Hopeful Threads August Charity Project: Back to School Pencil Pouches : DONE!

YES, I'm getting the Hopeful Threads August Charity Project done (and mailed) EARLY this month.  Good thing, too.  I need to get back to the ongoing Fluff Project (poor abandoned mermaids!).

So, time to show off what I made.

First, let me start with my EPIC FAIL!!

What's wrong with that pouch, you ask?  It looks perfectly fine.

WRONG!!

See that right there?  That's the zipper.  Sewn in BACKWARDS.  Well, only one half of it is backwards.  And (of course) I didn't notice it until I was turning the pouch right side out and feeling all proud that I had just finished the last of my three pouches and was trying to pat myself on the back and all that.

DAMNIT!!

Now I could have torn the whole thing apart and fixed it but. . .well, I was just so annoyed at myself at that point that I just couldn't do it.  I couldn't go through the whole process of turning the pouch wrong side out, pulling out all the stitches holding the sides together to get to the zipper and then tearing the zipper side out and then having to re-sew it all.  I just COULD NOT.  And I couldn't just make another one since I didn't have any spare zippers.

BUT. . .never fear.  CATS TO THE RESCUE.

Yes, I said CATS to the rescue.

YES, cats make everything better.

I made this pouch months ago (when I was testing the pattern--it was a freebie I found on line) and I had used it one or two times.  Aside from the few wrinkles, you can't even tell it's been used (I used it to hold my cell phone and credit cards when I went shopping).  But once I've packed the pouch up for mailing, it's going to have more than one wrinkle.

So my personal kitty pouch rescued me!  I'm really happy to share that pouch, too.  I love the fabric and I think kids might get a giggle out of the cat butt on the one side (I know I giggle at it).  And I have more of that fabric so I can always make myself another one the next time I'm making pouches.

See, cats saved the day.

Here are the other two pouches for the group.

Cute Kokka car print fabric with bubbly dot lining.

Cute Kokka "back to school" print (in light pink) with bright pink/orange stripey fabric lining.

This fabric is so cute I had to take a shot of it without my finger in the way.

Closeup of the adorable little critters.  I love, love, love the elephant in her little dress.

Three pouches with a bit of the supplies, too.

I had enough supplies for each pouch to have:

1 pack pencils
1 pack pens
1 pack (24 count) crayons
1 pencil sharpener
1 eraser
1 glue stick

AND, and and. . .I found a box that held it all PERFECTLY.  I could pack all the supplies in (taking the wrapping off the glue, erasers, and sharpeners) and then roll the pouches together to fill up the last little bit of space.  I love when things work out like that.

The box is off to the post office this morning.

I'm so happy I got this project done (with minimal drama--that messed up pouch still irks me--but I'll just use it myself or I'll tear it apart and use the fabric for scrap projects and recycle the zipper).  Now I can focus on getting a minimum of 6 stuffed toys made for the Fluff Project.  Don't fret, mermaids, I haven't forgotten about you!