Life has been so busy lately doing up the house, getting it ready for our new baby. I haven't had any where near as much time as I thought I would to indulge in my love of craft.
This weekend I got up early and by the end of the day, even though I was already worn out from cleaning the house from the mess from all the building work, I made time to fix my old pencil case which I use every day at work.
I love my barbie pencil case!
The sides were giving way and all my stationary would fall out! Not good when working with toddlers!
The zips were still working well and I had considered just recycling the zips but I realised I would need some thing to stop markers leaking through the cotton material so the whole plastic pencil case material got recycled! Go me!
This is how I did it.
I am no expert. I just give things a go and near enough is good enough for me. So if you want to use my instructions remember you'll need to use your sewing knowledge too. I'll do my best to be clear!
How I recovered a pencil case
I cut my pencil case down to a more portable size, and cut away all the tattered plastic so it could fold out to a large rectangle with the zip done up in the middle.
I cut the side pocket off and will reattach this later.
I cut my fabric around the large rectangle piece leaving excess material for seam allowance.
Then I folded over approx 1/4 inch of the short edge of fabric, pressed the material with my fingers to crease a fold ( use a iron if your material wont fold) and sewed it in place so the fold is underneath. This creates a neat edge along the zip. This is much easier if the zip is done up!
Then I had to work out what I was going to do with the second compartment at the side. I also covered this in the same manner with the same material allowing plenty of over hanging material just in case I stuffed it up!
The material now needs to be attached to the sides of the pencil case so it wont bubble. I ran several lines of a fancy stitch which you can see on the photo below. Repeat this on the front back and pocket.
Then I needed to make the ruffles. 2.5 inch of your favorite materials cut into strips 1.5 times the length of your pencil case.
Then fold and sew length ways with wrong sides facing to make a long tube which you turn using a large safety pin.
Run a line of stitching with a large straight stitch and gather. Pulling one length of cotton and carefully moving the material down the thread will achieve this. Careful not to snap your thread. Run a double length of stitching if you haven't done this before. Easier to do this before you start to gather the material.
Then measure out you ruffles on top of the pencil case and sew where you want them.
Don't forget where you place you second compartment you wont see any work under this so measure out what you can and can't see and attach your ruffles accordingly.
Attach you second compartment by attaching the zipper first with right sides together and sew then a stitch down the shorter sides. The bottom will be sewn up later.
Cut back all the raw edges and make sure front and back are even for when you sew them together.
Stitch carefully through the bulk around all three sides ( I bent two needles doing so!). Make sure your zippers are in the middle so you don't sew them so the can't be undone or done up!
Turn right sides out. The corners were a little tricky to turn out because my pencil case was a plastic material but using a blunt object, end of a rounded spoon is good to carefully tease them out, eventually got it done.
Check your zippers are all good and working. I had an issue with one of my zippers metal ends and had to remove it leaving the zip a little tatty which you can see on the last photo below. I hand sewed a few stitches over it so I wont loose my zip. It works well now. It's only for me so I don't mind the ends being tatty.
One finished personalised pencil case!
Front.
Back
