Sunday, February 7, 2016

A Trio of Scissors Cases

The Tulip Scissors Case is a free pattern on Craftsy by CloBird. It was rated as a novice project and while the instructions and photos are very good and clear, I struggled so much with the dang zipper!!!! I have made 100's of bags with zippers and never had a problem with a zipper like I did with this scissors case. You see, you need to remove the metal zipper pull and stop off the zipper and you end up using one half of the zipper, which gets folded in half and then you need to feed the metal pull back on the 2 ends of the zipper. And that's where the problem is trying to put back the metal pull onto the zipper teeth. The first side seems to go in a lot easier and faster than the second side. I worked for more than 30 minutes to get the zipper pull onto the zipper teeth! The teeth would start to pull away from the zipper tape and I had to trim the zipper teeth neat and tidy and try this again, and again and again, etc.... I finally had nothing left of the zipper teeth to put into the metal pull, so then I had to rip it out and re-do it. Which meant ripping out the top-stitching, then ripping out the lining and finally ripping out the zipper from the exterior fabric. Then starting over with a new long zipper sewing it to the exterior, then the lining and top-stitching again. I was cursing and getting so frustrated with this project!!!

While this is a very cute scissors case and there are 3 sizes you can make, I certainly would not rate this a beginner project, especially if this is your first attempt at sewing in a zipper, because you might not want to sew another zipper ever. I don't know if a particular zipper brand would have worked better or easier or if I had some bad zippers, but how would I have known this? While she does tell you to take your time doing the zipper, she doesn't tell you that your zipper teeth might separate from the zipper tape like mine did. I am sure it was easy for her to do, but I just want to warn you in advance that if you have never sewn a zipper before, don't start with this project. You need patience and time to get this to work. Maybe you will be lucky and get the zipper pull to work quickly. The first case I made was the largest one and that one went together much quicker. The 2 smaller ones took so much time and ripping out. Could I be the only one making these cases that had trouble with the zippers? Who knows? Maybe it's just me. I am glad this pattern was free, but I ruined a couple of zippers just trying to make these cases. Just wanted to give a heads up on the zippers. I won't be sewing any more zippers that I need to take apart first and then put back together later. It's just not my thing. Anyone else who made these scissors cases, did you struggle with the zipper? Just curious.

They did turn out cute and useful.
This is the largest size case and has a zippered top pocket to hold your largest scissors and there is a front and back slip pocket to hold your smaller scissors or other sewing tools.
Smaller scissors can go in the outside pocket and some tweezers fit nicely too.
You can put your scissors inside the zippered pocket.
Or you can put your scissors on the outside pocket or other tools like seam rippers or a small ruler, etc.
I made a zipper pull using beads and a scissors charm I had.
These are the 2 smaller scissors cases. The one on the left is the Baby and the one on the right is the Passport. On these 2 cases I decided to bind the 2 edges rather than sewing them like I did for the larger case and having to turn them right-side-out. It was a bit of a wrestle to turn the larger one with all the thick layers. Besides, after my zippers were finally sewn, I just wanted to be done with this project!
I added some scissors charms to the zipper pulls I made for these two cases also.
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11 comments:

  1. How cute, and I love that little charm.

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  2. Oh Dear I am sorry these zipper projects gave you sew much trouble. I DO NOT attempt projects like these just because of the zipper issue. I find once a zipper is dismantled then somehow it always has issues from then on. The cases look nice and your charm is perfect.

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  3. Can I ask what brand of zipper you used? I'll try a different brand and see if it makes any difference. ;-) I love your zipper pulls! Just so sweet!

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    Replies
    1. Sandie you are a no-reply, so I couldn't email you directly. I hope you return here so that you can read my reply. I used "YKK" zippers. I love to make zipper pulls, so glad you like them.

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  4. Very cute! I like a challenge, maybe I'll try it.

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  5. Cute cases! Thanks for the warning. I don't think I have enough time left in my life to fuss with taking a zipper apart and putting it back together. I don't need anything that bad. Seems there must be a better way with this.

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  6. thanks for the warning, I hate using good fabric on a cute project just to have the project never get finished because I can't figure out the pattern. Your cases look good but luckily I already have a beautiful scissors case that you made me!
    tara

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  7. Very cute. Sounds really frustrating, though.

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  8. Very sweet charms on great scissors cases!

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  9. I am loving your charms as much as the cases, Daryl! (Come on, did you go out and get these charms JUST for these cases??) I have advice from someone who's made similar projects using just one half of a zipper: when you thread the pull back on, start with one side of the zipper tape longer than the other; trim them after you've done the deed. (Thanks, Jake!) I haven't done this myself, but it does make sense to me and maybe for anyone else who's brave enough to try, it may save some hair-pulling! Great job, though!

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  10. I know you know everything about zippers from seeing your gorgeous bags. It's not you. I've heard from others who have tried this process and
    had difficulty. I'll pass. But your scissor cozies are sweet.

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