Batik Quilted Purses/Makeup Bags/Pencil Cases

Here's a photo of four of the finished cases. Two made with a black zipper and two made with a white zipper. The cases measure 8x7 inches or 21x 18cms.

To construct the cases I've sewn together 9 strips of batik fabric approx 2 inches wide. Then I've quilted the fabric with a plain print fabric on one side (with the batting in between). I've done some random quilting with purple thread which is actually a lot of fun to do.

I've then folded over the edges by ironing them (which are going to be the seams which I sew the zipper along) and sewn them down neatly.

I've used a 25cm zip on these, and the extra little bit just tucks into the case.

Before I attempted this project I had never sewn in a zipper. To work out how to do it, I watched a few being done on YouTube before I went ahead and did it myself.

Like most things, I would recommend pinning everything! I would also suggest that you sew on the zipper before sewing up the sides of the bag, just to make it easier to line up the metal edges of where the zip will go and also to allow for being able to manoeuvre the case around the sewing machine.
Try to work out where the seam will go for the sides of the case and then allow for the metal stoppers of the zip to finish just where you finish the seam for the side. This way when the case is complete the zip will close completely.

I've also made myself a camera case out of the same strips of fabric, for that I just added a draw string instead of a zip.