Zip It Up Craftsy Class

Got a free Craftsy class thanks to the Ultimate FMQ Challenge that was run by Quiltshopgal during the summer.

After much searching and considering I got the 'Zip It Up' Craftsy class with Joan Hawley. While I have done zippers before, I definitely struggle with them and thought it was time that I had a bit of a look on how to do this properly. There are three bags to choose from in the class, all with different ways on how to insert the zipper. I rather liked the Bendy Bag...a small bag with an interesting shape where the zipper was cut and a casing was attached.

So I bought some psychedelic zippers

I am so easily distracted...I have so many other things to finish and to start...little bags were not really on my radar, but this was just too enticing.

I finished this little bag in a day (so satisfying!), having watched the 'Zip It Up' class in its entirety when I first got it.

Well here it is...the Bendy bag

Very sturdy little bag. It uses Fusible Fleece for stabilising. I quite like that product. Easy to work with and gives little bags like this a lot of stability and form. For the fabric, I grabbed what I had...these two Fat Quarters came from my goodies bag that we all got at the Australian Machine Quilting Festival. Nice and bold and the combination of green and purple looks great.

...and another shot. Very impressed with this. This uses a casing for the zipper which was easy enough to do following the class with every step. I literally hit the repeat button again and again...Actually I had very few issues other than pressing ahead and not listening and then finding out that I was supposed to do something different, like for example trimming all the seams to 1/8in. Completely missed that but for the last seam, so all the others are 1/4in which obviously worked just as well.

Cute little bag. Actually beginning to realise what I have been doing wrong with zippers in the past...while this zipper is not perfect, it is looking pretty good, i.e. it is sewn in straight for a change and fits in perfectly.

Highly recommended class...would not mind getting Joan Hawley's other class 'Zippered Bags with a Twist: The One-Zip Way' class. That looks really interesting as well.

Linking up my little Bendy bag to Bag It Link Up over at Elm Street Quilts. Elm Street Quilts is running this event right into December and you can link up any bag which gives you an entry in the event. Great!

Karin