Patchwork, Please! :: Vintage Pencil Case

I clearly wasn't thinking straight when I dove into this week's Patchwork, Please project. Did I even glance at the book to see the size of the finished pouch? Nooooo I did not. If I would have, I would have realized that those little pencil point blocks were seriously itty bitty. Like 15/16" x 1 3/4" unfinished. It's a miracle they look as good as they do. Probably my favorite part of them is the lead, done in Jason Yenter's Dit-Dot, a newish fabric I just really like; in fact well enough to use in a much bigger way in another project I'm working on.

Once those pencil points were done, though, the pouch was smooth sailing. The main fabric is Essex Linen in Leather. I chose the overall palette based on the linen of that second pencil down. The lining matches one of the pencils, a Denyse Schmit floral that I just used up and unfortunately can't identify for you.

I adored the double-pull zipper Ayumi used for her pouch in the book, but not finding anything remotely like that, I used a polka-dot zip, which I purchased from GinaPurseFrame on etsy. (Random fact: the zipper teeth are on the opposite side of the tape as the pull. Which basically makes them invisible when zipped.) And though the hand-stitching Ayumi did on her pouch was a detail I totally loved, I opted instead to accent my pouch with matchstick quilting using an Aurifil 50wt #2314 (medium beige). Good news: It coordinates beautifully with the "Leather" Essex. Bad news: It coordinates so well, you can hardly see my efforts. But I know it's there! ha.

This post is part of Zakka Along 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please, a sew along through Ayumi Takahashi's book, Patchwork, Please!: Colorful Zakka Projects to Stitch and Give. 

Click the links to find out more about the sew along, Ayumi, and how to order the book. 

Linking up with Fabric Tuesday.