I made a thread catcher and embroidery case as gifts for this amazing sewer/crafter/embroider/geek figuring they would come in handy. I was intimidated going in because i'm better at crocheting then at sewing. I love sewing and just starting to teach myself embroidery but I'm still in the newbie stages. Quilting was my gateway drug into making things over a decade ago, but I was always trying to quickly work through things instead of paying attention to the details. Now, I'm all about learning and trying to improve technique each project. I spend a lot more time with my seam ripper but i'm getting progressively much happier with my results.
Thread Catcher (pattern: http://lisabongean.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/thread-catcher-12.pdf)
Quilted Embroidery Case (pattern: http://sewshesews.wordpress.com/2011/02/03/quilted-needle-case-tutorial/)
I must have ripped out the top part of the case 5 times (minimum). I was learning how to get the lines straight and get the batting to behave to give it that quilted look. I had never used bias tape before so that and how to make the corners, etc was all new to me.
I'm really happy with the fabric print and color choices.
