It’s Day 5 of the Pascal Sew Along and we are finishing our cases!

Today mostly involves sewing on binding. Here are a few notes:

The first step for today is to attach the Short Edge Binding. As you’re sewing this (and the Final Binding) on, make sure to check on the Hardware and zipper pull to verify that they are out of the way of the sewing machine needle! It can be easy to lose track of where those metal pieces are and if they get under the presser foot, you’ll end up with a broken needle.

After the Short Edge Binding is attached, follow the instructions to fold that edge up towards the Zipper Pocket. If you’re wanting to adjust the height of the case at all, this is a great place to easily make it slightly taller or shorter! For example, if you have a laptop that is just a little bigger than the height of one of the case sizes given, you can make the fold a little larger (just don’t let the Short Edge Binding cover the Zipper Pocket). Likewise, you can make the fold smaller to decrease the height of the finished case. This only works for small adjustments, but it’s nice to know that you can easily alter the size in small increments this way.

If you’ve ever sewn binding on a quilt, the Final Binding will feel very familiar! I like to first sew the Final Binding to the inside of the case, then trim any excess binding length about 1/2″-1″ past the bottom edges (see photo below). This gives enough overhang length to tuck the end of the binding in to hide all raw edges.

For the Small size Pascal Case, the Final Binding should be just long enough to fit around the three sides of the case. If you find that you’re a little short on binding (or if you’re using a fat quarter or scrap piece of fabric instead of yardage), you can piece an extra binding strip on to make sure you have a long enough Final Binding strip.

For the Pascal Carrying Case, I like to finish the second side of the Final Binding by machine, but you can hand sew the Binding on instead (just like you would with a quilt binding). Sometimes when I’m sewing through the area where the Binding goes over the webbing, my machine will skip a couple stitches here and there. If this is happening to you, you can either try turning the handwheel through the bulky areas instead of using the foot pedal, or decrease the presser foot pressure. If your machine still struggles, sometimes it’s worth the extra effort to finish the binding by hand to make sure it looks nice. 

That’s it for today and the entire sew along!You can find the Day 5 video to Instagram HERE and Facebook HERE.

These sew along blog posts and accompanying videos will stay here if you’d like to refer to them later.

Links for products from the sew along:

Juki TL2000 Sewing Machine
Clover Wonder Clips
Organ 90/14 needles
Bulk poly webbing in 1″ and 1.5″ options (I like to have these on hand to cover with fabric)
Cotton webbing from Stitch Supply Co
Hardware Options: By Annie (the silver shown here), Stitch Supply Co (they have a lot of fun colors!), and Amazon (varying metal finishes in both 1″ and 1.5″)
Zipper by the yard used in this Pascal Case I’ve purchased this brand many times and they are a great quality and price! The zipper teeth look metal, but are plastic.
Tube Turner (shown in my video for turning the Strap right side out)
Odif 505 basting spray 
Hera Marker 
OLFA rotary cutter
OLFA 6″ x 24″ ruler

Thanks for sewing along!

-Kristina

It’s Day 4 of the Pascal Sew Along and today we are attaching the Strap and Hardware. 

A few notes about today’s assignment:

When sewing the Strap onto the Quilted Panel, check the bobbin thread so it matches with the Lining fabric. There will only be a small portion visible once the bag is completed, but if it’s important to you that the thread matches, keep that in mind.

For the webbing/strap and hardware size, I give a recommended 1″ wide for the small size Pascal and 1.5″ wide for the medium and large size Pascal. You can change those sizes up and choose any width you’d like for your Pascal Case, you just need to make sure that the width of the webbing matches that of the hardware. Consequently, if you’re covering the webbing with fabric, you’ll need to make sure the fabric Strap Cover is cut to the correct size for your webbing (for 1″ webbing, cut the fabric Strap Cover 2 3/4″ wide, for 1.5″ webbing, cut the fabric Strap Cover to 3 3/4″ wide).

After measuring down the middle of the Quilted Panel and centering the Strap on the line, I like to measure to the left and the right of the Strap to make sure it’s not leaning more toward one side or the other. Sometimes webbing can be slightly curved instead of completely straight, so it helps to place some straight pins down into the webbing and through the Quilted Panel to make sure it’s centered well. 

That’s it for today! You can check out the video for Day 4 on Instagram HERE or Facebook HERE.

Links for products from today’s assignment:

Clover Wonder Clips
Organ 90/14 needles
Bulk poly webbing in 1″ and 1.5″ options (I like to have these on hand to cover with fabric)
Cotton webbing from Stitch Supply Co
Hardware Options: By Annie (the silver shown here), Stitch Supply Co (they have a lot of fun colors!), and Amazon (varying metal finishes in both 1″ and 1.5″)

Thanks for sewing along!

Kristina

It’s Day 3 of the Pascal Sew Along and today we are assembling and attaching our pocket. If you’re nervous at all about zippers, I hope today will show you that they can be pretty easy to install!

A few notes about today. . .

First, I like to add fusible interfacing on fabric that I’d like to add a little more structure or weight to, without adding a ton of bulk. The fusible interfacing on the pocket is completely optional, so if you don’t have some or can’t find some, please don’t worry about it! For a lightweight fusible interfacing, I like to use Pellon SF101, but there are other great lightweight interfacings that also work.

When sewing the zipper and Zipper Binding to the Pocket, the zipper and Zipper Binding will be longer than the Pocket fabric. I often like to add a little length to bindings and zippers, as it makes them SO much easier to attach. In my opinion, it’s worth it to sacrifice a few inches of fabric or zipper to get an end product that looks much nicer. 

After attaching the zipper, I like to sew across the open end of the zipper teeth (see photo below). This helps keep the zipper ends from flapping around and will make the Pocket easier to attach to the Quilted Panel. The zipper teeth here look metal, but this zipper by the yard is actually vinyl (plastic teeth). Here’s a link to the exact zipper I’m using in these photos.

When sewing the Zipper Pocket to the Quilted Panel, choose a bobbin thread that will match the color of the Main fabric, as the seam across the Zipper Binding will be visible on the outside of the completed case.

That’s it for tips today! You can find the Day 3 video a little later in the day on Instagram  or Facebook . 

Links for products from today’s assignment:

Zipper by the yard used in this Pascal Case I’ve purchased this brand many times and they are a great quality and price! The zipper teeth look metal, but are plastic.
Clover Wonder Clips
Organ 90/14 needles
Juki TL2000 Sewing Machine

Thanks for sewing along!

-Kristina

It’s Day 2 of the Pascal Carrying Case Sew Along and today we are prepping the Accent fabric Binding pieces and Strap. Today’s assignment is pretty easy, so it’s a good time to catch up on Day 1 if you didn’t get the quilting done yesterday. 

You can find the Day 2 video that goes along with today’s assignment on Instagram HERE or Facebook HERE. 

The Binding is pretty self-explanatory, but I did want to mention a couple things.

If you’d like a greater variety of fabrics, feel free to use different fabric prints for the Binding and Strap Cover pieces. You definitely don’t need to stick to just three fabrics (Main, Lining, and Accent) that are listed in the pattern.

For the Medium and Large Pascal bags, you’ll need to join your two Final Binding strips together before pressing (the Small Pascal bag only needs one 42″ long binding strip for the Final Binding). I like to join my strips on the diagonal (see photo below). Sewing them together at a 45° angle helps distribute the bulk of the seam so it’s not all in one place on the binding. Note: the tape on the bed of machine (extending out from the needle plate) is super useful for sewing diagonal seams. You can see that the bottom point of the top binding strip is lined up with the red line on the tape. This helps you sew a 45° angle without having to mark the line on the fabric. The tape is from Cluck Cluck Sew and is called Diagonal Seam Tape. You can find it at many different quilt shops or on Amazon HERE.

A fun option for the Strap is to use a coordinating decorative webbing–-just cut the webbing to the size given and you can skip cutting out and sewing the Strap fabric. The straps below aren’t over-the-top exciting, but they are fun colors! They are cotton webbings from Stitch Supply Co and since they matched with the fabric perfectly, I didn’t need to cover the straps. Yay!

If you’re covering the webbing, you’ll make the Strap Cover as the pattern instructs. Make sure to press the seam open before turning it right side out. This helps the seam lay flat once you have the webbing inside.

A tube turner tool (shown in the photos below) or safety pin works well for turning the fabric right side out. 

When inserting the webbing into the fabric, you might be able to just insert and push it into the fabric Strap Cover. If you have issues getting the webbing all the way in, you can use a safety pin on one end of the webbing, then wriggle the safety pin through to the other side.  

That’s it for tips today! You can find the Day 2 video that goes along with today’s assignment on Instagram HERE or Facebook HERE. 

Links for products from today’s assignment:

Tube Turner (shown in my video for turning the Strap right side out)
Clover Wonder Clips
Organ 90/14 needles
Bulk poly webbing in 1″ and 1.5″ options (I like to have these on hand to cover with fabric)
Cluck Cluck Sew Diagonal Seam Tape
Cotton webbing from Stitch Supply Co

Thanks for sewing along!

-Kristina

Welcome to Day 1 of the Pascal Carrying Case Along! I’m so happy you are here.

I originally posted these Sew Along tips and tricks in May 2026 in conjunction with a Pascal Carrying Case Sew Along I hosted. I’m posting the daily assignments and bonus tips here to my blog for easy reference and for those who didn’t get a chance to join the Sew Along as it was happening. You can find the Pascal Zipper Case pattern HERE and follow along with the Sew Along Blog posts to make your own! 

Video links for Day 1 (the videos are the same, I just like to post them to both Facebook and Instagram):

Instagram video HERE
Facebook Video HERE

Today we are basting and quilting our panels. I have a few tips below for you:

PREPARE FOR BASTING

Before I start basting, I try to make sure that all of my layers are pressed really well. This will help everything lay smoother and you’ll be less likely to get puckers in the fabric when you quilt.

I’d even recommend pressing the batting or Soft and Stable (or other foam stabilizer–unless it’s fusible!) before layering. Both batting and Soft and Stable press well and having the wrinkles pressed out will really help all the layers stay flat.

BASTING

Basting is a way to temporarily hold layers of fabric together. We don’t want the layers to move around while we’re quilting, so we baste them for the best results.

There are many different methods of basting (pins, adhesive spray, sewing long stitches, etc.). I’d recommend trying a few out so you can figure out which method you like best.

I prefer to spray baste smaller projects with Odif 505, but I frequently use safety pins for larger projects.

PREPARE FOR QUILTING

Once I have my layers basted, I choose a side of the panel that I can start most of my quilting lines from and stitch a line along one of the edges (just 1/8″ away from the raw edge) to stabilize the three layers.

Even though we’ve already basted, if you start your machine quilting from that stitched line as much as possible, it will further help keep the layers from shifting.

MARKING QUILTING LINES

When I’m quilting a design that needs guides to follow, I like to use a Hera Marker to mark my lines (it only leaves an impression-not an actual ink mark). The dull side of a butter knife also works great! The impressions on some fabrics and batting/Soft and Stable combinations show up better than others, so don’t get discouraged if the lines are a little hard to see. Sometimes I’ll mark and quilt from the lining side if the Hera Marker works better on that side than the main fabric side.

There are many other ways to make guide lines (air/water erasable pens, strips of tape, etc.) or forgo the lines altogether and choose an organic design that doesn’t need lines to follow. If you’d like to see some of these other method in action, check out the video I shared on my Instagram account HERE.

For my Pascal Carrying Case here, I machine quilted cross-hatch lines using the 45 degree line on my quilting ruler. If you’re wanting some additional ideas for easy machine quilting designs, check out the Instagram video I posted HERE.

QUILTING

To keep things easy when I quilt, I use the same thread and needle that I use for all of my general sewing projects (my thread of choice is Aurifil 50 wt and I like to use Organ 90/14 needles).

For machine quilting, I do like to increase my stitch length a little. A standard stitch length on my machine is 2.5 and I like to increase it to about 3.5 for quilting. You can play around with your machine’s settings to see what you prefer.

When quilting on my Juki sewing machine, I use a slim presser foot to quilt smaller projects. The Juki comes with a walking foot, however I’ve found that it doesn’t work really well (one of the machine’s only downfalls) and I prefer to use a regular presser foot. If I’m quilting a larger project then I get out my second machine (a Bernina) and use it with a walking foot. The walking foot can really help feed the layers through at the same speed and avoid puckering. If you have a walking foot, I’d generally recommend using it to quilt, or at least trying it out to see if it works better for quilting.

TRIMMING

Whenever I’m quilting fabric for a bag, I almost always start off with a bigger size than necessary, then trim to size after quilting. The process of quilting often shrinks the panel (the denser the quilting, the greater the shrinkage), and sometimes the layers shift a little, too. The extra size is built into my patterns, so no need to start out even larger than the measurements given.

Those are the tips for today! Here are the video links for Day 1 (the videos are the same, I just like to post them to both Facebook and Instagram):

Instagram video HERE
Facebook Video HERE

And here are the links to items used in today’s tips:

Odif 505 basting spray 
Hera Marker 
Organ 90/14 needles
OLFA rotary cutter
OLFA 6″ x 24″ ruler
Juki TL-2000 Sewing Machine

Thanks for sewing along!

-Kristina

Meet the Pascal Carrying Case! 

The Pascal Carrying Case is a modern quilted sleeve designed to keep your everyday essentials protected and organized in style. Whether you’re carrying an iPad, tablet, laptop, favorite notebook, or even a good book for on-the-go reading, the Pascal Case is the perfect combination of practical and pretty. You can find the Pascal pattern in my shop HERE. 

The Pascal pattern includes three versatile size options, making it easy to find a size for all your devices and daily essentials. A convenient interior zipper pocket keeps smaller items like pens, markers, charging cords, and earbuds neatly tucked away and easy to find.

With its clean design, quilted texture, and functional details, the Pascal Carrying Case is a fun and satisfying project for confident beginners and experienced sewists alike. It’s the kind of handmade accessory you’ll reach for every single day. Plus, it also makes a thoughtful gift for students, teachers, readers, and creatives!

If you’re looking for a little extra guidance in making your own Pascal Carrying Case, please join me for the Pascal Sew Along! Whether you’d like some extra tips and videos to guide you, or are looking for some motivation to finish a quick project, please join in! The Sew Along itself is completely free to join, but you will need to purchase the Pascal Carrying Case Pattern to make the bag.

If you’d like to participate in the sew along, make sure you’re signed up (click HERE for the link), have the pattern purchased from my shop , and have all of your supplies gathered and cut out by Monday, May 11th. Every morning (for West Hemisphere participants. It will be later in the day for those in earlier time zones), you’ll receive an email with the day’s assignment and any extra tips I have to add. Plus, I’ll be posting a daily video on Instagram and Facebook to help those of us that are visual learners! Yay!

Since we will have people joining from all over the world, there aren’t any live portions of the sew along. You can sew at your own convenience–including working ahead or catching up later in the week if needed. And if you can’t sew with us the week of May 11th, no worries! Still sign up so you can save the emails and refer to them when you’re ready to make the Pascal Case.

I get asked all the time about where to find specific supplies, so I put together a list of items that I have personally purchased and used for sewing zipper pouches like the Pascal Case. Many of the products are linked to Amazon, because that’s an easy source for me to link and for a lot of people to purchase items from. Please feel free to check out other options, too, as you can certainly find the products elsewhere.

Supply Recommendations

Fabric:

I have purchased fabric from SO many different shops (and have generally had very positive experiences). However, below are a few links to my absolute favorite online fabric shops that I shop at again and again. 

Monograms for Makers: The Monograms for Makers shop is one of my go-to fabric sources! Meg has so many fun prints (Ruby Star and Rifle Paper galore!), fast shipping, and the best customer service!
Crimson Confection: Jennifer puts together the sweetest bundles of fabric! If you like darling prints and perfectly curated bundles, check out Crimson Confection.
Stitch Supply: A large selection of fabric and other notions like zippers, bag hardware, webbing (for handles). Plus, order over $50 or $100 and get a free small or large project bag!

Zippers:

For the Pascal Zipper Case, I recommend either a standard size #3 nylon zipper (like what you’d find at a big box store like Walmart or Hobby Lobby), or a larger size #5 zipper. Size #5 zippers have larger teeth, a bigger zipper pull, and wider zipper tape, which makes them a little easier to sew with. A nylon zipper is preferable over a metal zipper, as you can sew right over the nylon (plastic) zipper teeth without breaking a needle. I almost always purchase and use size #5 zippers by the yard. When you purchase a zipper by the yard, it comes in a long coil so you can cut the zipper to size then attach a zipper pull. This is a really efficient way to use zippers, as you cut off the exact amount you need for the project. I have some of my favorite zippers and sources linked below.

YKK Zippers from the Etsy shop ZipIt
Zippers by the yard from Amazon. I have purchased this brand on Amazon many, many times. They come in 10 yard lengths (!) and it’s a great price: Amazon link
By Annie Zippers by the yard. I have pretty much every color of By Annie Zippers by the yard. They are a great quality and come in fun colors. They are actually size #4.5, so slightly smaller than #5 zippers, which doesn’t make a noticeable difference except that the zipper pulls aren’t interchangeable with size #5 zippers: Amazon link

Hardware and Webbing:

You can find the hardware (swivel hook and D/Triangle Ring) and webbing needed for the Pascal Case at various places. Here are a few recommendations to get you going.

Stitch Supply Co has a lot of hardware options in so many fun colors and the coolest webbing. Remember to check to make sure you are getting the same width for the webbing and hardware.
Amazon has some great options for hardware. Here is a set that has both 1″ and 1 1/2″ wide options in various metal finishes.
By Annie also has great quality hardware in metal finishes (I’ve linked to the By Annie website, but various Etsy shops also sell their hardware).

Bulk white webbing (to cover with fabric): If I’m not using a decorative webbing, I use white webbing and cover it with coordinating fabric. It’s very cost-effective to purchase the webbing in bulk (a 10 or 25 yard roll) and really nice to always have webbing on hand when you need it. Link to webbing on Amazon that I have purchased.

Quilting material:

I prefer using Soft and Stable in between my layers as I quilt. Soft and Stable is a foam stabilizer that gives more structure and protection than a regular batting. There are other foam stabilizers (like Pellon Flex Foam) that also work well–just make sure you are getting a big enough piece for your project. You can also use regular batting like Warm and Natural or Hobbs Heirloom batting.

Soft and Stable: Amazon
Pellon Flex Foam: Amazon. (Pellon Flex Foam comes in 20″ width, so make sure it’s big enough for your project! Also, Pellon Flex Foam has fusible options–I prefer the non-fusible versions, but many people use and prefer the fusible type–it’s just personal preference).

Other Sewing Supplies:

Hera Marker for marking straight quilting lines: Amazon
Wonder Binding Clips. (I use these ALL the time to hold things in place while I sew): Amazon
Odif 505 Basting Spray: my preferred method for basting small projects like zipper pouches. Amazon link HERE.
OLFA Rotary Cutter: my favorite rotary cutter out there! Amazon link
Clover chalk marker. I use this white chalk marker for marking on darker fabrics. It’s easy to brush the chalk marks off after. Amazon link

Please let me know if you have any other requests for supply recommendations. You can always look at my Amazon Favorites page HERE for items that I have purchased and use regularly. Again, feel free to shop at your local stores for supplies–Amazon is just a handy tool for me to link my favorites. 

Happy Sewing!

-Kristina

We’re on the final day of the Nightingale Zipper Case Sew Along!

Today, there are three main tasks we’re completing:

1. Attaching the Strap and Handle,
2. Sewing on the three Vinyl Zipper Pockets then the Zipper Pouch, and
3. Attaching the Final Binding.

A few tips for the first main task of attaching the Strap and Handle:

• I like to use a white Clover chalk pen to mark the lines on the Main Quilted Panel. It works especially well on darker colored fabric and easily brushes off. I frequently use a Frixion erasable pen to make marks other places (the ink erases with heat from an iron), but the Frixion ink can reappear in really cold temperatures, so I try to stay away from using it in highly visible areas.
• Make sure you attach the Strap first (the longer piece with the strap slider) and then the Handle after the Strap.
• Before sewing the Strap and Handle, consider changing out your bobbin thread to match the Lining fabric on the Main Quilted Panel so the stitches on the Lining aren’t super visible.

Some tips for sewing on the Vinyl Pockets 1, 2, and 3, and the Zipper Pouch:

• Check the loose end of the Strap to make sure it is out of the way!! Before sewing each new unit onto the Main Quilted Panel, just do a quick double check to make sure you’re not sewing over the Strap (even though I check on the Strap location quite frequently, I actually sewed right through the corner of the end of the Strap on one of my Nightingale Cases–whoops!). 
• When sewing on the Vinyl Zipper Pockets, check to make sure your bobbin thread matches to the Main Quilted Panel fabric. There will be two seams going across the Strap, so choose a color of thread for the bobbin that works well with both the Main fabric and the Strap. I have been known to get a Sharpie marker and carefully color the thread to match the fabric underneath, so know that that is an option if the Main and Strap fabrics don’t both work well with one thread color.
• Remember to sew an extra seam across Vinyl Pocket 1 in between the two zipper pockets! For some reason, this little extra seam is easily skipped and forgotten about (until you realize that the two zipper pockets aren’t separated at all). 

And some notes on sewing the Final Binding:

• Sewing the Binding up and over the area where the Zipper Pouch is attached to the Main Quilted Panel can get pretty bulky. I like to slow down and use my handwheel to advance the needle so my machine is less likely to skip stitches.
• I have completed the second side of the Binding both by hand and by machine. On my Nightingale Zipper Cases, I always feel like the hand stitching looks nicer, but the machine stitching looks fine (just not as even as nice as the hand stitching). You might find that you prefer machine stitching the last Binding seam! If you’re machine sewing, just go slowly and try to get the width of the Binding folded over to the front side as even as possible. You also might want to use the handwheel on parts of that final seam, as (again) there are some pretty bulky areas.
• When sewing the Binding on, you’ll (again) want to check to make sure that the Strap is out of the way. If you sew the final seam by machine, make sure the zipper pulls are away from the edges, too. They can easily get turned under the binding area and if you sew over a zipper pull, your needle will likely break (as me how I know–haha!). 
• After I finish the entire case, I like to iron the Handle, as it often gets a little wonky or smooshed after adding the Binding on.

That’s it for Day 5! You can find the videos to go along with today’s assignment here: Instagram (part 1 and part 2) and Facebook (part 1 and part 2)

Thank you so much for sewing along with me! I have absolutely LOVED seeing your own Nightingale Zipper Cases pop up on Instagram and Facebook. I hope you’ve learned a new tip or two and have been inspired to spend some time at your sewing machine.

Links tp products from today’s assignment:

Clover Chalk Pen 
Frixion Heat Erasable Pen
Clover Wonder Clips
Zipper by the yard
Wild Honey fabric by Lella Boutique for Moda

Happy sewing!

-Kristina

Here we are at Day 4 of the Nightingale Zipper Case Sew Along!

Today we are making our zipper pouches. It’s a little crazy to me that I’ve held entire sew alongs that were a week long just to make a zipper pouch–and here we are making one in just a day. Haha! Don’t worry if you can’t entirely complete the pouch today. This info and the videos on my Instagram and Facebook accounts will stay there when you’re ready to sew.

If you’ve made any of my zipper pouches (particularly the Good Luck Pouch!), parts of making this pouch will feel very familiar. A few notes about making the zipper pouch:

As with the other zippers in this pattern, the zipper for the pouch is cut slightly larger than necessary. Personally, I feel like having four or five extra inches on the zipper length really help with the installation. I’m able to get the zipper sewn on more easily and it looks better, too!

When adding the A3 Bindings on the ends of the zipper pouch (make sure you have the pouch turned inside out first), you don’t need to encase the zipper in the binding. I like to put the binding as close as possible, but not over the zipper teeth, as it makes for a really bulky seam. Since we’ll be cutting a boxy corner into the ends of the zipper, there’s no need to bind the zipper teeth in this step anyway. You can see in the photo below how the binding doesn’t cover the zipper teeth. The bulk of the two layers of zipper teeth stacked on top of each other plus the binding is pretty thick and, in this case, unnecessary to sew over.

After cutting the boxy corners, you’re instructed to leave the pouch turned inside out, then add the A4 Binding pieces onto the TOP boxy corners ONLY!! You want to leave the bottom edges raw and open. Then when you turn the pouch right side out, you can close up the bottom boxy corner openings with a 1/8″ seam, but still don’t add any bindings to those bottom two raw edges.

That’s it for today! Check out the Day 4 video on Instagram HERE or Facebook HERE.

Links from today’s post

Clover Wonder Clips
OLFA rotary cutter (I have one for fabric and one for paper/zippers)
Zipper by the yard (looks metal, but has plastic teeth!)
Black Scissors -LDH Brand
Wild Honey fabric by Lella Boutique for Moda

Thanks for sewing along!

–Kristina

It’s Day 3 of the Nightingale Zipper Case Sew Along! 

Today, we are making Vinyl Pockets 2 and 3. The process is pretty similar to making Vinyl Pocket 1 yesterday, however Vinyl Pockets 2 and 3 will each be sewn to an Inside Pocket Quilted Panel. 

A couple notes about the Vinyl Pockets 2 and 3:

As with the Vinyl Pocket 1, the vinyl and zipper portions of Pockets 2 and 3 will be made a little larger than necessary. Trust me, the extra width and length is worth it to get nicer looking pockets and less frustrations. 😉 After sewing the vinyl + zipper unit to the Quilted Panel, trim off any ends that overhang the Quilted Panel. 

Vinyl Pocket 2 will have Bindings added to both the left and right sides (see photo above, Vinyl Pocket 2 is on the left), while Vinyl Pocket 3 only has binding added to the left side (as shown above, Vinyl Pocket 3 is on the right of the photo).

To round off today’s tips, I have a few more notes on working with vinyl:

• Vinyl has a tendency to cling to certain surfaces, including your presser foot and needle plate. If you’re sewing on vinyl that’s facing up, you’ll want to make accommodations so the vinyl doesn’t stick to the presser foot. I use either a non-stick presser foot, or small strips of thin paper in between the vinyl and presser foot. The paper will keep the vinyl from sticking to the presser foot-you can sew right through it then gently tear the paper away after finishing the seam. I used the paper strips method for years before finally purchasing a non-stick presser foot. In the photo below, you can see the strip of paper in between the presser foot and vinyl (the paper doesn’t need to be that wide–I literally pulled this strip out of my trash can and didn’t bother cutting it smaller first). Using paper is such an easy method and works great!

• If you’re sewing with the vinyl face down against the needle plate and machine bed, there are products that are made to make your machine bed more slippery so the vinyl doesn’t stick to the sewing machine. I haven’t used any of these products, so I can’t speak to their effectiveness, but did want to mention them in case anyone wants to check them out (I’ve heard of both a spray and a slippery mat that lays on top of the machine bed). Instead, I prefer to gently pull on the side of the vinyl that’s made it through the needle to help the piece travel under the needle without sticking too much to the needle plate. It might also help to check your presser foot pressure. If your presser foot is pushing down really hard against your vinyl/fabric, then the vinyl will be more likely to stick as it goes through the needle.
• In the photo below, I am attaching the Binding to the side of one of the vinyl pockets. The piece of vinyl is face down against the needle plate, and it was sticking slightly to the machine bed. You can see my left hand gently pulling the piece through the needle, helping out those feed dogs push the vinyl through. I’m also lifting the panel up a bit to try to keep the vinyl off of the machine bed as much as possible. Just make sure you aren’t pulling too hard, as you don’t want to bend your needle and cause it to break–the goal is to just gently help the vinyl so it doesn’t stick as much. You can also use the paper trick here, too! Put a piece of paper under as much of the vinyl as you want, and the vinyl won’t have a chance to stick to the bed.

That’s it for today! Check out the Day 3 video on Instagram HERE or Facebook HERE.

Links from today’s post

Clover Wonder Clips
OLFA frosted ruler
OLFA rotary cutter (I have one for fabric and one for paper/zippers)
Zipper by the yard (looks metal, but has plastic teeth!)
Vinyl (By Annie brand 16 gauge is my favorite)
Wild Honey fabric by Lella Boutique for Moda

Thanks for sewing along!

-Kristina

It’s Day 2 of the Nightingale Zipper Case Sew Along and today we are prepping the Binding, Handle, and Strap (all of the Accent fabric parts), along with making Vinyl Pocket 1.

The Binding is pretty self-explanatory, but I did want to mention a couple things.

First, feel free to use different fabric prints for the different binding pieces. This is a great place to use up scraps, and it will just add to the personality of your bag!

Second, since there are so many Binding pieces for this pattern, the instructions direct you to press first then cut to size. Personally, I find it easier to press the long, width of fabric strips first, then cut the right length, but of course you’re welcome to cut the strips prior to pressing if you like that order better. It’s all about what YOU prefer!

And third, one fun option for the webbing is to use a coordinating webbing–which means you don’t have to cover it with fabric! Yay! If you choose to use webbing without the fabric over it, you’ll just want to make sure you seal the raw end of the Strap opposite of the strap slider. For poly webbing like the photo below, you can use a flame to heat seal it by melting the end a little. For cotton webbing, you can sew a zigzag stitch along the end or use Fray Check to keep the end from fraying.

Today, we’re also making the Vinyl Pocket 1, which is the pocket with two zippers. If you’ve made my Atlas Zipper Case pattern, this pocket is almost identical to one of the pocket panels there, so it will feel very familiar.

For all of the Vinyl Pockets, I’ve purposefully made the Binding, vinyl, and zippers a little larger than necessary. Making it oversized uses only slightly more material, but results in a much nicer finished product. It’s hard to get all those bindings to line up perfectly with the zipper and vinyl without having any wiggle-room! So, starting off larger and then trimming to size is my preferred method when dealing with many different pieces. The increased size of the vinyl also helps account for variations in the width of zipper tape. We don’t want any Vinyl Pockets to end up too small!

If you’re new to working with vinyl, here are a few tips:

• When vinyl is sewn through, the sewing machine needle makes a hole in it. Unlike sewing through cotton fabric, the puncture made in vinyl is permanent and easily visible if the thread needs to be taken out of the seam. For this reason, I always sew extra slow when sewing with vinyl so as to minimize the chance of having to redo any seams. In most instances for the Nightingale Zipper Case, if you sew one of the bindings on the vinyl and make a mistake, you can likely seam rip the thread out, then cover the existing holes in the vinyl with the binding fabric.
• For holding vinyl pieces in place, I frequently use Wonder Clips, but never pins. As I’m sure you have guessed by now, the pins will put a permanent hole in the vinyl.
• I always use my regular Organ brand 90/14 needles when sewing vinyl. I would guess that sewing through vinyl would make the needle get dull faster, but Organ brand needles are really inexpensive (link HERE), so they are still economical if you’re changing them regularly.

One additional tip: After finishing the Vinyl Pocket 1, I like to quickly sew a few stitches across the open end of the zipper teeth. This helps keep the open end from flapping around and will be especially useful when attaching it to the quilted panel. In the photo below, I’m sewing a quick forward stitch and backstitch across the zipper teeth to close the open end (the zipper teeth look metal, but they are plastic, so I’m good to sew right across them).

That’s it for tips today! I have two videos for Day 2 of the sew along. You can find the videos on instagram (part 1 and part 2) or Facebook (part 1 and part 2).

I’ll be back tomorrow with a few more notes and photos about working with vinyl for assembling the other two Vinyl Pockets.

Links for products from today’s assignment:

Tube Turner (shown in my video for turning the Handle and Strap right side out)
Clover Wonder Clips
My favorite vinyl to use (ByAnnie brand 16 gauge vinyl)
Organ 90/14 needles
Zipper by the yard from these photos
Wild Honey fabric by Lella Boutique for Moda

Thanks for sewing along!

Kristina