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Autumn pouch

 

by Linda Theil

I made another large Noodlehead "Plover Pouch" from the Lori Holt "Calico Home Decor Zippy Bags 2 Project Panel" last week. This time I hand-embroidered the autumn-themed design to quilt the front panel.  I used Bison Brown Prarie faux leather for the pouch gusset and zipper panels, and Mustard Mora faux leather -- both from Emmaline Bags in Alberta -- for the pouch back. 

Ben 3D printed a "Chubby Cat Keychain-Charm Kitty Figurine" for my zipper pull with a free pattern from MakerWorld.com.



I attempted to adapt a combined slip/zip pocket featured in Noodlehead's "Firefly Tote" pattern for my large Plover with no success, but I used one of my experiments as a zippered pocket in the interior of this current Plover incarnation.

After purchasing the Firefly pattern and watching the free Noodlehead sew-along for the "Firefly Tote" on YouTube, I was able to adapt the slip/zip pocket to fit a medium-sized Plover that I am currently working on.

Here is a photo of that "Firefly Tote" slip/zip pocket successfully adapted for a medium-sized "Plover Pouch". Photo of the completed Plover below.
Addendum September 19, 2026

The search for a slip/zip pocket all began when I was looking through my purse stash for a fall bag to replace my cute Kandou "Mini" I used all summer. I was in the process of putting the large, fall-themed Plover together, but I wanted a bag that day. I came across a very old and very cute Vera Bradley that had this slip/zip feature on the front of the bag and I thought, "Oh, that's a great idea! I wonder if I can do that on my new Plover?

So, I set to work drawing and cutting and sewing. I was focused on making sure all the pieces had linings and soon discovered I had more layers in the outer bag construction than I was ever going to be able to sew into a seam. So I hacked together the pieces I'd frankensteined and put the zip pocket on the inside of my large Plover.

"Oh, well," I thought, "tomorrow is another day!" I had intended to make a medium Plover using fabrics from the Lori Holt panel, so I planned to continue my experiment on that bag. 

I had apportioned a whole day to working on this puzzle and when Alisa asked me what I planned for the day, I told her I was working on my slip/zip puzzle. But, first I looked through my old-lady facebook feed for news of shenanigans and saw a post in the Noodlehead makers list that made my heart beat fast. Was that a slip/zip pocket on a pattern I had previously dismissed because it had a drawstring closure! 

I think I must have been traumatized by a drawstring bag I made at 4-H in 1958, because I will have nothing to do with a drawstring bag. Alisa makes one that she thinks is j;ust the cutest ever, and I will have nothing to do with it.

The pattern was a Noodlehead "Firefly Tote". I looked the pattern up on the Noodlehead site and watched Anna Graham's free YouTube sew-along video to see how the slip/zip was constructed. I discovered that my problem had been focusing on the number and positioning of the pocket linings, but the key was in how the various pocket panels were attached to the zipper.The process is really very clever and I don't knonw that I would have ever figured it out without Noodlehead.

Watch the video to see the process. Graham demonstrates the first part of the process in the first video of the "Firefly Tote" and completes the pocket construction on the second video of the Firefly series.

Once I saw how all the pieces came together to make the pocket, I set about figuring how big to make the pieces to fit the front/back pattern piece of the medium-sized Plover I was working on. The multi-pocket eats up fabric, so I was running low on fabric from the Lori Holt panel; and I ended up making a whole new medium Plover that doesn't really coordinate with my Lori Holt fabric, and cutting a second slip/zip from remnants of the Lori Holt panel. So I now have TWO medium Plovers on the go.

Below are photos of the slip/zip pocket for a medium-sized Plover using fabric from the Lori Holt panel  and her "Baked with Love Multi Pineapple Pie Home Dec" yardage for the side and back pattern pieces.



My next challenge is to work out directions for adding a slip/zip pocket to any bag pattern. Stay tuned.

Resources
"Calico Plover pouches", 

Noodlehead "Plover Pouch",

Noodlehead "Firedly Tote",

Noodlehead Sew-along YouTube playlists including "Firefly Tote"

"Kandou Mini"

Comments

Larry Duncan said…
I'm impressed. You sure do love a challenge. Janet
9/19/2026
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