3 Ways to Sew Pockets for a Quilted Purse

Yesterday on QUILTsocial, I followed 6 easy steps to create a purse pattern using SEW EASY Freezer Paper for Quilting and Appliqué.

Now that all the pieces for the new purse have been cut out, I’ll start making the many pockets today. I’ll use UNIQUE QUILTING Clever Clips Small – 12 pcs,  a CLOVER 7807 – Hold it Precision Stiletto and my OLISO PRO^TM TG1600 Pro Plus Smart Iron – Tula Pink^TM on a UNIQUE QUILTING Wool Pressing Mat – 18″ x 24″ – Grey to help me make these pockets perfect.

Sewing the patch pocket

The patch pocket will be the easiest one to make, so I’ll start with it. I’ll follow the same process that I used to make pocket number one in my QUILTsocial post of June 18, 2025. Once I’ve turned the pocket right side out, I’ll use my CLOVER 7807 – Hold it Precision Stiletto to poke out the corners so that they are nice and sharp. Then I’ll topstitch along the pocket’s top to reinforce it.

Next, I’ll use my OMNIGRID Ruler – 6″ x 24″ (15.2 x 61cm) to center the pocket on the one lining section and my CLOVER 2501 – Silk Pins (Boxed) – 36mm (1³⁄₈″) to secure it in place. I’ll topstitch it in place along the two short sides and the bottom, and then topstitch a vertical line to divide the pocket into two sections.

Sewing the outer pockets

The outside of the purse has two large open pockets, and one of them has a second zippered pocket. This one is a little more complicated, but since I took lots of pictures, I’ll be able to put it together with just a few steps.

The simple outer pocket is very easy to make. All I needed to do was sew the outside quilted fabric piece to the lining, right sides together, then turn it inside out so the wrong sides were together, press the seam, and topstitch.

The second pocket needs two layers of lining, one for the big pocket and one for the zippered pocket. I’ll layer the slight top edge of the zipper pocket with two identical pieces of lining. I’ll use UNIQUE QUILTING Clever Clips Small – 12 pcs to secure the three layers.

Once the top seam is sewn, I’ll press it again and then topstitch.

The next step is to sew the lower edge of the zipper to the lower side of the pocket and lining. I’ll layer the outside of the pocket right side up, pin the zipper to it with the zipper right side down, and then top it with the lining right side down. However, my lining fabric has no right or wrong side, so that makes it much easier. I’ll use UNIQUE QUILTING Clever Clips Small – 12 pcs to hold it all together while I sew along the edge.

I’ll fold the fabric back from the zipper, press it, and then topstitch along the seam.

Now, sew this to the other part of the pocket made in the previous step. The slight top edge of the packet needs to be sewn to the top side of the zipper. I’ll clip these together so that the zipper and fabric are right sides together.

Once this seam is sewn, I’ll press and topstitch again along the length of the zipper. As you can see, this pocket has three pieces of lining: two for the zippered pocket and one for the large open pocket.

Now, I’ll baste along the outside edges of the two pockets so the lining stays in place when the bag is sewn.

Sewing the inset zipper

The second inside lining for the original bag had a zipper sewn right in the middle of the fabric. When I deconstructed this zipper, I could see how the original was sewn in. A slit was cut in the middle of the fabric, and two small diagonal slits were cut at each end. This allowed the seam allowance to be folded back on all four sides, creating a hole large enough for the zipper to fit behind.

On my SEW EASY Freezer Paper for Quilting and Applique – 12.1m x 38.1cm (13.2yd x 15) template, I marked the exact spot of the original slit so that I could make the same slits in my green lining fabric. I’ll use my OLISO PRO^TM TG1600 Pro Plus Smart Iron – Tula Pink^TM and my UNIQUE QUILTING Wool Pressing Mat – 18″ x 24″ – Grey to press back the raw edges, and then I’ll center the zipper right side up behind the hole and then topstitch along all four edges to secure.

Wow! I can’t believe that we’re down to the last steps of recreating this purse. Today, the UNIQUE QUILTING Clever Clips Small – 12 pcs, CLOVER 2501 – Silk Pins (Boxed) – 36mm (1³⁄₈″), and OMNIGRID Ruler – 6″ x 24″ (15.2 x 61cm) make it relatively easy to construct these plain and zippered pockets. Now that the pockets have been sewn to the lining fabric and the outside pockets have been constructed, there are just a couple more steps to finishing the bag.

Tomorrow, I’ll show you how I make the purse strap and how to put everything together to make the new and improved purse for Marion. See you then for the quilted purse reveal!

This is part 4 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 3: 6 Easy Steps to Make Purse Pattern Pieces Using Freezer Paper