Tinker and Tailor: Back to School

Even if you're not going back to school and you are just continuing with work just as you have been all summer (gosh I miss long summer holidays!) I still get an urge to sort through my stationery, tidy the pen drawer and maybe treat myself to some new item. Pencil cases also come under scrutiny and having thrown a few dodgy ones out I think a new one is in order. Also as Edward is soon starting a new posting, which always requires at least a new pencil case, I thought I'd make one especially for him. Here is how so that you can make your own!

First cut two pieces of fabric and two of lining. Make sure they are big enough for whatever it is you want to put inside and add 1cm seam allowance all the way round.

Embellish the fabric if you want to. (I used yellow felt to make the Batman shape, then stuck it to the fabric with Bondaweb and blanket stitched round the edge.)

Place the right sides of the outer fabric together and stitch together using a long stitch across where you want the zip to go. Open out the fabric and press one seam to each side.

Fold over and press 1cm along the zip edges of the lining pieces.

place the zip right side down on the seam, making sure the middle of the zip is over the stitches. Place the lining wrong side down with the folded edge along the edge of the plastic teethy ridgey bit. Pin through all layers, then stitch as close to the folded edge as you can.

Cut the long stitches along the zip, then open to fabric out, placing right sides of the outside pieces together and right sides of the lining together. Pin along both edged and the end of the outside pieces, pushing the zip seams over to the lining side.

Stitch the three pinned sides and trim the outside fabric corners. Fold over and press 1cm along the two open edges of fabric. Turn the lining inside out so that it meets wrong sides together at the same edge as the seam with the trimmed corners. Push that seam out of the way and pin the lining edges together.