Because I knew I would be traveling in February, I chose a quick project for my project of the month. I completed the unfinished standing pencil case (# 2 on my list) in a single afternoon, but the project was cursed.
I had re-discovered this forgotten project from 2022 while going through my studio storage and making my 2026 POM list. Fortunately, Past-Kit left me a note in case I forgot what had happened (and I had.) The zipper was ruined. Removing it required a bunch of seam ripping, which I couldn’t face at the time. She also told me where to find written instructions. As soon as I opened the indicated notebook, however, I freaked out. There were two and a half pages of mystifying diagrams I’d carefully drawn so I wouldn’t have to re-watch the 19-minute long video that had inspired the project.
Guess what I wound up doing? Multiple times?
Re-watching the video did explain how I had destroyed the zipper. I had done exactly what the video showed, clipping the curves without checking first to make sure the zipper was sewn in properly. It wasn’t. There were places where it wasn’t caught by the seam at all, so when I clipped my curves up to the seam line, I cut all the way through the zipper. Oops.
By dumb luck, the zipper I chose for my second attempt made the sewing much easier. Not having a 16-inch black #3 zipper on hand and failing to find one at my favorite crafting supplies thrift store, I went with a gray #5 zipper-by-the-yard already in my stash. Having a higher quality closure seemed more important than using exactly the right color. It didn’t occur to me that the wider tapes would make the sewing easier. I got it right on the first try.
Well, almost. I still had seams to rip. Despite reviewing the video step-by-step, I kept forgetting important details. My seam ripper got a real workout, as did my collection of swear words.
The end was in sight when I got stuck again. I could not get the zipper pull to go on the zipper tape. And I tried. For fifteen minutes I tried, fiddling and taking deep breaths. Thinking there might be a manufacturing problem, I tried three different pulls. None of them worked.
I had watched the how-to video for zippers-by-the-yard earlier, but I had already forgotten what it showed. I’m sure you’ve guessed that I was trying to put the pull on backwards. When I turned it around? Zip. It slid on in two seconds.
As the end of the video cheerily announces, “You can make it!” And I did.
But I’m sorry, Past-Kit. You had plans to make many more of these. You can forget it. Yes, the end results are fantastic. Yes, the case actually stands up. It is going to be a great way to store and use my colored pencils.
But this is the one and only standing pencil case I am making. Ever.
Unless I forget the pattern is cursed and try it again some day.
Which, sadly, sounds just like me.
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