Make a Simple Salty Square Zipper Pouch
I made this pouch by surrounding a Salty Square with fabric strips, adding a zipper with fabric tabs, and sewing the outside and lining together. No interfacing or batting—just a soft, simple pouch for the little things you carry around.
Finished size: approximately 9½″ wide × 7″ tall
Seam allowance: ¼″ throughout
What you’ll need
- One Salty Square
- Fabric scraps or strips for the pieced front
- One 10″ × 7½″ rectangle for the back
- Two 10″ × 7½″ rectangles for the lining
- One nylon coil zipper, 10″ or longer
- Two 2″ × 2″ fabric squares for zipper tabs
- Thread, pins or clips, and a zipper foot
This construction encloses the seams along the zipper. The side and bottom seam allowances remain visible inside the pouch; you can finish them with a zigzag stitch or serger.
1. Piece the front
Start with your Salty Square and add fabric strips around it until the front measures 10″ wide × 7½″ tall.
You can build outward a little at a time, using narrow borders, wider strips, or a mix of both. Press each seam as you go.
For a simple frame around a 5″ square, cut:
- Two strips measuring 5″ × 1¾″ for the top and bottom
- Two strips measuring 3″ × 7½″ for the sides
Sew the top and bottom strips to the square first, then add the side strips. This makes a 10″ × 7½″ front.
If your Salty Square is a different size, adjust the strips to reach the same overall dimensions. Keep the printed design clear of the seam allowances.
2. Add fabric tabs to the zipper
The zipper and its finished tabs should measure 10″ from end to end, matching the width of your pouch.
For each 2″ square:
- Fold it in half and press.
- Open it, then fold the two opposite edges toward the center crease.
- Fold it in half again. You’ll have a tab approximately ½″ deep × 2″ wide, with the raw edges tucked inside.
Position one tab over each end of the zipper tape, beyond the teeth or stops. Stitch close to the folded edge to secure it, keeping your needle clear of the zipper stops.
If you shorten the zipper, move the pull into the section you’re keeping and sew several stitches across the coil to make a new stop before trimming. Cover that end with a tab.
Adjust the placement so the completed zipper-and-tab unit is 10″ long. Trim the tabs’ width to match the zipper tape.
Leave enough fabric at each end for the pouch’s ¼″ side seam to pass through the tab without crossing the zipper teeth or stops.
3. Sew the front and lining to the zipper
Place the pieced front right side up.
Lay the zipper face down along its top edge, matching the zipper tape’s edge to the fabric edge.
Place one lining rectangle right side down on top. The zipper is now sandwiched between the outside fabric and lining, with the fabrics’ right sides facing each other.
Clip or pin, then sew along the top edge using a zipper foot.
Fold both fabrics away from the zipper and press carefully. Keep the hot iron away from the zipper teeth.
4. Attach the back and remaining lining
Repeat on the other side of the zipper:
- Back fabric right side up
- Zipper face down against the back fabric
- Remaining lining right side down on top
Match the top edges and sew. Fold the fabrics away from the zipper and press.
On each side, keep the lining directly behind its matching outside piece, with their wrong sides together. Topstitch close to the zipper seam through both fabric layers to help keep the lining out of the zipper.
5. Sew the pouch together
Open the zipper about halfway before sewing. This is your opening for turning the pouch.
Fold the pouch at the zipper so the outside front and back face each other, right sides together. Keep each lining piece against the wrong side of its matching outside piece.
Match and clip the sides and bottom. You’ll be sewing through all four fabric layers.
Sew down one side, across the bottom, and up the other side using a ¼″ seam allowance. Backstitch at the beginning and end. At the top corners, sew through the fabric zipper tabs, keeping clear of the zipper teeth and stops.
6. Finish the inside seams
Trim the bottom corners slightly, without cutting the stitching.
Finish the exposed side and bottom seam allowances with a zigzag stitch or serger to help prevent fraying. Keep the zipper and tabs clear of a serger’s blade.
7. Turn and finish
Turn the pouch right side out through the open zipper.
Gently push out the corners with a blunt turning tool, smooth the lining inside, and give the pouch a final press.
You can change the size or proportions for your next pouch—just make the front, back, and lining pieces the same size, and fit the zipper-and-tab unit to their top edge.
