little gift

I am always looking for teacher appreciation gift ideas, and make things year round so I am ready for Christmas and end of year! This pencil/supplies container is perfect for any classroom. This size can fit a whole pack of sharpies, and you can still put the lid on!

My 8 year old and I were spending time in the sewing room yesterday, and she came up with this idea for her teacher! We are all about recycling and using up scrap fabric, so this is perfect for us! She was able to do all the stitching, this is that easy to make! We used applique because my daughter loves to applique, but any teacher would love to have their name embroidered on one!

The base is just an empty large Strawberry Quik container.

Measure the height, in this case it was 5.75 inches from base to top. So, I cut a strip from scrap 6.75 inches by the width of fabric, which was 22 inches. All we are worried about to start is the height.

Now, fold in the top and bottom 1/2 inch each and press. You don't need to double fold, as this side will be glued to the container.

Next, take to the sewing machine and add a decorative stitch to the top and bottom. Rena chose this pretty snowflake stitch, because everything in our house is still all about Frozen. 

Next we will add the applique. I printed out a block letter A. Don't forget to print your letter in reverse so when you trace it with wonderunder then cut it out of fabric all is facing the right way!

Use fusible interfacing for the applique. If you are new to applique, fusible interfacing is really easy to use, and keeps everything in place and makes it really easy to sew! Stitch around your applique. 

Position so your applique is center front. Then, grab your glue gun! Glue the front down first, getting the edges really well.

Flip around to the back. Take the right side and trip so it is about in the middle of the container. Glue that side down, getting the edges really well.

Bring the other side around, trim so it is about an inch over the first side, then fold over about 1/2 inch. Glue fabric fold first, then glue down.

Ta-da! How easy was that? Now to find more containers to recover....

For a Special Teacher

This is the project that has consumed me since February, when we found out Evie's second grade Spotlight teacher, Mrs. Roehm, was retiring. I thought it would be nice to do a small signature quilt for her from the second grade, so I asked a few other parents what they thought, and it blossomed into us getting signatures from not only the second grade, but also many of her former students! We took blocks to all the schools here, and then some former students stopped by my studio to sign. I also had a lot of former students email me signatures for the quilt. What impressed on me most was how LOVED she is. I heard over and over, "She was my favorite teacher! She believed in me! I still think of her!"

I feel blessed that Evie was able to have her. Evie helped a lot with the piecing of this quilt. We gave the quilt to her this afternoon after our field trip.

We are losing a great teacher this year, but I know she will enjoy her travels and time with her family. She has touched so many lives during her career. Bless you, Mrs. Roehm!


Happy Sewing Ya'll!