May is for Makers :: The Hazel Pouch

While I won't use the pattern I purchased in week one of May is for Makers just yet, I dove right in for this week after choosing The Hazel Pouch by Jennie/Clover & Violet.

I chose to make the large version (12” w x 9” t x 2 ½” d), and used some lovely fabrics I had forgotten about in my stash. Funny how that happens!

All three size options in Jennie's pattern include an interior pocket and a sewn-in divider, a feature I don't remember doing before. The main panels and sides/bottom (one piece) are all quilted, but not with fusible fleece or batting - but flannel! As Jennie says, it "makes the bag sturdy, yet still soft and flexible." And it's true! Funny confession though .... the only flannel I had in-house was covered with mittens and mugs of cocoa. So beneath that bright geometric print is something very sweet and homey.

I found Jennie's pattern easy to follow, and the only truly challenging bit was not the zipper, but the binding. I had chosen a green linen as my accent, and I didn't take into account the added thickness of that fabric. So once I had the binding sewn on, it wouldn't fold over to the inside as it should. So off it came, I recut adding a 1/2" to the width, and back on it went. You can see it's hand-stitched along the top of the bag. I finished by adding a fabric 'ribbon' to the zipper pull. Since it was a 'purse zipper' as the pattern called for, it had a hole large enough to accommodate that, which was nice.

Though I made the 'plain' version of the Hazel Pouch, I did want you to see that the pattern also includes instructions for darling patchwork versions as well. What nice options, right?

Photo by Jennie/Clover & Violet; used by permission