Journey themed zip purse and card holder

Whizzing around town, catching a myriad of double decker buses and rushing from one train to the next can often induce a state of mild panic as you wonder,“where did I put my Oyster Card?”. However, with Lucinda Ganderton’s travel set you’ll never have to face this fear again; the zip up purse and keyring will keep your loose change safe, and the ticket pouch will be a snug container for your Oyster Card.

Essentials

Fabric: patterned, 15cm x 50cm; plain, for lining, 15cm x 50cm; plain, 15cm square; plain, assorted, 5cm x 7cm
Wadding, 15cm x 50cm
Bias binding, 2cm x 50cm
Thread: sewing, coordinating; embroidery, dark blue
Button, shank, 15mm
Zip, 12cm
Key ring
Embroidery hoop

Dimensions List

Coin purse: 10cm x 13cm
Ticket holder: 7cm x 9.5cm

Stitch a purse

Trace the ‘Life’s a Journey’ motif onto the centre of a 15cm square of fabric, or write your own phrase using a sharp pencil. With a single strand of dark blue embroidery thread, back stitch over the letters and sew French knots for the dots. Trim the fabric down to 5cm x 8cm and cut a similar rectangle from another plain fabric.
Cut patterned fabric measuring 3.5cm x 5cm and stitch the other two rectangles to the long edges. Press the seams open. From patterned fabric, cut 10cm x 15cm for the front and 13cm x 15cm for the back. Sew the patchwork strip to the bottom long edge of the front and press the seam open.
Cut two 15cm x 17cm pieces of wadding and tack the front and back rectangles centrally to them, with right sides up. Starting at the top, work parallel lines of machine stitching 1cm apart, through all the layers, leaving the patchwork unsewn. Trim, and stitch the side and bottom edges together with right sides facing.
Trim the seam allowance back to 5mm and clip the corners. Turn right sides out. Tack under a 2cm turning around the top edge. Sew the two lining pieces together along the side and bottom edges. Clip the corners and press back the seam allowances on all three sides. Turn back and press a 2cm turning around the opening.
Pin one side of the open zip to the top turning, so that the teeth project 5mm above the fold. Slip stitch by hand, then repeat for the other side. Push the lining into the purse, tack 1cm below the top edge and then sew it securely in place with two rounds of stab stitch through all layers. Sew the key ring to the inside edge, at the same end as the zip pull when closed.

Make an oyster card holder

Cut a 12cm x 20cm piece each from patterned material, wadding and lining. Place the patterned fabric on top of the wadding piece and quilt as before. Cut into 9cm x 11cm rectangles.
To make the loop, cut a 12cm length of bias binding and press. Stitch 4mm in along one long fold and trim the raw edges to a 4mm seam. Thread a needle with a double length of thread and fasten securely to one end. Feed the needle through the tube and gently pull it through to turn it inside out. Trim to 10cm and fold in half.
Tack to the centre of one short end of a quilted piece, with raw edges matching. This will be the back. Cut the remaining binding in two, unfold, and with right sides facing and raw edges together, tack one length to the back, over the loop. Stitch along the crease line, and sew the other length to the front, and trim.
Pin the front and back pieces together, right sides facing and stitch 1cm from the edge. Trim the seam back to 3mm, then fold back the binding and slip stitch into the lining. Turn out and ease out the corners. Finish by sewing a button to the centre front.