A zipper pouch is two rectangles, a zipper and a lining, and once you know one number the whole thing drafts itself at any size. That number is the zipper: it finishes half an inch shorter than the finished width of the pouch. Everything else on this page follows from it.
What a zipper pouch is
Four pieces make one zipper pouch. Two outer panels, two lining panels cut the same size, something soft between them, and a zipper across the top. That is the whole object. The three methods below differ only in what happens to the raw edges inside, and that is worth saying out loud, because every zipper pouch tutorial you have ever watched is one of these three and the differences look bigger on camera than they are.
The soft layer is what makes a pouch stand up instead of flopping. Quilt batting is the obvious answer and works perfectly. Fusible fleece and the foam stabilizers sold for bags give a firmer wall that holds its shape when the pouch is empty. Batting from the batting collection is what most of these are made from, and a scrap left from a quilt is exactly the right size for a pouch.
The panels can be anything: one piece of fabric, a patchwork of squares, a piece you quilted yourself, or the offcut of something else. Ordinary quilting cotton is right for both the outer fabric and the lining fabric, and the two do not have to match in weight or in anything else. A pouch is the most forgiving thing in the sewing room because the finished object is small, it is not going on a bed, and nobody measures it. It is also the most beginner friendly thing you can put on a sewing machine that is not a straight seam, which is why an easy zipper pouch is where most people meet a zipper for the first time.
The zipper pouch size chart
Here is the part that most tutorials leave out. They give you one size and a zipper length, and the moment you want a different size you are on your own.
Cut both outer panels and both lining panels at the finished size plus half an inch, in both directions. Trim the zipper to the finished width minus half an inch, measuring that width across the panel rather than along the zipper. That is the entire drafting rule, and it holds at every size in this chart and every size that is not.
The last column is for patchwork panels. A 2 1/2 inch square finishes at 2 inches, so a grid of them lands exactly on these panel sizes with no math at all: four across and three down gives the 8 1/2 by 6 1/2 panel, and twenty four squares make the front and back of one pouch.
Two notes on the zipper. Buy longer than you need and trim it, because a zipper you can slide the pull off the end of is far easier to sew than one that is exactly the right length. And buy nylon rather than metal if you have the choice: a nylon zipper can be sewn over, backstitched over and cut through with a rotary cutter carrying an old blade, and a metal one can do none of those things without hurting your needle.
Cutting the panels from precuts and scraps
Precuts land on these sizes so neatly that it is almost suspicious.
A 5 inch charm square is already a 4 1/2 inch panel with room to trim, so two charm squares and a 3 1/2 inch zipper make the smallest pouch on the chart. Four of them make the front and back of a patchwork one.
A 10 inch square cuts one 8 1/2 by 6 1/2 panel with fabric to spare, so two layer cake squares make the standard notions pouch. A single 10 inch square also makes a whole pouch on its own, which is method two below.
A 2 1/2 inch strip is the patchwork route. One strip from a jelly roll cuts sixteen squares, which is more than one panel needs, and a pouch made from four or five different strips is the best possible use of the end of a roll.
For the lining, use the fabric you are never going to put in a quilt. Every quilter has some. A pouch lining is seen for two seconds at a time by one person, and it is the one place where a print you have gone off does real work. If you would rather it match, solids line a pouch beautifully and never fight the outside.
If you have never put a zipper into anything, start with this tutorial. Yvonne sews one into two circles of charm square fabric, which is the same insertion at its simplest, and the instructions carry over to every pouch below.
Method one, the lined pouch with zipper tabs
This is the one to learn first. It gives a pouch with no raw edge anywhere, inside or out, and the tabs at each end of the zipper are what make it straightforward rather than fiddly.
Cut two rectangles 1 3/4 by 3 inches for the tabs. Press each one in half along its length, open it, press both raw ends in to that center crease, then fold it in half again, so you have a little folded strip with no raw edges. Trim the zipper to the finished width minus half an inch, with the pull somewhere in the middle, and slide each end of the zipper into the fold of a tab. Sew across an eighth of an inch from the folded edge, catching both layers. The zipper is now exactly the right length with a neat finished end at each side.
Lay one outer panel right side up. Lay the zipper on it face down, centered, with the edge of the zipper tape level with the top edge of the panel. The panel is wider than the tabbed zipper, and it should be: that extra is the side seam allowance, and it is what stops you sewing through the zipper teeth later. Clip it and baste an eighth of an inch from the edge. This basting line is the step people skip and then wonder why the layers shift.
Now lay a lining panel on top, right side down, so the zipper is sandwiched. Line up the top edges, clip, and sew the real seam this time, a quarter inch from the edge, through all three layers. Open it out so the outer and the lining fall away from the zipper with their wrong sides together, press, and topstitch a quarter inch from the folded edge. That topstitching is not decoration. It holds the lining back so it cannot catch in the zipper, which is the single most common fault in a homemade pouch.
Repeat all of that on the other side of the zipper with the second outer panel and the second lining panel. When you have finished you have a flat, slightly strange looking thing with a zipper across the middle and four panels hanging off it.
Open the zipper at least halfway before you go any further. If you sew the pouch shut with the zipper closed there is no way to turn it right side out, and the only fix is to rip a seam out.
Fold it so the two outer panels are right sides together and the two lining panels are right sides together, with the zipper running across the middle. The zipper tabs should sit just inside where your seam will run. Clip all the way around, and leave a three inch gap unclipped in the bottom edge of the lining. Sew all the way around with a quarter inch seam, backstitching at both sides of that gap. Where the seam crosses the zipper, sew slowly, and stitch a short line perpendicular to the seam at each end of the zipper. Those two little stitched lines take the strain when you turn the pouch, and they are the difference between a corner that holds and one that opens up.
Clip the four corners diagonally to take the seam allowances out of the bulk, or box them, which is the next section. Then turn the whole pouch right side out through the gap in the lining, push the corners out with something blunt, fold the raw edges of the gap in and close it, either with a line of machine stitching close to the fold or by hand if you want it invisible. Push the lining down inside and you are done.
Method two, one square and no lining at all
The fastest of the three, and the one to reach for when you want six pouches by Friday. One 10 inch square of outer fabric, one of lining, one of thin batting, and a zipper at least 14 inches long makes one pouch with no turning and no gap to close.
Stack the batting, the outer fabric right side up, and the lining right side down, so the two fabrics are right sides together with the batting underneath. Sew a quarter inch seam along two opposite edges only. Turn the whole thing right side out through one of the open ends, so the batting is now enclosed, press those two seamed edges flat, and topstitch a quarter inch in from each of them. You now have a padded rectangle with two finished edges and two raw ones, and you can quilt it however you like before going further. Straight lines an inch apart are plenty.
Lay one finished edge right up against the zipper teeth, not on top of them and not a distance away, and sew an eighth of an inch from that folded edge. Then fold the zipper tape back and sew a second line directly on top of the first, which holds the tape flat on the inside. Bring the other finished edge around to the other side of the zipper, pin the two ends so they line up, and do the same: a line close to the fold, then a second over it. You now have a tube with the zipper teeth showing between the two finished edges.
Open the zipper right out, which gives you room to work, and turn the tube inside out. Sew the two side seams with a quarter inch seam, going slowly across the zipper and backstitching over it. Once you have backstitched over the zipper you can cut the excess zipper off flush with the seam, which is alarming the first time and completely safe. Zigzag the raw edges of those two seams so they do not fray, turn the pouch out through the open zipper, and it is finished.
The same starting rectangle makes several shapes depending on where you put the zipper and how you fold it: across the top for a flat pouch, around to the side for a side opening, or off center for a taller bag. It is the same construction every time.
Method three, quilt your own fabric and bind it
The third route treats the pouch as a very small quilt, which is exactly what it is. A quilted zipper pouch takes the longest of the three and it looks the best, and it is the one Yvonne uses in her eyeglass case tutorial, for the cases she makes as gifts.
Two 8 by 10 pieces of fabric and one 8 by 10 piece of batting, spray basted together like any quilt sandwich. She quilts it with a seam guide on the foot set at about an inch, marking only the first line: after that the guide rides on the previous row of stitching and no more marking is needed. Diagonals one way, then diagonals the other, and the piece comes out with a grid of little diamonds. Our guide to walking foot machine quilting covers that technique at any size.
Then the shape. Mark 6 inches up the left hand side and cut from that mark to the top right corner, which gives the angled opening that an eyeglass case wants. The zipper goes on that angled edge, face down, sewn close to the teeth and flipped up and topstitched to the tape. She uses only one half of the zipper here, separates it, and puts the pull back on the single side, leaving a tail of tape to hold while she works it on. The pouch is then sewn around at a quarter inch and the raw edge is covered with a binding cut 2 inches wide, sewn to the back and flipped to the front so the topstitching lands where she can see it.
The whole of it, start to finish, is in her eyeglass case tutorial.
A glue pen along the edge holds the binding while it is stitched down, which is the same trick that works on a full size quilt. Our machine binding method is the one to follow, scaled down.
Boxing the corners
A flat pouch holds flat things. If you want one that stands up and holds a pair of scissors and a tape measure, box the corners, and the arithmetic is simple enough to do in your head.
With the pouch still inside out, cut a square out of each bottom corner, through all layers, the same size at all four. Open each cut corner so the side seam lies on top of the bottom seam, making a straight edge, and sew across it with a quarter inch seam.
The square you cut out decides the shape. A square of any size gives a base twice that deep, and takes twice that off the width and once that off the height. Cut 1/2 inch squares and you get a 1 inch base, which is enough to make the pouch sit up. Cut 1 inch squares and you get a 2 inch base, which is a proper box. Cut 1 1/2 inch squares and the zipper pouch becomes a small bag, deep enough to stand on a table with the rulers in it.
The other route to the same thing is to skip the cutting, flatten each corner into a triangle with the seams aligned, and sew straight across it, three quarters of an inch from the point. Same result, one less step, slightly less predictable. Both are in the printable sheet.
What goes wrong at the zipper, and the fixes
Four things go wrong, and all four have the same cause: the zipper is the only part of a pouch that is not fabric.
The lining catches in the teeth. This is the one that ruins an otherwise good pouch, and the fix is the quarter inch topstitch in method one. If the lining is held back away from the teeth by a line of stitching, it cannot wander in. If you skipped it, you can still add it after the fact.
The end of the zipper is a lump. Layers of zipper tape, seam allowance and fabric all meet at the same point. Tabs solve it: they replace the bulky metal stop with two thin folds of cotton, which is why method one starts there. If you are not using tabs, at least trim the zipper long, sew the side seams past the teeth, and cut the excess away afterward.
The zipper edge is too thick to sew. This happens when the panel is a quilted piece or a seamed patchwork panel rather than flat fabric. The fix is to give the zipper a thin edge to sit against: trim the top of the panel and add a strip of plain fabric, two and a half inches cut, across the top. The zipper then meets one clean layer instead of a padded seam.
You sewed it shut. Every pouch in every method has to have the zipper open before the last seam. There is no way around it and no fix except ripping the seam out. Open the zipper halfway, then sew.
The free zipper pouch pattern sheet
Everything above is on one page you can print and keep by the machine, and it is the only zipper pouch pattern you will need at any of these sizes: the full size chart with panel, zipper and patchwork columns, the boxed corner rule, the three shapes drawn, and the order of work for all three methods.
Download the free pattern sheet here: the zipper pouch pattern sheet. It prints on letter or A4, nothing needs to print at actual size because a pouch has no templates, and it is free to print, use and teach.
Zipper pouch questions we are asked most
What length zipper do I need?
Half an inch shorter than the finished width of the pouch, once it is trimmed. An 8 inch pouch takes a 7 1/2 inch zipper. Buy at least an inch longer than that and trim it down, because being able to slide the pull off the end while you sew makes the whole job easier.
Can I use a zipper that is too long?
Yes, and with method two you should. Sew the side seams across the zipper, backstitch over it to lock the teeth, and cut the excess off flush. This works on nylon zippers. Do not do it with metal.
What size should I cut my fabric?
The finished size plus half an inch in both directions, for the outer panels and the lining panels alike. A pouch that finishes at 8 by 6 takes four panels cut 8 1/2 by 6 1/2, two outer and two lining.
Do I need a zipper foot?
It helps and it is not compulsory. A zipper foot lets you sew closer to the teeth, which gives a neater result. If your zipper has wide tape you can often use an ordinary presser foot and stay clear of the teeth entirely. What matters more is going slowly.
What do I put between the layers?
Quilt batting for a soft pouch, fusible fleece for a firmer one, foam stabilizer for a pouch that stands up on its own when empty. Batting scraps left over from a quilt are the usual answer and cost nothing. If the outer fabric is light and the batting shows through, back it with a lightweight fusible interfacing first.
How do I stop the lining catching in the zipper?
Topstitch a quarter inch from the folded edge on each side of the zipper, through the outer fabric and the lining, once the zipper is sewn in. It takes two minutes and it is the difference between a pouch you use and one you put in a drawer.
My pouch will not turn right side out.
The zipper is closed. It is always the zipper. Rip two inches of the lining seam out, open the zipper, and turn it through the gap.
How do I get the zipper pull back on?
Cut the zipper tape square at the end, then trim two or three teeth off one side so you have a little tail of bare tape to hold. Feed the top of the zipper into the pull, hold both the tape and the pull, and pull it on. It takes more hands than you have, so anchor the far end under something. Once it is on, sew back and forth across the tape at the end so the pull cannot run off again.
How much fabric does a pouch take?
Almost none, which is the point. The largest bag on the chart takes two pieces of fabric 12 1/2 by 10 1/2 for the outside and two for the lining, which is a fat quarter of each. Every size below that comes out of scraps, and a pouch is the fastest way to turn a pile of offcuts into something a person can hold. If you have more scraps than pouches to make, our guide to sorting scraps is the place to start.
Can I make a pouch without a lining?
Yes, and method two is exactly that. The lining fabric is still there, but it is joined to the outer before the pouch is assembled rather than after, so there is no turning through and no gap to close. The seams inside are finished with a zigzag rather than hidden.
What to have ready
Two outer panels and two lining panels, cut to the size on the chart. Batting or fleece the same size. A zipper longer than you need, nylon rather than metal. Thread that disappears into the fabric on the topstitching, which for most of these is a fine 50 weight cotton from the thread collection.
Clips rather than pins, because pins leave holes in the zipper tape and clips hold the thick bits without a fight. A glue pen for the binding if you are taking method three. Both live in the notions drawer.
A square ruler for trimming the panels true before you start, from the rulers we stock, and an old rotary blade kept aside for cutting zipper tape, which will blunt a good one.
Where to start
Sew one 8 by 6 zipper pouch by method one, from whatever fabric is nearest, with a zipper that is too long. It takes under an hour, it uses four rectangles and it teaches you the only two things that matter: the topstitch that keeps the lining out of the teeth, and opening the zipper before the last seam.
Then make five more. Pouches are the one project where making a batch is faster than making one, because every stage is the same on all of them and you change the foot once instead of six times. Cut all the panels, tab all the zippers, baste all the fronts, and work through the pile a stage at a time.
More projects drafted this way are collected on our beginner quilt patterns page.
