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 PROTM TG1600 Pro Plus Smart Iron – Tula PinkTM 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.
Use a ruler and pins to line up and secure the patch pocket before stitching.
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.
Layer two pieces of lining with the narrow top edge of the zipper pocket.
Once the top seam is sewn, I’ll press it again and then topstitch.
Fold back the seams so the wrong sides are together, press, 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.
Layer the outside of the pocket, the zipper and the lining and clip.
I’ll fold the fabric back from the zipper, press it, and then topstitch along the seam.
Fold the fabrics away from the zipper, press and topstitch.
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.
Clip the zipper to the narrow piece of outside quilted fabric with 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.
The three pieces of lining for the zippered pocket.
Now, I’ll baste along the outside edges of the two pockets so the lining stays in place when the bag is sewn.
Baste the outside edge of the lining to the quilted outside pieces of the purse.
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.
The original lining shows how the slit was cut for the zipper.
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 PROTM TG1600 Pro Plus Smart Iron – Tula PinkTM 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.
The inset zipper sewn into a piece of the green purse lining.
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
Go to part 5: Why Basting Makes Purse Assembly Easier and More Accurate