Pouch closed

During a recent visit to a friend she showed me a project made from a free pattern on the Craftsy website. This Peek-a-Boo Pouch is very different to other projects and at the same time offers another opportunity to use some clear vinyl. I had to try out this project as I felt it could be a contender for Christmas gifts to friends and relatives. I decided to use a fat quarter of a pretty pink cotton printed with poodles and various other motifs.

Now, I am a pretty confident stitcher but I did not find this pouch particularly easy to sew. Firstly, I had difficulty stitching the zip to the clear vinyl and in the end had to bind the edges of the vinyl to provide a good base for the feed dogs on the machine. Secondly, I could not work out which part and why, the KAM popper should be inserted at this stage, to the straight end of the pouch. This all became clear when the pouch was all but finished and to apply the KAM popper was made very difficult as virtually all the seams had been stitched. As demonstrated by my friend, the ends of the zip are enclosed in the outer seam of the pouch which does not make for the neatest of finishes. Next time I will apply binding at the ends of the zip. I think that my measuring of the vinyl pockets must have been off – the line of dividing stitches for the slip pocket shows through onto the outside front of the pouch and it does not fold into 3 quite the way that it should. Finally, the instructions advise to leave a gap in the curved end of the pouch to facilitate turning through but then it is more difficult to get a neat curve on the finish. Next time I will leave a gap in the straight end of the pouch.

Pouch opened out

That being said I believe that the concept of the pouch is very good.I fully intend to make another and incorporate various features that will improve the final project.