More Zipper Stuff

I am officially enjoying sewing with zippers.... boy, never thought I'd hear myself say that!  I have made a few more and am learning more each time I make one. Here are the others I've made so far:

Hare are a few hints I wanted to pass along:

1. 
   
   Add some fusible fleece when you make these zippered pouches - it really helps to give it some stability and weight. I'd suggest using Pellon 987F.
2. 
   
   Did you know you can change the length of a zipper? All you have to do is whipstitch with double thread 8-10 times where you want the zipper to stop, then cut off the remaining zipper about 1/2 inch from there.. that's it! I did that for the skull one, since my sister wanted to use it as a small change purse. I started out with an 8 inch zipper and now it is about a 5 inch zipper.
3. 
   
   When I am making my "zipper sandwich" if you will, I also add pins to the part of the zipper I am not going to be sewing. This helps keep your zipper straight and it won't move on you as you sew. (If this doesn't make any sense, let me know and I will post a picture of what I mean next time I sew one!)

Trust me when I say that if I can sew a zipper, anyone can! I was so afraid of trying it, but once I did it, I found out it was not nearly as hard as I had built it up in my mind to be.  I've still got a long way to go.. these little pouches are far from perfect... but I am definitely enjoying the challenge.

I am taking my first sewing class tomorrow afternoon at Jo-Anns. I have signed up for both Sewing 101 and 201. This first class, Sewing 101, will cover all the basics and then the Sewing 201 class we will be making a jacket. I'm so excited, I can't wait. I don't know if I'm quite ready to sew a garment yet, but what the heck... I might as well just go for it!  I'll do a post tomorrow night and let you know how the first class went!