Thank You, Teachers!!!

I was inspired to make pencil cases this year after seeing Allison's adorable pencil case for Stephanie but after my son and I got to talking about the trials of handwriting this year and I had to go with some old school cursive.

I've been a tad overambitious with the teacher gifts in the past so I was a little worried about doing all that handwork. I had to make 5 of these but they worked up quickly and it was actually really relaxing.  It was also fun to practice some of the embroidery stitches I learned from the fabulous Kate.  I used a backstitch for the blue lines, a running stitch for the pink lines, and a stem stitch for the writing.

I also used this as an excuse to indulge my latest obsession, Aurifil 12 weight.  The colors are beautiful, it doesn't twist up while you're stitching, and it has a beautiful sheen.  I'm already planning my next hand quilting project so I can get more;-)

The pouches themselves are based on Noodlehead's Gathered Clutch, obviously without gathering the front panel.  I loved how easy the zipper installation was for my Neptune version and I know from experience they are the perfect size for holding pencils.

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts and Sewjo Saturday at My Go-Go Life.