My First Zippered Bag

I was putting together another care package today for my son in Afghanistan when I remembered that he had requested for me to send him some simple sewing supplies.  Often times, a rip needs to be mended or a button needs to be sewed back on and he doesn't want to wait the couple of weeks it will take for the army's tailor to get around to it.  As I was stuffing the scissors, thread and needles I had purchased into a Ziploc bag, I suddenly thought how nice it would all look in a little zippered pouch.  So I decided to make one.

I used scraps of fabric that I had leftover from a previous sewing project...the fabric is actually from an old pair of my son's army-issued pants.  The pouch is made from two, simple rectangles (an outside piece and a lining), with some interfacing for stiffness and a zippered opening.  I'm really pleased with how this turned out!  So simple, yet really rewarding.  And it's the first time I ever put a zipper into anything besides a dress!  I forgot to take measurements, but I think it ended up being about 7" wide by 6" high--the perfect size for a small pair of scissors, two spools of thread, a pack of needles, and some extra buttons and safety pins.  I have been wanting to make myself a new purse using more scraps of this fabric for a long time...now that I see how nicely this turned out, I have lots of motivation to give it a try.  And when my older girls saw it, they both requested larger bags in which to store their toiletries when we go on vacation.  Hmmm...I have leftover horse prints for my horse-lovin' cowgirl, and there are tons of pretty, floral fabrics that would be great for my girlie-girl...the possibilities are endless!

This picture has really nothing at all to do with this post.  Except that it's cute.  And every post should have a little cuteness, right?  So this is Delilah, the cat, who lately thinks that MY bed is her bed.  Lucky for her, she's cute and oh-so-fluffy, or she would have been kicked off long ago!