Zip-Around Organiser Pattern Maker
A small pouch that opens flat like a book keeps a handbag’s odds and ends in order: plasters and wipes held by elastic on one side, a pocket for the rest on the other, and one zip all the way round.
Choose the closed size, how many rows of elastic and how they are divided, how thick the things they hold are, and how deep the pocket is. The elastic for each loop, the zip length round the rounded corners, and the steps are all worked out for you. A gusset option makes it thick enough for a tissue pack.
Make it yours: This is a starting point. Change the size, proportions, pockets, closures, strap or handle lengths and other details to suit how you will use it, and measure the item (or yourself) it is for. If you are unsure, sew a quick mock-up in scrap fabric first.
Make this pattern in your size →Who it's for
- Anyone putting together a first-aid kit, or a tissue and sanitary pouch, for a bag
- Sewists who want elastic loops that actually hold what they’re meant to
- Makers ready for their first zip round a curve
How it works
- Type the closed width and height, and pick a flat spine or a gusset
- Set the elastic: how many rows, how wide, how many sections, and how thick the items are
- Set the pocket depth and how many sections it has
- Print, sew the elastic and pocket to the lining, then sew the zip round the outer and finish the lining
Frequently asked questions
How long is the zip?
It runs along the top, round a corner, down the side, round the other corner and along the bottom. The app adds those up at the zip’s teeth, curves included, and suggests a zip a little longer so the ends can be trimmed.
How much elastic does each loop need?
Enough to go up, over and down the item: the section’s width plus twice the item’s thickness, less about 15% so it grips, and never less than the section itself.
Why can’t the corners be sharper?
A zip tape only turns a curve smoothly if the curve is gentle compared with the tape’s width. The smallest corner is set from the tape width you enter, and the steps tell you to snip the tape’s inner edge as you go round.