"Stash Buster" Zippered Wallet

Got right on this tutorial since Dollar Store Crafts stash busting event wraps up on my husband's birthday, I mean Earth Day.

1/2 inch Seam Allowance.
Supplies Needed
Scraps of cotton fabric
7 inch zipper
Split ring
Pellon Fusible Fleece

Using Scraps cut the following:
Front top
4 x 8 Cotton
2 x 8 Fusible Fleece
Front Bottom
8 x 8 Cotton
4 x 8 Fusible Fleece
Middle Divider (optional)
11.5 x 8 Cotton
Back
12 x 11.5 (or 2 pieces 6 x 11.5) Cotton
No Fleece in back.
Strap
3 x 8 Cotton

Fuse the Fleece (refer to manufactures' instructions) to the top & bottom front pieces.
Fold the top & bottom front pieces over the fleece and press.
Fold the Middle divider in half  (4 x 11.5), press & top stitch.
Fold the 12 x 11.5 in half (6 x 11.5), if you cut two pieces just lay them out WST.
For Strap fold in the raw edges, press and top stitch both long sides of strap (.75 x 8).

Putting in the zipper! Don't sweat this, I did not even use a zipper foot. The fleece give the 2 front pieces some depth which makes it easier to sew in the zipper.
Place the finished edge of the bottom front piece up right next to the zipper teeth. The zipper tape should be 8 inches long just like your front piece. Slowly sew down the edge of the fabric about 1/8 inch away from the zipper teeth.

AS you get close to the zipper pull, put your needle in the down position.
Lift the presser foot.

Use a chop stick to push the zipper pull past the presser foot. Some zippers will only move if the pull is going in the correct direction, so if you are struggling just flip the pull over and try again.
Lower the presser foot and continue to the edge of the fabric & zipper tape.
Line up the  finished edge of the top front piece with the other side of the zipper and repeat.

Zipper Done!

Make a sandwich with most of your parts.

Lay the front piece with finished zipper down first.
Layer the folded back piece or the 2 6 x 11.5 back pieces, ALIGN to one of the short sides.
add the folded divider align to the same short side and to the bottom.
THE BACK PIECES ARE LONGER THAN THE FRONT.
Sew the sides with the zipper side UP!!! Sew one of the short sides. Watch out for the metal ends of the zipper. You should miss them, but move past them slowly cause they will snap your needle right off.

There will be a bump in the back fabric.

 Trim (if needed) and finish the seam. I used my zig zag stitch.
Look, the edges of the back poke out and you can see them from the front.

If you were to flip it to sneak a peak, this is what it would look like . BUT don't do it cause you will just have to flip it back to finish it up.

Put the strap into the split ring then slide into the sandwich, pin to the front top on the same side as the zipper pull when the zipper is closed.

Please note that the slightly wider back is folded and extends past the front pieces.

Pin the top and the bottom. This is a view from the back.

Here is view of the front.

!!! Make Sure the zipper is open before you continue to the next step!!

 Sew the top and bottom egde. Finish the seams.

Turn right side out. Poke out the corner.

I added a few strands of dmc floss to make a zipper tassel.

All Done.

In retrospect: for my next tote and wallet I will make the wallet first and then attach it to the top edge  with 2 straps from the top of the wallet, while I construct the overall tote. I will not need the ring and clasp. OR if I really want to have the wallet removable I will shorten the straps, cause as it is now constructed the wallet will drop into the bottom of the bag and perhaps end up under my veggies.