Gift sewing - free pattern

I feel like this post should have a warning - contains many photos of pencil cases!

I had a wee spate of making book bags for gifts in 2017, then again in 2018, though for some reason the second lot never made it to the blog.  Now it seems I've moved my attention to sewing pencil cases.  The main reason for this is the pattern is just so good!  The pattern is the free Canvas Pencil Pouch tutorial from Noodlehead Patterns.  I found the instructions so clear and easy to follow and the result is a really neat professional looking pencil case.  This is a free pattern, thanks Anna! It only has 3 pattern pieces and is perfect for using up scraps.  All you need to add is one 10" zip and some interfacing.

The first one I made was for my son for Christmas and it's already all covered in pen on the inside but I don't mind.  When I create things I want them to be things that are used every day and I love seeing him bringing this out on the table to do his drawing or practice his letters.  The yellow stripes are scraps from my Stripes & Herringbone quilt and the sweet panda/polar bear fabric was a fat quarter from Sew Scrumptious.  I picked up a bunch of lovely metal zips in a charity shop a while ago and this is one of the 10" ones I had, it's perfect for small hands as it has a built in zip pull. 

Photos of pencil case sewn using Noodlehead free canvas pouch tutorial

Then I decided that the older brother of the recipient of my recent Monochrome quilt really needed a pencil case in matching fabric so I made this one up. For this one I interfaced both the outer and lining fabrics to make it a bit sturdier.

Photos of pencil case sewn using Noodlehead free canvas pouch tutorial

This one was for a friend's daughter's 7th birthday.  I love this horse fabric which I also used in a recent quilt top (which still needs quilting). I thought it went really well with this scrap of Kona pink from my Sleep Tight quilt panel. The lining is a lovely wavy stripe fabric I bought years ago in Liberty from their quilting cotton section and I love how nice and bright this pencil case turned out.  I'm sure there will be more to come!

Photo of pencil case sewn using Noodlehead free canvas pouch tutorial

Photo of pencil case sewn using Noodlehead free canvas pouch tutorial

And finally I made this one very last minute for a birthday gift on Saturday, 2 hours before the party. It's nice to know I have a reliable pattern I can whip up quickly now. I bought this fat quarter of flamingo fabrics ages ago with no real purpose, I just really liked it.  It was perfect for this little girl and I've since heard that she really likes it which is great!



Photo of pencil case sewn using Noodlehead free canvas pouch tutorial

Photo of pencil case sewn using Noodlehead free canvas pouch tutorial