round zipper case tutorial

I made this during the oilcloth + leather series, but I had a little SD card fiasco. I lost all my photos! But then I found my card and all is well. So here is an encore project – a round zipper case tutorial ;).

One fun thing about leather is that it can be pretty sturdy. Some types are thicker or less pliable than others which makes for a challenge when sewing. This project uses that stability to it’s advantage!

This rounded leather zipper pouch is nice and sturdy and makes a cute little holder that stands up on it’s own. Which is nice for little hands who need a place for crayons and things. I also made one of them into a nail polish pouch for myself. Obviously, I have gifts on the mind since it is December, and this one is very versatile in that way! Stuff it with a gift card, tiny toys or candy!

My favorite part about these pouches is the zippers! I just cut a hole in the leather and sewed right around it—the easiest zipper I have ever installed! This might be a good project if you are currently scared of zippers, but want to use them in your sewing! I love the extra pop of color a bright zipper can add.

I also added a secret material to this pouch to make the side circles really stiff. It’s thin cardboard glued inside. I don’t often mix sewing and papercrafts, but it worked well in this project and gave me the stability I wanted. It’s sorta like a mini duffle bag.

We quickly turned these into crayon cases, they are the perfect size!

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Round Zipper Case Tutorial

Materials:
-leather
-contrast fabric
-interfacing
-thin cardboard (cereal box, back of an art paper pad, toy packaging etc)
-one 7″ zipper with wide tape
-scotch tape
-double stick tape
-glue gun

ROUND ZIPPER CASE

Cut out the following:
1 main piece from leather
1 tab piece from leather 4″ by 1″
2 circles from fabric
2 circles from interfacing
2 circles from cardboard (use inner dashed line)

Trace the zipper opening on to the main piece using a pencil.

Snip into the leather and cut out the oval.

Open up the zipper about 1″.

Position the zipper into the oval opening. Make sure the open ends of the zipper tape stay close together.

Use scotch tape to tape the zipper in place.

Sew around the zipper opening at about 1/8″.

Clip the ends of the zipper off and remove tape.

Clip the short edges of the main piece together.

Sew along the edge.

Use double stick tape to hold the seam allowance down. Press the seam allowance into the double stick tape and smooth it out.

Fold the tab in half.

And clip it over the zipper.

Fuse interfacing to the back of the circle end pieces. Stitch around the circle at 3/8″ using a baste stitch.

Pull the stitching to give the circle some shape.

Clip the circle into the cylinder. The right sides will be inside.

Sew around.

Repeat on other side. Make sure zipper is open.

Push a cardboard circle into the ends of the tube. This is a little tricky, but just shove it in there and it will look great! Use a glue gun to glue the seam allowance down to the cardboard.

You may be able to put one cardboard piece in before turning. Glue it in and turn the cylinder through the zipper. Then put the other one in. It is a little tricky to maneuver.

And you’re done!

Now fill it all up!