10 Minute Pencil Roll - Tutorial

A quick little project that makes a great gift and (as long as you have a pack of coloured pencils lying about) can be whipped up at short notice with materials from your stash…Only basic sewing skills required, so is a great beginner project.

Materials – 12 coloured pencils (7 inches tall), calico (or cotton fabric of choice) piece about 12 in x 12.5 in, cotton tape or ribbon about 50cm, thread, tailors chalk(optional)
Tools – scissors, pins, sewing machine, quilting guide and overlocker (both ideal but not essential)

Click on images to enlarge

Step 1 – gather your materials, you can choose any mid to heavy weight fabric for this project, the pencils pictured are 7 inches long, if yours are longer or shorter I will show you how to adjust your measurements in step 2. Step 2 –Cut your fabric into a rectangular shape. My measurements are 12 inches tall by 12.5 inches wide. You may need to change this measurement if you have more pencils or they are longer or shorter than those pictures. How much to cut? Length = 1inch per pencil + an extra ½ inch, Height = finished height (pencil height +1 inch)+(half finished height)

Step 3 – overlock top and bottom edges. If you don’t have an overlocker you can zig zag around the edges or use pinking shears so the fabric doesn’t fray. I’ve used red and blue thread to add a bit of colour Step 4 – fold the bottom half way up an pin into place, you can use the pencils as a guide Step 5 – Now mark with pins where you will stitch your lines to make the compartments for each pencil. I have allowed 1 inch between each seam. You can reduce this if you want a snugger fit for each pencil. Start you measurements about ¼ inch from the left side. If you like you can mark your lines with tailors chalk as a guide. Step 6 – sew a nice straight line ¼ inch from the left side to use as a reference for your quilting guide (if using one). Set your quilt guide to 1 inch and sew a line from the bottom to the top of the pencil roll. Remember to do a couple of back stitches at the start and end of each row so the stitches don’t unravel.

Step 7 – Continue sewing rows all the way to the end of the roll. The straighter your guide line is the straighter the stitched lines that follow will be

Step 8 – Trim treads. Overlock or finish sides as desired. Neaten threads on corners

Step 9 – Optional, zig zag stitch down the length of tape

Step 10 – Find the centre of the length of the tape/ribbon. Stitch centre of the tape securely to the outside edge of the pencil roll halfway up the roll. Insert your pencils and you’re done!
Just roll up, tie a bow around with the tape/ribbon and bask in the loveliness of your creation.

And if you really don't have 10 minutes to spare I've also made a few of these for sale at the shop...