Pencil Pouch Stitching Dies

It's  Day 3 of the Papertrey Ink April Countdown and I'm here to show you a new addition to my stitching die line up with the Pencil Pouch. We've got a ton of pencil themed products (more to come tomorrow!) this month. I just had to throw my two cents in.

At this point, I've done quite a few stitching projects. Each one has had its quirks and challenges on the design-side of things. The Pencil Pouch is the one I've felt I put the most design work into. Things are not just functional this time around. There was definitely decisions made for the sake of style and form. I'll always remember it as the stitching die that put me in a grouchy mood. LOL!  I just couldn't crack it initially. Spent a little time one rainy afternoon hammering away at Illustrator and got nowhere. Then I learned that I'm one of those creative types that gets grouchy when something doesn't work. I was fit to be tied making dinner that night over it. I'm throwing pots around, viciously cutting up carrots, took the potatoes beyond the word "mashed". I say this all with great amusement. Good thing I figured it out after a few days. I'd have hated to see what I would have done to some poor chicken breasts.

The initial idea that was floated by me was that Nichole wanted a pencil pocket to put on the front of the Moments Inked Planner. And that's what we've got for you today. But as with anything, once you start working with it, you see so many other possibilities. Let's start with the planner first, shall we?

As you can see, mission accomplished. Here is a Raspberry Fizz Pencil Pouch held to the Moments Inked Planner with a ruched elastic band. Small Basic Grey Magnets (you can get them at Amazon, free shipping if you've got Prime...they were cheaper a few weeks ago for some reason), are sewn into little pockets and keep it closed. There are other ways to to keep it closed, as the other girls and myself are going to show you today.

The magnets are hidden in the pockets. You can't see them when the Pencil Pouch is finished. The metal circles you are seeing here are merely a decorative add-on I found. You can get iron-on discs at your fabric store in the section with iron on patches and bedazzler supplies. These were purchased 30/$4, even less with a coupon. They simply iron on. Great little things. You'll see in one of the tutorial videos how they work.

The Pencil Pouch is one piece of felt that is folded up into thirds.

The folding creates a pocket to hold a pen or pencil inside. Here you see the cooresponding magnets on the inside that keep it shut.

One the back are two sewn rectangles that serve as channels for your elastic band to keep the Pencil Pouch attached to your planner. You can find 1/2" to 5/8" elastic at your local fabric store. The "fold over" stuff has seemed to become popular of late and comes in so many colors, styles, and patterns. You can have a lot of fun by making the type of elastic you choose part of  your overall design.

There is a simple and secure way to create the elastic loop included in the Pencil Pouch die. Don't worry, I've got you covered there!

The Pencil Pouch can also double as a bookmark with your planner by holding tight the pages you are finished with to the cover. Build in some extra slack into the elastic loop if you intend to use it this way. Come October you are going to need it!

Check out the elastic I used here. It is super fancy with a ruched texture. Nice, huh?

Now that you've seen the pictures of the first one, how about the basic assembly video so you can see how it comes together?



I mentioned above that there are alternative ways to close up the Pencil Pouch other than using magnets. I provided you dies in the Pencil Pouch Stitching Dies that allow you to sew in elastic bands anchored in the back that then hook over buttons sewn in the front. Just like this....

The elastic bands I'm using are hair bands. We all have them, all used them to put ponytails in our hair or the hair of our favorite little girls. You can find them anywhere, are super cheap, come in a nice range of colors, and look very finished because they are wrapped in nylon thread.

In addition to the Pencil Pouch Die, I designed the Pencil Pouch Trim Die that can be purchased separately. This die allows you to add an additional color layer to the front if you so choose. It is a nice option to have. I used it on this Pencil Pouch to add Heat'N'Bond treated floral fabric. Here's a video on how to work with that material.

My new personal policy when using fabric with stitching dies is to iron them on to a matching felt cut in Vintage Cream. So on this one, I cut the Pencil Pouch Trim out of fabric and Vintage Cream Felt. The Heat'N'Bond allowed me to iron them together and then I stitched it onto the main body of my Pencil Pouch. This just allows the color and pattern on the fabric to stay true, and not have the colors of the layer below show through, muddling the color of the print.

The elastic hair bands are sewn into channels on the back of the Pencil Pouch to anchor them securely.

This Pencil Pouch does not have a elastic loop sewn in the back to put it on the planner or notebook. Instead, it is very independent! I have a few cosmetics in it for my purse.

There has been a bit of discussion on the PTI DT forum about what additional items this item can hold in a ladies purse. I'm not shy about talking about some stuff, especially if it is super handy. Let's just say that there are items that a lady might need once a month that can be cleverly hidden in ones' purse this way and leave it at that. The Pencil Pouch is the perfect size. I'm sure ya'll know what I mean.

Here's a video to show you how to put in the elastic bands, how the Pencil Pouch Trim Die works, and some discussion on which sizes of hairbands to use and buy.



Here's a photo of the Pencil Pouch I made in the video.

I used some large polka dot buttons I got at a fabric store. Between hair band colors, elastic patterns, styles, and colors, felt vs. fabric, and buttons, you'll have a lot of fun designing with the Pencil Pouch Stitching Dies! There is so much possibility for variation and personalization.

For my last Pencil Pouch share, I have this one I made for my daughter. I took a composition notebook and covered it with Stamper's Select Cardstock. Then I just went to town stamping stars from Simple Stars and Super Stars stamp sets in shades of Tropical Teal, Aqua Mist, Royal Velvet, and Winter Wisteria. So much fun with this project!

I used the iron-on metal discs again.This time, instead of just placing them in the circles intended for the magnet pockets, I created a line of them right down the front. So snazzy.

And check out the elastic. Just pause for a second and appreciate the fact that glitter elastic even exists in this world. It is a thing of beauty.

I think my favorite part of this project is the use of the sentiment in Super Stars. The stamp set has these sentiments with dotted, curved lines that are designed to trail after a stamped star on your paper project. Here I have them trailing off of a star I put on the Pencil Pouch. LOVE it. Ties everything together.

For the star, it is cut out of Winter Wisteria felt with the Coffee Cozy Detail Dies. I also cut one out of Winter Wisteria paper. I sewed the two together, with the cardstock providing stability to the single layered felt star. Then I hot glued it to my Pencil Pouch. I'm sure when I ironed on that metal disc on the top of the star, the glue melted and merged into the felt even more, making a secure bond. Easy as pie.

Moving on, I have a bonus project today (like I did yesterday) using the Pencil Me In and Pencilgrams stamp sets as well as the Write Stuff Holder Dies being released this month. I created a cute little crayon gift using the Vintage Favor Box and Just a Little Something stamp set.

The Write Stuff Holder Dies are used on the surface of the Vintage Favor Box to hold three crayons. I made sure I lined the backside of this so the box contents don't show through. On top of the crayons, I made a label using Mat Stack 1 and Layerz Dies. Very thin Scor-Tape on the tops of the folded up parts of the Write Stuff Holder Dies keep it attached.

The sides of the box are stamped with the frames from Just a Little Something and inside I stamped my daughter's name using the new Pencilgrams set. Sweet!

Here's a look at the Mat Stack 1 label I created. I used all those fun doodles from Pencil Me In to create my own patterned paper. I then used the dies and stamps from Just a Little Something to create my focal point and banner. The sentiment is from Pencil Me In.

I cut four sheets of Stamper's Select White Cardstock into 2.5" squares to put in my box. Just little pieces of paper to draw and create with. This would be a good airplane gift or something to keep a child busy in a restaurant. And don't forget the "just because" gift...those sometimes are the best kind.

Thanks for joining me today. Here's a link back to Nichole's blog so you can see more projects. All these products will be available on April 15th at 10 PM EST at www.papertreyink.com  if you are interested in adding them to your collection.


Supplies

Pencil Pouches
Pencil Pouch Dies, Pencil Pouch Trim Dies, PTI felt, various notions

Crayon Box
Stamps: Pencil Me In, Pencilgrams, Just a Little Something
Dies: Vintage Favor Box, Just a Little Something, Mat Stack 1, Mat Stack Layer
Ink: Blueberry Sky, Winter Wisteria, Royal Velvet, Hibiscus Burst
Cardstock: Winter Wisteria, Hibiscus Burst
Patterned Paper: Pencil Me In Collection