little zipper bags

I often want to put together an last-minute gift. (Sometimes because I want to surprise someone for an occasion I just found out about, sometimes because I have procrastinated so long that what should have been "planned" became "last-minute." Don't be like me.) My go-to project right now is a little zipper bag.

This first one I just made up. It was for a cheer friend of Frances's whose cheer uniform didn't arrive with all the others and I wanted to surprise her with something when everyone else had gotten their new uniforms.

I printed out letters and traced them onto the toile fabric and fused them with Steam a Seam. I added some random stitching as an accent. I kind of like how that turned out--I'll have to remember that for later.

This one was so last-minute that I didn't have time to get out the background and take a proper picture.

Then I decided to dive into the big pile of ideas I've saved from my favorite blogs--I got this pattern from Anna at Noodlehead. It was for my friend Leala for her birthday. She's Japanese American so I picked out my favorite Japanese Hawaiian scraps from my Postcards from Hawaii quilt.

I love the way this bag opens up all the way, and I love the little fabric tab at the end of the zipper.

This one was for another of Frances's friends for her birthday. It was a holder for a PacSun gift card.

Franny picked out the country-ish fabrics to suit her friend's personality. She is always so good at putting colors and patterns together. Luckily I have a little stash of zippers so I can whip up one of these bags without a trip to the fabric store. I think this zip came from a Laura Ashley maternity dress. The fabric went to make a little jumper for Frances when she was a toddler. I think I still have a handful of covered buttons--I wonder where they'll end up!