Stylish Home Sewing by Torie Jayne.