Thomas needed a new pencil case for school (as, ironically, the zip broke on his old one). He desperately wanted a Smiggle zipper one, but they were all out of the large size at the local Smiggle stores. So, as is the lot of children with crafty Mums, he got a home made one. Initially reluctant, when I pointed out that this meant he could have any colour he wanted, he soon decided it was a good idea and we set to work.
The zips were purchased at The Needlecraft Emporium and Fabric Cave for .50c each, They had a great range of colours. However, if you want a cheaper option, The Remnant Warehouse has them for 3 for $1! Perhaps not as wide a range, but it depends what you are after. The Remnant Warehouse also has other great trims, like the tape measure tape we used.
We laid out the zips in the order we wanted the colours:
These are all different lengths as I was going for particular colours, not necessarily sizes. If doing it again I would make sure all the zips were at least 5cm (2 inches) longer than the finished size, so there would be plenty of length to play with, without the danger of sewing over the metal end point sof the zips.
Then I sewed them together (suing a zipper foot). Put right sides of the zips together and sew along the edge using a small straight stitch. Sew them all together so you have a tube of zips. Then get ready to sew down the sides.
Open the zip at the top that will be your main opening zip during this process so you can turn it the right way out when you have sewn down the sides.
I also sewed a heavy binding over the raw ends of the side seams inside the case.
Another lesson - make sure you use an odd number of zips, so you don't get all the zip tops meeting at the same place on the sides:Finished!
