Easy Zippered Bag

This is a pretty easy bag to make for a holiday gift.
It only has a lot of steps because I documented each item for ease.  It goes pretty quickly. Once you make one, you will realize how easy it is.  Make a bunch..  for friends as cosmetics cases, a small catch-all for inside your purse, or make longer for kids as pencil cases.  Upholstery or fabric shops often have beautiful remnant pieces for a song.  Experiment with different sizes. 
 

Fabric piece (at least 12" x 18")
Zipper
Thread
Needle
Pins
Ruler or straight edge (to mark)
Sewing machine

Cut your fabric in half lengthwise.  On the longest side.
Iron edges under 5/8" for zipper placement.

Pin or baste zipper in place.  Sew in zipper.  No worries, a long zipper can always be cut down to size. 

Zipper inserted.

With the zipper closed, and the right sides of the fabric facing eath other, sew the side opposite the zipper closed.  It now looks like an open tube of material with a zipper on one side.  Here is a photo from a different fabric, but it is the side I am pointing to.   

Lay the fabric tube with the partially OPEN zipper facing up.  (Open because I learned the hard way.)  Sew the two remaining sides closed.  You can sew over plastic zippers (slowly), but jump over any metal pieces. 

This is a bit hard to explain, but hopefully the photo will demonstrate the seams to sew now. Holding the bag with the zipper facing up, (like a box of Kleenex) mark and pin in 1" - 2" on the corners.  These seams run parallel to the zipper and give the bag its height.  If the bag comes out too short, increase the length of the seams as you sew in closer to the zipper.

This is a photo of all the corner seams sewn.  Trim corners and excess of zipper if needed.

Turn inside out.
Add a little ribbon on to the zipper to decorate.
Ta Da.  A pretty zippered case for a holiday gift.