Mini Heart Pouches – an adorable project to make as a sweet gift for adults, kids or you! Think about all those little things you’re always losing in the depths of your handbag – earbuds, change, lip gloss, nail clippers – wouldn’t a cute Mini Heart Pouch improve your daily life? Your Mini Heart Pouch will be about 4-1/2” in diameter when finished, so it’s the perfect project for charm squares, fat quarters or 5” square or larger fabric scraps . You’ll need two 5” squares for the outside and two for the inside. Think about a contrast lining, it’s always nice to find a little surprise inside! Silk or poly for the lining would be ultra-luxe and a modern combo of linen and cotton would be fabulous, too. So many fabrics, so many possibilities – I think I’ll be making a lot of these! I love the diagonal zipper across the front of the pouch, it’s so much more interesting than straight! Erin from the Dog Under My Feet blog recommends that you be careful to cut your fabric on straight of grain, either vertical or horizontal, to keep it from stretching when you stitch the zipper in. You’re going to love her zipper application method. Plan to file it for future use, too. As for that zip, it could be the focal point of your Mini Heart Pouch. Use a solid fabric and a print zipper, a print fabric and a bright contrasting color zipper or one of the cute, cute, cute scallop edge Coats zippers. Click here to see your Coats zip options! Curves? Yes, I hear you, but you can do this! Erin has maker-friendly tips for curvy stitching that will get you through this project and give you confidence for the future. If curves really make you tense, try out Erin’s method on a scrap or three until you feel comfortable enough to take on the fabric you actually want to use. Along with fabric, zipper and thread, you’ll need batting and I think a light weight would be the way to go. It’s always wise to reduce bulk when you’re going to be turning something inside out. You may want to do a little free-motion or straight line quilting on your Mini Heart Pouch front and back before stitching the two sides together. Feel free to play and be creative! You can stitch these little handbag helpers in one sewing session or 10 – 15 minute bites here and there. Click here and start by reading through the Mini Heart Pouch tutorial and downloading the PDF pattern that Erin included. You’ll want to look over her Circle Zip Pouch tutorial, too, so watch for the link in the tutorial. If you’re inspired to make a whole flock of these like I am, plan an “assembly line” sewing session. Choose all your fabrics and stack them in sets of fronts, backs and linings Cut all pieces and stack them in the combos you chose. Choose a zipper for each combo. It should be at least 6”, but since it will be cut during your project, longer will be fine. Put each fabric combo with it’s zipper in a zip lock bag until you’re ready for your “assembly line” session. Cut out all batting pieces you will need and put them in a zip lock baggie or a little tray near your sewing machine so they don’t wander off before you need them. If you’re not ready to sew yet, put everything you chose and cut, including a neutral color of thread into a lidded shoe box or larger zip lock. Your sewing session will go faster if you use the same color of thread for the inside of all hearts. You can choose matching or contrasting thread for topstitching after the assembly phase. When you’re ready to sew, work through Erin’s tutorial steps on each combo before moving onto the next step. All left fronts first, then right fronts and sew on . . . You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can stitch a whole stack of Mini Heart Pouches. Sure to make any sweetheart grin, it would be fun to include a lip gloss, gift card or a shiny pair of earrings inside the pouch, too. Just don’t forget to make a few for yourself!
