From T-Shirt to No-Sew Duct Tape Zipper Pouch Upcycle
As promised, here is my tutorial for the no-sew duct tape zipper pouch that I attached a flower I made from a t-shirt to. There are many tutorials online for making a no-sew duct tape zipper pouch and this is my version upcycling a sleeveless t-shirt.
Begin by cutting out a 8"x15" piece of material from the t-shirt.
Cover the fabric with duct tape, slightly overlapping each duct tape strip
until the fabric is completely covered.
Turn the piece over and cut off excess duct tape along the edge of the fabric. Draw 1/2" seam lines on duct tape sides for stapling guide (not shown).
Place the zipper face down on the right side of the fabric and begin stapling the zipper to the fabric about 3/8 inches away from edge. Make sure you are not stapling too close to the zipper teeth.
Open the zipper before finishing stapling so that it will lay flat.
Fold the fabric right sides together. Lay zipper flat against the edge. Use a piece of masking tape to hold the stapled side down, then, staple down the zipper, as before.
Adjust where you want the zipper to be on the finish pouch. In this case, 1/4 of the way down. Smooth out the folds.
Begin stapling one side, starting at the zipper, first, along seam lines, as a guide.
Open the zipper before stapling the last side edge so that you can turn the pouch inside out.
Begin taping over zipper staples, one side at a time, careful not to get too close to zipper teeth.
Cut off excess duct tape and zipper before taping sides.
Lay tape over front stapled sides and fold to back, smoothing the tape out.
Repeat taping on the opposite side.
Once finished taping over staples, turn pouch right side out, gently using the rubber eraser tip of a pencil to push corners out.
I love the way this turned out but in hindsight, there are a couple of things to be aware of.
First, check to make sure where the placement of the zipper opening is. (it should be on the left)
Second, using knit fabric to make this pouch is not a good idea. The final finish is not smooth although I ironed the fabric before adding the duct tape.
I attached a flower I made for an upcycle challenge to dress the pouch up a bit.
And also added a cord to the zipper by cutting off a small strip of fabric and stretching it to curl and . . .
then, threading it through the zipper tab hole and tying the ends together in a knot.
I must say the flowered duct tape lining is very pretty and striking in this pouch!
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Comments
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Couldn't you flip the zipper and the materials and leave the decorated duct tape for the outside?
I would sew it, instead of stapling, it be more secure