2018 - Handbags and Purses
I've never really liked handbags with a zip panel because they don't close up the bag completely and they have little bits of zipper sticking out at the sides of the bag. Nevertheless, I was determined to make a bag with a zip closure that I'd be happy with. I watched quite a few YouTube tutorials and noticed that each person makes these zip panels slightly differently. Debbie Shore does a cute inside out trick (Her "Sewing a Tote Bag with Pockets") but that was lethal for my bag because I found out the hard way that this only works for a very wide panel. I think my bag came out really well. It has a depth of 3 1/2 inches, it's 12 1/2 inches wide and is 10 inches high. It's very roomy and has a nice shape. The extra long zipper ends are vital or you end up with a bag that you cannot open completely!
This is Debbie Shore's tutorial which I modified and made into a smaller bag.
I used this video to see how Sara Lawson made her panel. Unlike Sara, I let both zipper ends extend past each side of the bag. I'm glad I did this otherwise there would be quite a big hole at one end of the top of the bag. After tucking the long unfinished sides in a half inch, pressing and sewing them closed, I drew a line 1 1/2 inches from the top of the lining and top stitched them onto the lining from underneath rather than from on top.