Upcycled Reusable Snack Bag

    Hello! It's about that time of the year where all the kiddos head back to school. With hundreds of snacks and lunches to be made, you'll probably end up plowing through tons of plastic snack or sandwich bags. With this easy tutorial, you can make reusable washable plastic snack bags to use for years to come. 

First off, what you will need more than anything is at least a fat quarter worth of plastic, or recycled woven plastic (almost tarp-like material). I've been rummaging around thrift shops and collecting reusable shopping bags that have cute prints. Most of the bags I've purchased have been $1 or less. You also use oilcloth fabric or another waterproof material. 

You will also need :

1. Scissors

2. A Ruler 

3. A Zipper! I used a 5" 519 Red YKK Zipper  

4. Thread, preferably the same color as the zipper of your choice. 

Step 1. Cut two pieces of waterproof material, both the same size. 

The zipper I used was 5 inches long. My fabric was 6 inches x 6 inches. Have your fabric at least one inch larger than the length of the zipper. 

Step 2. Open your zipper and sew face down on one piece of material. A trick to sewing past your zipper is stopping in the middle of the zipper leaving your needle in and lifting up the foot. Then zip up the zipper past the needle and put the foot down to finish sewing. This way you get a nice straight sturdy seam.

Step 3. Fold the zipper back over to the front and fold the material and hem along the zipper. This extra seam will make the pouch heavy duty. Perfect for all the washings and little hands grabbing snacks.

Step 4. Sew the zipper to the second piece of material face down. Make sure both front sides of the fabric are touching on the inside. 

Step 5. Fold the zipper back to the front side and hem along the zipper on the second side. 

Use your presser foot aligned with the zipper teeth to get a perfectly linear hem. 

Step 6. Open the zipper half way and sew around each side of the pouch. Make sure the pouch is inside out. This is the final step before you turn the pouch inside out through the zipper. 

There should be plenty of room to sew the zipper closed on each side of the pouch.

There you have it! Perfect for lunch boxes or snacks on the go. It only takes a few minutes and you'll never have to use disposable baggies again!

For all your zipper needs make sure you visit www.zipitzippers.com

DIY Zipper Pillow

Hello! Today I will be gracefully guiding all you crafters in zipper land, through creating your own zipper throw pillow. Sewing with zippers can be intimidating and this easy tutorial will help you along step by step. I also had to incorporate this super cute "Enamel Coffee Pot" paper piecing pattern from Sew Ichigo. For this project you will need : 

1. A Zipper! (I used a 9 inch black zipper)

2. Two pieces of fabric ( I used two 14"x14" Squares)

3. Two 3"x 6" pieces of fabric (I used Kitchen Motif Fabric) either matching your zipper or your fabric colors.

4. A sewing machine with preferably the same color thread as your zipper. 

5. Pins 

6. An Iron

Step 1. Take your two pieces of fabric measuring 3" x 6" and fold over 1/2 inch. Iron into place.

Step 2. Fold the two pieces in half so the 1/2 folds are touching.

Step 3. & 4. Pin each end of the zipper with your fabric with the fold opening towards the zipper.

Step 5. Sew a seam across the zipper bring the two folds together. 

Step 6. Is what the zipper head should look like.

Step 7. Is what the bottom of the zipper should look like. 

Step 8. Take one of your pieces of fabric right side up and pin zipper face down on the side you want to be the bottom of your pillow.

Step 9. Iron down your zipper on the non seamed finished side of your pillow bottom.

10. Lay out your pieces facing opposite of each other, then flip the other piece of fabric upside down on your piece in which the zipper is already sewn on. 

11. Pin 2nd piece of fabric onto the zipper making sure both front sides of the fabrics are touching. 

12. Sew the other side to the zipper and iron out both sides so they are flat.

Step 13. Open the zipper half way and pin the whole thing together. Pin the zipper sides as flat as you can so they will be easy to sew. 

14. Sew around the 3 non zipper edges. Sew a double seam for more durability. 

15. Finally turn the whole thing inside out, stuff it with a pillow form or stuffing & zip it up!

There you have it, a simple throw pillow! Now that you've got the hang of it, the possibilities are endless! What a great way to showcase your paper piecing skills. 

For all your zipper needs make sure you come to www.zipitzippers.com