Kitty Cat Coin Purse - Free Sewing Pattern and Tutorial

If you’re a crazy cat lady – or at least think that all things cats are cute – I’ve got a treat for you! I’ve got a free pattern to sew up an adorable little kitty cat coin purse.

I make no secret of the fact I’m a crazy cat lady. There’s no changing it, so why not own it? Any time I see something with a cat face or cat ears, I go a little melty. They’re just… so… cute! So of course if I’m making a little coin purse, I’m going to want to make it a kitty cat coin purse! It makes my crazy cat lady self happy.

This little zipper pouch has a kitty face and kitty ears on the front.

And on the back – there’s a kitty tail! How cute is that!

I’ve got a free pattern for you below.

This little coin purse is just big enough to hold your ID and credit cards, plus a little cash and maybe some ear buds. The small size is easy to tuck into a purse or backpack.

The kitty’s sweet little face is super easy to make if you use safety eyes and a safety nose. You can find these at most fabric stores or order them from Etsy. They’re quick and easy to install, and the little plastic eyes and nose look so cute!

The bottom of the pouch is boxed to give plenty of room for all your cash and cards.

Finished dimensions are approximately 5” long x 3” tall.

Supplies

Main fabric – fat quarter (or large scraps) quilting cotton

Lining – fat quarter (or large scraps) quilting cotton

Accent fabric – scraps quilting cotton

Fusible fleece – scraps

Fusible webbing – scraps

2 safety eyes, ½” diameter

1 safety nose

1 nylon zipper at least 7” long

Free pattern – Kitty Cat Coin Purse

RST = Right Sides Together. ¼” seam allowance unless otherwise noted. Seam allowance is included on all pattern pieces.

Prep

Follow manufacturer’s instructions to fuse the fleece to the back of the Front/Back pieces.

Trace the Kitty Cat Details pattern shapes on to the back of your fusible webbing. The shapes are already reversed for you.

Follow manufacturer’s instructions to fuse each shape to the back of the accent fabric. Cut out each shape.

Sew the Ears

Place Ear pieces (one from Main fabric, one from Accent fabric) RST. Sew around sides, leaving the bottom open.

Clip curves. Turn right side out. Press.

Make a small pleat in the bottom of each ear to add shaping. Make the direction of the pleats mirror each other so the ears will be symmetrical when added to the cat face. Baste the pleat in place with 1/8” seam allowance.

Making the pleats will cause the bottom corners of the ears longer than the center. Just trim off those extra bits to give the ears a flat bottom edge.

Make the Coin Purse Front

Place Stripes details pieces across the top of the Front where indicated on the Placement Guide. Follow manufacturer’s instructions to fuse them down, then top stitch close to the edge to secure.

Place the Ears pieces along the top edge of the Front, ½” from the sides, RST, and raw edges aligned.

Baste in place with 1/8” seam allowance.

Follow manufacturer’s instructions to install the safety eyes and snaps where indicated on the Placement Guide.

Now you have a kitty cat face for your zipper pouch!

Make the Coin Purse Back

Place Tail detail piece along the bottom of the Back where indicated on the Placement Guide. Follow manufacturer’s instructions to fuse them down, then top stitch close to the edge to secure.

Your kitty cat zipper pouch has a tail now!

Sew the Zipper Tabs

Fold each zipper tab piece in half the short way and press.

Fold the short edges under 3/8” and press.

Pull the zipper down about 2”. Wrap the tab around the top (unzipped) end of the zipper and stitch in place close to the folded edge. Use clips to hold everything in place while you sew.

Mark the zipper 4 1/2” from the sewn edge of the zipper tab. Cut the zipper 1” past the mark.

Sew the second zipper tab around the end, just as you did for the first zipper tab.

Pull the ends of the zipper tape out from the zipper tabs and trim them to ¼” to reduce bulk.

Install the Zipper

Mark the center of the zipper on each side of the tape.

To sew the zipper tape to the coin purse, first make a little sandwich. Layer the Front piece face up, then the zipper face down, and then the Lining face down. Match the center notches so everything lines up.

Your zipper tape will be longer than your coin purse. That’s okay. Just let the extra hang out at the ends.

Use a zipper foot to sew along the curved edge. Because you’re easing the zipper in to a curved edge, it’s easy for the layers to shift as you sew. The best way to avoid this is to start your seam at the MIDDLE notch and sew to one end.

Then, flip the piece over and sew from the middle notch to the other end to complete the seam. The zipper should now be sewn along the entire curved edge.

When you get to the zipper pull, stop with the needle down into the fabric, raise the presser foot and pull the zipper pull past where you’re stitching. Put the presser foot back down and resume sewing.

Press seam open. Top stitch close to the edge.

The illustration shows the top edge being straight but it’s actually a curved edge that creates kind of a 3-D hump along the zipper. That hump is difficult to show in an illustration while also showing the seam line accurately, so I’ve left it straight. Just pretend that there’s a hump in the illustration.

Repeat this process to sew the Back piece and remaining Lining piece to the other side of the zipper.

When the zipper is installed, you can go ahead and trim off the extra bits of the zipper tabs that are hanging out from the ends of the coin purse.

Assemble the Coin Purse

UNZIP THE ZIPPER!!!!!! This is super important. If you don’t unzip the zipper you won’t be able to turn your coin purse right side out at the end.

After you have unzipped the zipper, open up the coin purse and flatten it so the Front/Back pieces are right sides together and the Lining pieces are right sides together. Mush the extra fabric at the zipper tabs toward the lining.