things to do with embroidery...part nine...

If you've been reading a while, you may note that a favorite movie quote of mine, especially around this time of year comes from You've Got Mail:

"I would send you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils, if I knew your name and address."

So wonderful.



You may also remember that last year I made some printable pencil toppers featuring Dull Pencil. They remain very popular, and people still find this blog because of them. Go figure.

With all of this in mind, I bring you the latest edition of things to do with embroidery. Embroidered Pencil Toppers!



I started out with my Dull Pencil pattern from the Homework Helpers pattern set, and stitched him onto some muslin like fabric. It's thicker than muslin though and has a bit of stretchiness going on, so it stays fairly stiff.



After it was finished, I trimmed around the embroidery (leaving at least 1/4"), and cut a second piece at the same time. And you know me...I like the raw, fraying edges. Those eyes are buggin' me...the french knots are off a bit...but oh well.



Then I figured out about how much room I would need for the pencil to fit in the bottom, and just running stitched around the edge.



Again, when I got to the other end, I checked for the opening to be sure the pencil would fit. It did, so I tied it off and slipped it over the pencil. Super simple and cute!

I would recommend this for small pieces, but they wouldn't have to be long and skinny like the pencil. The Crafty Crow has some great links today for other pencil toppers to make, and they'll give you some other fun ideas! (My brother says that our family has good timing...an idea reinforced by the fact that I was planning to post this today and The Crafty Crow also posted these!)

Have fun, and if you know someone who needs a pick me up, try freshly sharpened pencils. They say "I love you" at back to school time. Right?