Finding Pins and Needles

It's important that we show the teachers in our kid's lives that they are appreciated. I wanted to make something personalized for their  Christmas gifts  this year and thanks to  Crafty Staci and her tutorial  I was able to come up with something pretty cute.

Because you asked for it... here is the FREE vest pattern & tutorial from my Sew Cool for School post. Click here or on the image below to download the PDF. And a thanks to  CraftGossip.com  for showcasing this post! Please join our flick r group and upload pictures of your preppy girl vest or any other Finding Pins and Needles projects. I'd love to see them! For info on the other clothes pictured, visit my  Sew Cool for School  post.

The embroidered Christmas pillow, a gift for my mom. Click to see a larger version. From the moment I pinned   this , I knew I wanted to embroider it! Pin It

I got this idea from this site , a knock off of a Pottery Barn pillow . I wanted to change a few things, so I created my own tutorial. I wasn't so keen on the idea of gluing the pieces on (my kids would pluck those suckers off in no time), nor using buttons for the berries. So here's my version... Materials & Tools: 2 cuts of fabric (back and front) for your pillow (I used tan for the front and a red stripe on back) stuffing thin cardboard or card stock for leaf template green felt (varying green colors optional) an 8x10 sheet is sufficient red pom pom fringe (I used 3/4) a circle template (I used an embroidery hoop, a plate or bowl will work also) green and red thread sewing machine scissors pins pen (preferable disappearing ink or water soluble pen ) Freehand a simple leaf for a template. I drew it on thin cardboard. Using a disappearing ink pen, I traced leaves on my green felt. I would also recommend using varying colo...

Another teacher gift... a pencil pouch. I've been holding on to these Michael Miller "Dick & Jane" fabrics for more than a year now. They were a great choice for a teacher gift, especially a Preschool teacher. I followed this Zippered Wristlet tutorial . I added the personalized felt monogram embellishment, easy peazy and it makes the gift more meaningful. The "Mrs." is done using a Threaded Backstitch . The teacher tote on the left can be found here . Please join our   flick r  group  and upload pictures of your pencil pouch or any other Finding Pins and Needles projects. I'd love to see them! Pin It