Christmas around the corner

I am trying hard to get some Christmas gifts finished before the last minute this year! We will see.
But I have finished a couple more tote bags! I love these, they are quick and easy, and a great size to haul all my stuff around in.

This time I decided to add a little zipper pouch to clip onto the bag to hold some of the smaller stuff that tends to get lost in the bottom of the bag.
So I cut a 10"x12" piece of both the Home Decor fabric and the lining..

and added a zipper..
Fold the outer fabric in half and sew the zipper and outer fabric right sides together..

then sew the lining onto the zipper, right sides together. I always pin it in first, so I am sure I have it correct and can still turn it right side out once it is sewn. Believe me, I learned this from experience, and have ripped others out a few times before!

Turn right sides out and open the zipper to top stitch close to the zipper edge.

I made a little tab with a D ring on the end so I could clip it to the bag..

And tuck this inside the outer fabric so you catch it in the side seam...

Then sew the side seams, leaving a gap on one side of the lining to turn it through..

slip stitch the opening ....(of course...this is an example of why I dont do much hand sewing!!)

And Voila!! done!

For one of the little pouches, I squared off the bottom, the other one I just left it flat.

Sometimes I don't line these, and then they are even easier to make. All you do after you have the zipper sewn in and top-stitched is sew up the side seams. I like to zigzag all the edges if I am not lining the bag, to keep it tidy inside.

I also added a strap to the bag with a little swivel hook on the end, to snap the zipper pouch....or a set of keys onto..

and that's all folks!