My Sew Together Bag is one of my favorite things right now.  It is so useful and the perfect size to take on outings.  In addition to my projects, I keep a few handy tools in it.  Some needles in the felt needle minder, all-purpose thread, and a pair of small scissors.  With my scissors, I used to just toss them in loose, but then I started to worry that they would wear a hole in the lining.  Considering how much time it took me to make the bag, that would not have been good.  I thought about making a fabric case for them, but I figured I would have the same hole problem there as well.  So, I decided to use some of my leather scraps to make a case for them.  If you'd like to make one too, here is how I did it.

Leather Scissor Case Tutorial

Materials:
 - scissors you want to make a case for
 - blank paper
 - pencil or pen
 - paper scissors
 - leather scraps
 - matching thread
- leather scissors (or multi-purpose scissors)


Instructions:

Gather your materials.  Yes, you will need three pairs of scissors: the pair you're making the case for (usually thread snips), a pair for cutting paper, and a pair for cutting leather.  Make sure your leather scraps are at least a half inch wider and a half inch longer than the scissors you will put in the case.

Lay your sheet of paper on a flat surface and put the scissors you want to make a case for at least 1/2" from the edges. 

Draw a loose outline around the scissors, ignoring the dip in the handle and the inward curves below.  Draw the line about 1/8" from the finger holes and the scissor tip.  You should end up with a sort of flat-bottomed, upside-down raindrop shape.  This line is about where your stitching line will be.

Draw another line 1/8" from the first to create a seam allowance.  Cut out the template along the outside line.

Lay the template on a scrap of leather and cut out the shape.  If the leather you are using is thinner, such as suede, consider cutting out a second piece to add stability to the finished case.  This will be the backing piece.

Lay your scissors on the template once more, centered.  Mark a line on either side 1/4" to 1/2" above the bottom of the finger holes.  Make sure they are even, then connect them with a straight line.

Cut across the line you just drew on the template.  If you plan on making more cases, set aside the wide top piece.  You can tape it back together later.

Lay the v-shaped template on a scrap of leather and cut around the shape.

Now to assemble.  If you're using two layers for the backing, put the pieces wrong sides together and lay them down on your work surface.  If you're using a single layer backing, lay the piece right side down on your work surface.  Put the v-shaped leather piece on top of the backing piece, wrong side down.

Sew the pieces together using a seam allowance just over 1/8" (about where you traced your first line).  For a double layer backing, sew all around. For a single layer backing, sew from one side of the front piece, around the bottom, and end on the other side.  Backstitch at the beginning and end of the front piece to secure it.  Depending on the thickness of your leather, you may want to increase the stitch length to 3 or more.

Note: Consider adding a layer of tear-away paper to protect the leather against the feed dogs.

Trim away some of the the seam allowance to even out all the edges.

Your leather scissors case is now ready to hold your scissors and protect your bag from holes.

These cases come together fast, so make several extras to give as gifts (or for all your other scissors).  And let me know if you have any questions or want to show off your own creation made with this tutorial.  I'd love to see!

I can't decide if I have too many projects in progress or not enough.  There are days when I have time to make things, but don't know what to work on.  One project might be stalled by lack of materials, another by lack of inspiration, another by lack of sufficient time.  And sometimes I just can't decide which one is more important to me.  Last week was one of those weeks.  On days like this I jump from one project to another, unable to settle or move forward.  I can see several projects on my shelves, each one crying out to me in its own silent way to be finished.  And even more ideas in my head ready to be started if I wanted.  

Then I wonder if working on something is even the way to go.  Maybe what I should be doing is quietening my brain, relaxing, and not worrying about getting something done.  Then, of course, I get stuck on deciding just how to relax.  Breathe?  Read? Draw?  So then my mind jumps around once more trying to figure out the merits of each.  Wheels spin.  Nothing happens.  Which feels even worse since nothing has been accomplished.  Not projects or relaxing.  

I hate days like this.  Especially when they last for a week or more.  I think my brain is finally starting to settle down, though.  I have a few projects that are ready and waiting for me the next time I have time.  My sewing bag has two in-process projects for when I'm out and about.  And there's plenty of fabric in my closet should the ones on my shelf become stalled.  Okay, now I can breathe.  Because there is always a certain amount of relaxing that occurs when I have something to work on.

The town I grew up in is just a few miles from the city of Oxnard, a place with some of the deepest topsoil in the world, which makes it an ideal place for food production.  And one of their biggest crops is strawberries.  We all looked forward to the day when a flat of strawberries came home.  Everyone would happily pick through the plastic crates looking for the biggest, juiciest red berries.  I have many vivid memories of driving to one of the many farm stands to buy strawberries.  They were always a part of any event or celebration, even if we had to trek across several state lines to have them there.  So strawberries will always have a special place in my heart.  

Last month, hen I heard that the &Stitches blog was looking for guest posts for their Summer Blogging event, I jumped at the chance.  Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with my story about strawberries.  Well, after giving quite a bit of thought to what I wanted to write about for my guest post, I hit on the idea to write a tutorial on yarn embroidery.  The design I chose is a strawberry.  Although similar to the embroidered starfish patch I made a year ago, this patch is embellished with some three-dimensional woven embroidery.  Here are a couple pictures of the finished project, but you can hop on over to the tutorial post to find out how to make one of your own.