Luke Judge

{Just re-posting this tutorial today in case you missed it over at A Lemon Squeezy Home a few weeks ago}
I’ve made tons of these little zippered pouches and I think they’re so useful and can be personalized in so many ways.  Plus, they’re super handy when it comes to organizing your purse (or at least make you look like you have an organized purse).

I know there are a ton of other zipper pouch type tutorials out there, but I thought it would be fun to share how I make mine.

Materials needed:

• fat quarter or 1/4 yard linen (or any solid fabric would look great, or for that matter just use what you love)
• fat quarter of 1/4 yard of lining fabric
• small scraps varying heights by 5″ long
• scraps of cotton quilt batting (or you could also use fusible fleece)
• 8″ zipper (or longer, just follow instructions on the package to shorten any zipper)
• thread

{1/4″ seam allowance throughout unless otherwise noted}

Cutting the pieces:
From the linen cut: one piece for the back 9.5″ wide by 8″ tall, and two pieces for front side panels 2.75″ wide by 8″ tall
two pieces of lining 9.5″ wide by 8″ tall
two pieces batting 9.5″ wide by 8″ tall

Assembling the front:

Sew scraps RIGHT sides together until you have a pieced fabric measuring 5″ wide by 8″ tall.  Press seams to one side. 

Next, you’ll sew each of the side panels RIGHT sides together to each side of the scrap panel, press towards sides.

Add any quilting details (optional):
Here’s where you can add some fun quilting details.  you certainly don’t have to and most of the time I don’t do this step, but it can add a lot of interest to your pouch. 

Layer the front piece you just created WRONG side facing down on top of one piece of batting and quilt away!  on the examples I’ve shown I’ve sewn a straight line down one side of each scrap panel seam.

Assembling the pouch:

Place exterior RIGHT side up, put the zipper face down with the pull tab at the left.  Place lining piece RIGHT side down on top of that.

Pin and sew using your zipper foot. 

Flip those fabrics WRONG sides together to get them out of the way. 

Next, lay the remaining exterior piece RIGHT side up, align the zipper with the top edge zipper face down with pull tab at the right this time.  Place lining piece RIGHT side down on top. Pin and sew. 

Flip fabrics WRONG sides together on both sides of the zipper.  Press. 

Switching back to your regular sewing foot, top stitch next to the zipper on each side. 

Now flip fabrics around so that the exteriors are facing RIGHT sides together and linings are facing RIGHT sides together with the zipper in the middle (you won’t be able to see the zipper, just know that it’s there).  Pin and sew around the whole perimeter using a 1/2″ seam allowance and leaving a 3 to 4″ opening in the lining for turning.

You could be finished at this point, but we’ll take it a step further and box the corners so this baby can stand up on it’s own!

Boxing the corners:
Put your hand in through the opening of the lining and pinch the exterior fabrics corners together aligning the seam. 

Finger press the seams open and with a ruler mark a line perpendicular to the seam 1.25″ from the tip of the corner. 

Mark the line with a water soluble pen and sew along that line. 

Clip corner leaving a 1/2″ seam allowance.  Repeat for other exterior corner and both lining corners.

Finish:
Turn pouch right side out through opening in lining.

Sew the opening in the lining shut with a very small seam allowance or hand sew, it’s up to you.  Push the lining into the pouch and you’re done!  fill with whatever goodies you need, zip shut, and stash it in your purse.

Terms of use: For personal use only please.

bum Bags nbsp, purse, scraps, seam allowance, two pieces, zippered pouches

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

More Sections

LINGAYEN — one person was killed while another was wounded in separate shooting incidents here Wednesday.

The first incident happened in Binmaley tow,n where unidentified suspects gunned down a fishpond caretaker around 6:30 a.m.

The Manny Pacquiao Blog. Stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.

The victim, identified as Peter delos Reyes (48), was driving a motorized tricycle with his 11-year-old son when the suspects attacked him.

Witnesses said two men riding in a motorcycle drove pass Reyes and shot him several times.

Concerned citizens rushed the victim to Purificacion Hospital but he died while getting medical treatment.

Responding policemen recovered three shells of a caliber .45 pistol at the crime scene.

A former barangay captain was wounded in another shooting incident in Malasique town.

Police chief Rogelio Danoli said former Polong Norte village chief Zaldy Rosario and his group were spraying mango trees when one of the suspects approached him and asked who “Zaldy” is.

Upon confirming the target, the unidentified gunman shot Rosario four times and ran towards a waiting motorcycle.

Danoli said Rosario only sustained minor gunshot wounds at his right thigh and right wrist.

The victim was brought to Pangasinan Provincial Hospital at nearby San Carlos City for medical attention. (Liway C. Manantan-Yparraguirre/Sunnex)

bum Bags gunshot wounds, provincial hospital

Hi gang, I’m reposting this my, BOB/emergency kit

bum Bags emergency kit, hi gang

TRAVEL TIP #7 Be safe!
©2010

Wow, another crazy week. I’m just now catching up with my BLOG and have some important things to say about personal safety. Take care of yourself, so that your travels are as enjoyable as they can possibly be.

Traveling safely is absolutely the highest priority for a successful trip. Nothing can destroy the joy of travel faster than a thief or mugger taking advantage of a situation in which you become vulnerable. Use your head. If your “instincts” say that a situation is threatening put yourself first. It’s your trip. It’s your property. It’s your life.

1. Be alert. Pay attention to all people who are in close proximity to you. Avoid putting yourself into positions where you are isolated. There are no guarantees that there is safety in a crowd. Certainly there is a strange phenomenon in which people disregard persons in peril. So don’t count on a security guard to come to the rescue. Recent news reports show how willingly some people will stand by and watch a beating as though it were mere entertainment.

2. Take a personal safety class. Many police officers offer self defense training as a
community service. It is not necessary to pay for self defense training. Call your local law enforcement office and ask for instruction in self defense.

3. Drive during daylight hours.

4. If you go out at night, do so with a friend. Be particularly careful when in
unfamiliar territory. When traveling abroad, be particularly cognizant of potential
dangers. Always check out the State Department advisories as they pertain to your destination.

5. Don’t assume that you are safe in a small town or in YOUR town. Thievery,
assault, kidnappings occur everywhere.

6. When traveling alone, create the illusion that you are with your husband. Talk to
The hotel clerks about places that you and your husband can have dinner, see the sights, etc. Ask for two room keys.

7. Place a bogus passenger or the illusion of a passenger beside you in your vehicle.
I have been looking for a realistic mannequin for a long time, but they seem to be
very expensive and in short supply. For the time being, I position a wide brim straw hat on top of the passenger seat, creating the illusion of two people in the
vehicle. No one is more vulnerable than s/he who is alone.

8. Where legal, carry items that can be used for self defense. You will have to check
out local laws to ensure that you are in compliance. I carry pepper spray, an air horn, walkie talkies, a whistle, a taser, a cell phone, a battery powered emergency flasher, and alarms to put under my hotel room doors. If an intruder tries to pass
through a hotel door or window, one of the alarms will screech an ear piercing siren and in many cases will frighten the intruder enough to discourage further invasion.

9. Use common items for self defense. Several years ago a student who was a
former MP (military police officer) gave a self defense speech in one of my classes. He asked us to look in our purses and backpacks for items we could use
to protect ourselves. I remember him holding up a ball point pen and instructing us to go for the eyes. We squirmed, but understood if it’s our life or an assailant’s
eye, we choose life. Also, Jake told those of us with nylon bristle hairbrushes to imagine the efficacy of being assaulted with multiple, pencil point bristles in the eye. The one tip I most often recall was not one which relied on personal items
for self defense. He asked another student to stand in the front of the room beside him. Then he raised his foot knee-high and quickly thrust the foot through the air adjacent to the side of the other student’s knee. Of course he stopped short of
actually hitting the person’s leg, but assured us that it takes very little force to dislocate a knee. Slam your foot into the side of the knee, and your attacker will
be disabled.

10. Always carry enough cash to appease a thief. One New York law enforcement
officer advised me to carry at last $100 cash at all times. Give it away without hesitation if you are threatened. Accordingly, it is important to turn over your purse and its contents, which may be sufficient to save yourself from a personal attack.

11. Strap a fanny pack with a steel reinforced strap around your waist, and never,
never be separated from the pack. Wearing a fanny pack looks a bit dorky, but
it frees both hands for eating, handling doorknobs, tugging suitcases, etc.

12. Never lay a purse on a seat beside you in a restaurant and never lay a purse on
the table. By the time a robber grabs the bag, he or she will be on the run while you are still trying to get out of your seat.

13. Never place a purse on the passenger seat of an automobile. Your side window
can be smashed in an instant when you stop for a traffic light. Before you have a chance to call for help, the thief will be gone. Place your purse on the floor by your feet. If you are going to secure your cell phone, fasten the fanny pack strap to your seatbelt strap or secure it to the frame underneath the driver’s seat.

14. Carry only one credit card and a lot of cash in your bag. BUT, don’t show large
wads of cash to anyone in public.

15. Hide a photocopy of your driver’s license, extra cash, and an extra credit card in
your vehicle. If your purse is stolen, you will have backup resources to aide you
in your travel.

16. Keep your gas tank filled. And, fill up at the end of each travel day, so you will
be ready to go the following morning.

17. Remember, if there is a power outage, gas pumps will not work. Neither will
ATMs be accessible.

18. Always leave an itinerary with a trusted friend or family member, and check
in with them at the end of each day. If loved ones are concerned, promise them
an email each night and tell them your travel route and destination for the following day.

19. Listen for hazardous weather reports and use your head! If you drive INTO a
storm, your name had better be Jim Cantore or Reed Timmer. Otherwise, you are
asking for trouble.

20. Study crime statistics of new areas through which you will be traveling. KNOW
where the dangerous areas are and know how to respond.

21. Keep your cell phone charged but understand that there may be occasions when
you cannot get a signal. A walkie talkie with a two-mile range could be your
lifeline.

22. Do not travel with expensive jewelry and remember to “trash” your car, so that
you create the appearance of a casual, “broke” wanderer with nothing worth stealing.

23. Women should wear a ballcap and a plaid shirt so as to make a “distant

bum Bags daylight hours, important things, peril, personal safety, self defense, state department advisories