How to Sew a Pleated Zipper Pouch | Free Printable Pattern

April 20, 2026

This pleated zipper pouch matches my:

It will fit inside the clutch bag to organize smaller items.

Zipper pouches are a quick and easy sewing project. This one does have the extra steps of adding the pleats and sewing the top and bottom panels together, but it’s a style that’s a little more interesting than a plain zipper pouch (which you can find instructions for here if you want a quicker/beginner-friendly project: How To Sew a Simple Zipper Pouch)

Sewing the pleated zipper pouch to sell

Zipper pouches tend to be popular items at craft shows because they can be used for a variety of things (makeup, stationery, a few first aid supplies, etc.), so shoppers can almost always find a use for them.

And, because they’re quick to sew and don’t require much in the way of materials, the price point is lower, making it an easy purchase for craft show shoppers.

These are ideal to sell with other bags and cases and in matching/coordinating fabrics.

They’re also a great way to use smaller pieces of material and increase your profits (instead of those fabric scraps going in the trash, you can make money from them).

This pleated case is designed to go with my pleated collection:

Materials

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Exterior fabric – a heavier-weight fabric is ideal (such as vinyl, denim, canvas), or you can add interfacing for more structure
Lining fabric
Thread
#5 plastic zipper (and one zipper pull)

Tools

Sewing machine
Walking foot (highly recommended if you’re sewing with vinyl. This is the universal one I purchased for my Baby Lock, which is a different machine than what’s shown in the photos)
Clips
Temporary fabric marker (these are the ones I use)
Ruler
Scissors
Soft-faced hammer (optional; helps flatten seams when working with vinyl; use it in place of an iron for “pressing” seams)
Hump jumper (optional; helps your sewing machine get over thick seams or zipper teeth)

Step 1

Download the free pattern and cut out the pattern pieces.

In addition to the pattern pieces, you’ll also need:

#5 plastic zipper cut to 8″ long (and a zipper pull)
A 1-1/4″ x 1″ piece of exterior fabric for the zipper end tab (if you’re using a fabric other than vinyl, cut it to 1-1/4″ x 2″ so you can fold in the cut edges.
2 pieces of lining fabric cut to 6-1/2″ x 8″

This pattern uses a 1/2” seam allowance unless mentioned otherwise.

Step 2

Begin by making small clips where the “pleat fold lines” are indicated along the top of the bottom panel pattern piece (or mark the lines on the right side of the fabric using a temporary fabric marker).

Then cut notches or use a temporary fabric marker to indicate the centre at the top of your bottom panels and at the bottom of your top panels.

Create your pleats on the bottom outer panels by folding the two marked lines together. Make sure your pleats are going in opposite directions.

Simply clip them into place (don’t stitch them yet).

(I accidentally cut my notches on the bottom of the pattern piece at first…so just ignore those cuts;)

Then place your bottom panel and top panel right sides together.

Line up the centre points and clip into place, then line up the outer edges and clip into place.

Adjust your pleats as needed to ensure your bottom piece is the same length as the bottom of your top piece (depending on the thickness/thinness of your material, you may need to let your pleats in or out a little).

Clip the edges together, then sew together using a 1/2” seam allowance.

Fold the top panel up and ensure the seam allowance for both pieces is pushed up, so it’s behind the top panel (and not the bottom panel), then top-stitch along the bottom of the top panel to secure the seam allowance into place.

Repeat to sew the other two outer panels together.

Trim the seam allowance.

Step 3

Fold the zipper tab over the closed end of the zipper and topstitch into place.

*If you’re using a woven fabric (that will fray), this tab should be 1-1/4″ wide by 2″ long. Fold in half lengthwise to find the center point, then fold the two ends in to that center crease, then fold the tab in half so it is 1-1/4″ wide by 1/2″ long.

Step 4

Using a temporary fabric marker, mark two lines on either end of your top panels that are 5/8″ away from the end. Your zipper will start and end within these lines.

Clip the zipper into place (right side of the zipper placed on the right side of the top panel), and on the open end of the zipper, fold the zipper at a 90-degree angle so that the zipper teeth end right before the mark.

Baste the zipper into place.

Place the lining right sides together with the outer panel, lining up the top and side edges and clip into place. Then sew into place, using a zipper foot to sew close to the zipper teeth. You may also need to use a hump-jumper to sew over the start and end of the zipper.

Trim the excess zipper, then topstitch the outer panel, along the zipper. I fold my lining to the opposite side of the outer fabric so I don’t topstitch it. This helps get a cleaner finish at the start and end of the zipper.