Personalized Pencil Case

School is back in full swing and hopefully you have the majority of your school supplies. If you are still looking for an awesome pencil case why not get inspired by the one Alex stitched up. She used an embroidery pattern from the great Alison Glass and then gave it her own little twist. It turned out beautiful. Wouldn't this be great for keeping your floss in? You can can look at Alison's patterns on her site. 

Tutorial Tuesday

Hello and Happy Tuesday, everyone!

It's back-to-school time for many of us and today's tutorial is a fun way to add some stitchery to the school supplies either you or the kiddos might have to tote around. This pencil roll came together in one afternoon, it fits 10 pens or pencils, and is a fun way to keep all your writing instruments in one place.

To make your own pen/pencil roll, you'll need the following supplies:

- Two pieces of fabric for the exterior and interior measuring 12 inches wide by 7 inches tall

- Two pieces of fabric for the interior pocket measuring 12 inches wide by 4.5 inches tall

- 30 inches of Ric Rac or ribbon  

- Embroidery hoop, floss, needle, and scissors

- Iron and ironing board

- Sewing machine with necessary supplies

- Scissors

I used the "Make Something" pattern available from Urban Threads, and only transferred the pencil, marker, and felt tip pen. The pattern was only $1 and is available as an instant download. 

Step One: Print out your pattern, make sure to select that it is at 100% scale and not scaled to fit the page. Transfer the pattern to one exterior piece of fabric, keeping it one inch or more away from the edge of the fabric. I used osnaburg for the exterior because I like the natural look of the fabric and it's great for embroidery. 

Step Two: Embroider your pattern. I had to use a smaller hoop and embroider the pattern in two sections since it was on the edge of the fabric here. I used a back stitch for the whole pattern with 6-strand floss in 3-ply.

Step Three: For the pen/pencil pocket, take the two 12 by 4.5 inch pieces of fabric, place them right sides together, and stitch along the top long edge with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. 

Press this seam open.

Fold the fabric in half with the wrong sides together and press. 

Top stitch the folded seamed edge. 

Step Four: Place this pocket piece on top of the interior piece of fabric. Using a ruler, mark one inch lines along the pocket to create spaces for the pens and pencils. I used a pencil to mark the lines so they would show up in the photos, but I recommend using a water soluble pen to mark these lines.

Step Five: Stitch the pocket lines. These will create pockets for each individual pen or pencil and firmly attach the pocket piece to the interior piece of fabric. 

Step Six: Fold the Ric Rac in half and place it at the center of the short edge near the embroidery. With right sides together, place the fabric with the pocket on top of this. Pin in place. 

Stitch around the exterior of the fabric, leaving a 2 inch opening for flipping. 

Step Seven: Clip the corners of the fabric and flip so the right sides are facing out. Use a blunt object to push the corners out. Press the corners and use a pressing cloth to lightly press the side with embroidery. 

Step Eight: Top stitch the exterior of fabric. This will finish of the exterior edge, close up the space used to flip the roll, and add a second secure stitch to the Ric Rac.  I switched my sewing machine thread out to white, so that the edge along the outside wouldn't be too noticeable. 

Step Nine: Add pens and pencils, roll it up, and you are ready to go!

Hope you give this tutorial a try and have a very happy Tuesday!

Tutorial Tuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It's back-to-school time for some us, and I thought an embroidered pencil case would be just the thing to kick the new school year off right. If it isn't back-to-school time for you, perhaps you might need a new pencil case for sketching or drawing. Either way, today's tutorial features a pattern from Aneela Hoey's book, Little Stitches, that I think you'll enjoy.

To make this pencil case, you'll need:

- two pieces of exterior fabric in 6x10-inches

- two pieces of laminated cotton or oilcloth in 6x10-inches (I found it here)

- one 9-inch zipper

- embroidery supplies

- pins

- sewing machine 

- scissors

- iron and ironing board

Step One: Transfer your pattern to one piece of the exterior fabric and stitch. I thought the bugs and snail in a jar pattern from Little Stitches was adorable for back-to-school, but Jenny Hart's Sexy Librarians pattern over at Sublime Stitching would look awesome, as well.

Step Two: Place the zipper face down on the right side of the exterior piece, with the furthest zipper edge at the top of the exterior, as shown in the photo below. Place the laminated cotton right side down, over that and pin in place. Using a zipper foot on your sewing machine, stitch through the fabric and zipper tape.

Step Three: Unfold the fabric to expose the other side of the zipper tape, and place this face down on the right side of the other exterior fabric piece. The zipper pull will now be on the opposite side from the piece you just sewed. Place the second piece of laminated cotton right side down over this, pin in place, and sew using a zipper foot, as you did in step two.

When you unfold the fabric with the zipper at the center, it should look like this.

Step Four: Press the exterior fabric near the zipper to create a neat fold and crease. Do not press the laminated fabric, as it could melt. You want to make sure your fabric doesn't get caught in the zipper teeth. Top stitch on either side of the zipper about 1/4-inch away from the zipper to reinforce.

Step Five: Open your zipper to the halfway mark. This keeps the zipper handle out of the way while sewing, and allows you to turn the bag right-side out later. Open up the fabric so that the right sides of the exterior are face-to-face, same for the lining. Pin them in place, marking a 2-inch space in the lining that will remain unsewn. This will be used to turn the bag. Sew a 1/2-inch seam around the entire bag.

Step Six: Square off the corners of the bag by pressing the corner seams flat against one another to create a triangle. Mark 1-inch from the top point and sew a straight line across the bottom edge of this triangle. Clip the excess fabric and repeat for each corner of the lining and exterior.

Step Seven: Using the 2-inch opening in the lining, carefully pull the bag through so it is right side out. Top stitch this space shut, by hand or machine. 

Step Eight: Add your pens and pencils to the bag, and you are ready for a new year of writing, sketching,  and doodling.

Hope you enjoy and have a happy Tuesday!