August means “Back to School” for most of the country’s students and teachers...which makes it the ideal time to highlight fun patterns and projects to create for returning students or in celebration of the new school year.

Students of every age and grade use pencil cases for carrying and containing supplies. And there are a dozens of patterns that make sewing a pencil case for the student in your life a snap. Bonus points: You can completely customize to their likes and interests, and no other student will have one like it!

One of our favorites is the Colour My World Pencil Case pattern from Tied with a Ribbon, which features modern, oversized pencil design on its exterior. The finished product—measuring 7” x 13”—is also large enough to accommodate a ruler.

If you’re looking for a more sophisticated option for a high-school or college-age student, we think the Cased: A Mini May pattern from May Chappell is a great fit. This hard-frame clutch can hold jewelry, sewing notions, or, yes, pencils and pens. The clutch lies flat when opened, making it easy to access its contents. And the pattern can be completed in just a few hours.

There are also a number of free pencil case patterns available online, including the To the Point Pencil Case, designed by Marie Duncan for Make It Coats. This adorable case doesn’t just hold pencils—it’s shaped like one as well.

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And ByAnnie.com offers the free pattern, A Pencil Case for Lola, a quick and easy-to-make zipper pouch sized for pencils, pens, and markers.

Also available from ByAnnie.com is the Back At Ya 2.0 mini backpack pattern, which is sized perfectly for a child. The backpack includes adjustable straps and a padded handle, a magnetic flap on the front pocket, a main zippered pocket plus a full-sized zippered pocket on the back, and a mesh pocket inside of the bag.

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There are no shortage of patterns available online for creating your own tablet or iPad covers, but we particularly love Fig Tree & Co.’s My iPad Cover, which features fun and unique floral, butterfly, or mushroom designs created using colorful wool scraps. The pattern includes sizes for both the iPad and iPad Mini.

“Back to School” can also be a great occasion to start a new quilt project, and especially one like the Coloured Capers Quilt from Tied with a Ribbon.  This playful quilt (which uses a similar block to that featured on their Colour My World Pencil Case mentioned above) features rows of colorful pencils and a bunting-like border. It’s beginner and intermediate friendly, and can be created using a Layer Cake or favorite scraps.

The new alphabet-themed Spelling Bee Book by Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet includes instructions for 100 letter (upper and lowercase), number, punctuation, and picture blocks in two sizes: 6” and 12.” The book also features 18 projects, including quilts, mini quilts, and fabric “flash cards.” Or, use any combination of letter/number/punctuation/picture blocks to create your own design or project.

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When it comes to fabric choices for the aforementioned back-to-school projects, the options are limitless, but if you’re looking specifically for colorful, kid-centric prints, there are several recent collections that fit the bill.

The new Rainbow Kids collection from Michael Miller Fabrics (shipping this month) is a mix of rainbow-hued patterns, including stick figures, cats, rainbows (naturally), and the “Our House” print, which aptly replicates a child’s crayon drawing.

The upcoming Alpha-Fish collection from Studio E Fabrics offers an aquatic take on the alphabet design, which a fish-themed alphabet block fabric, a 36” x 44” banner panel, smaller fish coordinates, and even a panel (with design and instructions) for creating an “Alpha-Fish” fabric book. The collection ships to stores in December 2017.

Finally, what school supply list would be complete without crayons? Art Box—the latest Crayola collection for Riley Blake Designs—includes brightly colored crayons, paints, and art supplies, plus splatter, stripe, and text prints. Art Box joins Riley Blake’s other licensed Crayola collections, including a full line of Crayola solids.

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