DIY Holiday Survival Kit

My nephew is almost ten. Soon he will be going on a school trip to Switzerland - the first of our immediate family to hit the slopes! Baring these facts in mind - I figured a travel survival travel kit might just go down a treat (being born in January requires extra inventiveness on the present front). What does every travel survival kit need? Why an over-sized zipper pouch of course! So became my first make of the year ...

 

Click through for instructions!

 You'll need:

• 2 x outer fabric pieces
• 2 x lining fabric pieces 
• zipper 
• thread 
• sewing machine 
• needle & pins

Notes on materials: I used a 15" zipper and cut my outer and lining fabric into 15" by 15" squares. Of course - feel free to make your pouch as over or under sized and as square / rectangular as you like. This project suits fabric scraps and recycled materials (e.g. charity shop duvets/ curtains) to the ground. 

1. If you want to add a label/ patch to the outside or lining pieces - do this now. For the survival kit zipper I cut some red felt into a cross and hand stitched it to the lower right hand side of the front piece. Note - be sure to take into account the seam allowance when you do this! (otherwise it might look a little off kilter once the pouch is sewn together).

2. Place your zipper face-down on the front piece.

3. Place your lining piece over the top to create a zipper sandwich. Your front and lining pieces should be right sides together. Get pin happy.

4. Using a straight stitch, sew at 1/4".  Your end result should look like this ...

5. Topstitch close to the edge. If you have a zipper foot lurking around, this is where it will be mighty useful. Otherwise, be patient and go slow.

Source: here & here

6. Repeat steps 2-5 with the remaining outside and lining pieces. Once you're done, it should be looking something like this ...

7. Open the zipper. 

8. Pin the outside pieces with right sides facing together and the lining pieces with right sides together. Stitch 1/4" all the way around, leaving a small gap in the lining pieces.

9. Clip the corners and turn right side out. Hand stitch the opening in the bottom of the lining piece closed and push back into the inside.

 

10.You're done! Now grab a cuppa and admire your handiwork.

p.s. Sorry for the photos - natural light is hard to come by at the moment ...