Objective: Combine your intermediate MC6650 skills to produce a lined, boxed-corner zippered pouch you could sell, while tracking the time and materials involved.
An intermediate project is where individual techniques become a finished, repeatable product. A lined zippered pouch is ideal because it uses three skills you already practiced: zipper insertion with the zipper foot, clean topstitching, and boxed corners for a 3D shape. The build logic matters more than any single stitch. First you sandwich the zipper between one outer panel and one lining panel, right sides together, stitch along the zipper tape, then flip and topstitch to keep the lining from catching. You repeat for the second side, so the zipper sits between outer-and-lining on both edges. Then you open the zipper halfway (critical — this is how you turn it right side out later), align outers to outers and linings to linings, and sew around the whole perimeter, leaving a 3-inch turning gap in the lining bottom. Boxed corners give the pouch depth: at each bottom corner you flatten the seam, measure a 1-inch square, mark, and stitch across. On the MC6650 use stitch length 2.5 for seams, 3.0 for topstitching, and the Needle Up/Down and automatic thread cutter features to speed repeat production — these efficiencies directly lower your per-item labor time, which is the foundation of profitable pricing.
Example: Cut two outer and two lining rectangles 9"x7". Attach a 9" zipper between outer and lining on the top edge, topstitch at 3.0. Repeat other side. Open zipper halfway. Match outers RST, linings RST, sew the perimeter at 1/4" leaving a 3" gap in the lining. At each of the four bottom corners, flatten, mark a 1" square, stitch across, trim. Turn right side out through the gap, push out corners, topstitch the gap closed. Result: a pouch about 8"x5"x2". Tracked: 20 minutes labor, $2.40 materials — so at a $24 sale price your labor earns about $65/hour after materials.
Try it: Make one lined boxed-corner pouch following the sequence above. As you work, write down three numbers: total minutes start to finish, your material cost (fabric + zipper + thread), and the suggested retail price if you want to earn at least $30/hour of labor after materials.