Zip Up the Pyramids! Combine Triangles to Make a Purse

Last week, I showed off a triangular bipyramid ornament, made from a wildly freemotion-quilted, felt-backed scrap. Here's another triangular bipyramid - but it's more of a wristlet/purse than an ornament. The 6 triangles were joined into 3 diamonds; there's a zipper on top; a bangle bracelet; and it was constructed using the stiff interfacing and English Paper Piecing techniques described in too-loving detail in my new polyhedron book. 

This specific project is not in the book, so below, I'll show how I made it. First, I cut the skirt off this vintage baby (or doll?) dress, opened it and pressed it flat. (I forgot to take a picture while it was intact, so here's the top.)

I welded six equilateral triangle templates (from my book's icosahedron pattern) into three diamonds. I cut those from fusible interfacing, and covered them, front and back, with fabric. For the inside fabric, I used a new print that looks like jellyfish - the color went perfectly with the blue on the outside:

Sew three panels together as shown below. Cover one end of a 6" zipper with a tab. Sew the zipper along one long edge of a diamond. (You could do this sewing by machine, but I did it by hand for consistency with the next seam.) It's much easier to sew if the zipper is open.

To attach the zipper to the opposite side, it quickly becomes obvious that you must open it to sew. 

 Here's the zipper and tab in position, with the bag upside down.  

Sew up the remaining edges.

Add a button and, if you like, a bangle (this one is part of a set from Target that cost bupkes.) I was a little indecisive about the button - I loved the vintage leather button in the photo on top of this page, but I also loved the yellow button below. You can sew on the button and bangle at the same time, or separately if your giftee might prefer a zip-up case to a wristlet. 

For more information about my polyhedron-sewing book, see this page, or more examples on this page!