Small Open Wide Zipper Pouch

I made this quite some time ago (like years ago) and forgot to post it. This is the Open Wide Zippered Pouch (byAnnie Pattern). This is the small size. The pattern comes in 3 sizes. I decided to use some batik fabric that I sewed into a free form patchwork style and then quilted it.

I added a cute little cloud button on the bag.

This is what the other side looks like.

And as you can see it does open wide. You can add pockets inside if you want, but since one is small, I didn't think it needed pockets.

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Open Wide Zipper Bag Size Large

I made the largest Open Wide Bag (by Annie pattern) and like my small size Open Wide Bags, I yarn couched, sewed decorative machine embroidery stitches and added a few hand embroidered stitches all over the bag. This large size is nice and large. I used an ombre fabric that goes from pales greens to light blue to a medium blue.

Here is one side of the bag.

This is the other side of the bag.

This side of the bag has the zipper tab to tuck in the zipper end when closing the bag.

On one side of the bag where the zipper is I added a zipper pull that I made.

Inside the bag I divided one pocket and left the other one large. Again I made my pockets in fabric rather than mesh.

Bottom of the bag has decorative stitches too.

I am off this morning with a friend to drive to Taos. The annual Taos Wool Festival held in Kit Carson Park is this Saturday and Sunday. It will be a fun weekend and I hope to have lots of pictures to share when I return. We'll be staying in the Ski area so it should be nice and quiet up there since it's before the ski season starts. Adios amigas (and amigos). Pin It Now!

Open Wide Bags With Fancy Stitches

I made 2 more Open Wide Bags. The pattern is from Annie Unrein of ByAnnie. I made both of these in the small size. I made the medium Open Wide in a black with white polka dots first when I tested this bag for Annie. I really like this bag a lot and next time I will be making the large size.

I wanted to try playing with my fancy machine stitches, so I stitched various stitches in variety of threads and colors. I also couched some yarn too. Both bag exteriors were from the same tie dyed piece of fabric that I had. I chose a different lining and accent color for each bag. Since I was making these bags rather artsy looking, I didn't add the accent strip on the fronts of either bag. I had so much fun using the different stitches and threads. I used cotton, polyester and rayon threads. Some were variegated and some were solid colors. I used a variety of yarn scraps too: wool, eyelash yarn, ladder yarn, ribbon yarn, acrylic, and some blends too. I will be using this technique on more bags and quilts because I had so much fun and am using up some yarn scraps too (although not much yarn is used). I should have taken photos of the fabrics with all the stitches on them before I cut them up and sewed the pieces. Several stitches got mostly or completely cut off, but they still turned out looking great!

I stitched this bag, with the green accents, making the stitches vertical. This is one side of the bag.

This is the other side of the bag. Since the stitches were done vertically, you can see most of the same stitches on both sides of the bag.

Here is the side of the bag with the zipper tab tucked in to hold it in place when it's closed.

Again, I chose to use fabric for the inside pockets instead of the mesh suggested in the pattern. 

I left one pocket large and the other one I divided in half with some stitching.

This is the second bag I made with a pink stripe accent fabric. On this bag I chose to stitch the various stitches horizontally, rather than vertically. So each side looks different. I had some tinsel eyelash yarn that I couched. It has a metallic look to it, but the couching flattens a lot of the tinsel eyelash look of the yarn.

The side with the zipper tab tucked in when closed. I used a metal zipper on this bag.

The other side of the bag you can see has different stitches and thread colors. The aqua yarn at the top I couched was a chenille-like yarn. On the very bottom of the back is a rainbow ribbon yarn, but you can barely see it on the bottom right. The pink and blue satin stitch above is the same stitch, only I mirror imaged one of them.

Of course I added zipper pulls to both bags. Sorry part of this photo is a touch out of focus.

The lining has fabric pockets here too.

I also divided one of the inside pockets in half creating a total of 3 inside pockets, like I did with the other bag.

Here are both small bags. Even though they are small, they are pretty roomy inside.

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Open Wide! Zipper Bag

I recently tested a new bag pattern by Annie Unrein (inventor of Soft and Stable), called Open Wide! This cute and functional bag comes in 3 sizes: small-medium-large. Having to decide which size I would make first, I opted for the middle size. I figured that way I would know the small would be smaller and the large would be larger than this middle size in case I want to make another one in a different size. For a medium size bag this one is really roomy and true to it's name; it does open wide to see what's inside and to get at your things easier too.

Annie uses a lot of mesh material for her pockets in several of her patterns. I do have some mesh and have used the mesh before. The advantage of using mesh it that you can see what's in those pockets, but sometimes if you are placing tiny things in the pockets or things that could poke out, mesh isn't always the best choice to use. So I thought I would use fabric for the pockets this time, rather than the mesh that is called for. I wanted to see if it would work as well and I am pleased with the results. I used 2 layers of fabric for the pockets. I could have divided the pockets by stitching one or both pockets in half to make another pocket, but I didn't on this bag. When I make another bag, especially the larger size, I will be dividing the pockets in half.

I love how the binding provides a place to grab onto while unzipping the zipper and the other end of the bag has a loop to grab when zipping the bag closed. Plus that end loop is where you can tuck the zipper end into as well. I think it would be easy to add a slip pocket on the outside front or back too, and I may try that on the next bag I make. I will be making more of these in the other sizes for sure!

The front of the bag with an accent strip. The top binding forms a loop on the left so that you can grab onto it when unzipping the bag.

The back of the bag. I could try adding a slip pocket here if I wanted to when I make another Open Wide bag.

The long zipper end tucks into the grab loop.

See why it's called "Open Wide!"There are 2 large pockets that could easily be divided in half with some stitching. I will do that on the next bag I make. I opted to use fabric for the pockets (2 layers) rather than mesh for the pockets. Either fabric or mesh works well.

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