Dani Wide-Opening Pouch
A roomy zip pouch that opens flat like a small basket, making every tool easy to see and reach.
Video class
This video is for members
Join Lulu Ferris to watch the complete class and sew along at your own pace.
What you’ll make
The Dani is a roomy lined pouch that opens wide and stays open like a small basket, so you can see and reach everything inside.
Make a quilted patchwork version from treasured scraps or use a single fabric for a cleaner, more structured finish.
Its clever shape folds inward when closed, giving you generous capacity without losing the compact look of a zippered pouch.
What you’ll learn in these classes
- Plan a patchwork layout on gridded fusible interfacing.
- Sew consistent rows and manage intersecting seam allowances without excess bulk.
- Add batting and quilt the panel with your own line design.
- Choose interfacing or padding for a soft, firm or quilted finish.
- Make neat fabric zipper stops and center the zipper accurately.
- Assemble the exterior and lining, turn the pouch and shape its inward-folding sides.
Choose your fabric and structure
Use small fabric squares with Quilter’s Grid for the featured patchwork method. The sample uses three coordinated prints, but you can change the square size and create your own arrangement.
For a plain version, choose poplin, canvas or pre-quilted fabric. Add firm interfacing for a crisp pouch, or use batting for a softer, padded result.
Think about the combined thickness of fabric, grid, batting and lining. Lulu explains how to adapt the needle and presser foot to the layers your machine needs to handle.
Make it your own
Quilt along the grid, between the squares, on the diagonal or with a design of your own. The first class shows how to turn the completed panel into a stable pattern piece.
Add one zipper pull or two. Finish the ends with matching fabric, webbing, bias tape or another trim that suits your materials.
The PDF records the sample’s cutting plan, but the method can be reused for other pouches and projects whenever you want to transform scraps into a new textile.
Finished size
The finished Dani measures approximately 22 cm wide, 10 cm high and 11 cm deep.
The downloadable PDF includes the pattern, complete materials list and the measurements used for the featured patchwork panel.
Two complete video classes take you from arranging and quilting the scraps to installing the zipper, lining the pouch and creating its wide-opening shape.
Pattern & materials
Patterns are included with membership
Active members can download every available PDF and materials list.
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