Over the years, I figure I'm made Aneela Hoey's @aneelahoey Pop Open Pouch at least nine times. The result is always lovely, and though I still need to follow the pattern, the construction is very straight-forward. When I saw that Aneela came out with a patchwork supplement for her pattern, I knew it was time to make a new one for myself.
Before continuing on, I trimmed the panels ever so slightly, and if I make this version again, I'll be more careful about trimming so the panels line up better on the final construction. Oops. But it's super cute, just the same.
After seeing the patchwork exterior pieces made up, I went with the purple zipper, and a black gingham lining. Due to using the fusible grid method for piecing the exteriors, I could omit the fusible fleece usually used in this pouch, so that was nice.
I went with the leather zipper tab, as I usually do. I find that using a little of my glue pen to adhere the leather to the zipper end keeps things pretty secure while I do the top-stitching. Another trick, thanks to Aneela, is the way the pattern has you align and stitch the boxed ends together, so the lining stays nice and snug during use. It's an optional step, but one I find easy to do and makes for a neat finish. (Not shown, but trust me.)
I used a black 1/8" leather strip for the zipper pull, and ta da! I have a super cute finished pouch, which in my case, will get used for make up. So glad I decided to try this pop open pouch variation. I see that just today, Aneela has put out a pattern supplement to make a scrappy patchwork version of her Zip Up Tray Pouch pattern. I haven't tried that one, so it might be next!
