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Pencil Roll Tutorial

August 28, 2015 by Ellen Russell

This project was a long time in the making! Not because it’s complicated (it’s actually super easy!). But it seemed like things kept going wrong, and then we had a rough month. But it’s finally here, and I’m so happy with how it turned out.
When I was younger, my mom made this beautiful roll-up carrier for me to have a nice place to keep my paint brushes (the pink one on the left):
paint-brush-roll-tutorial
I used that for the basis to make this fun little pencil roll for my boys. I had the perfect fabric lying around just waiting to get used for a project like this – Star Wars schematic fabric. I used a thicker, tough fabric for the outer part of the roll because…well, boys!
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.comThis post contains affiliate links. You can read my disclosure policy here.

I found this Star Wars schematic fabric on Joann’s a year or so ago, and have been waiting for the perfect project to use it for. I’m not sure if they have it anymore – I couldn’t find it on their website. But you can find plenty of Star Wars fabric on Amazon.
You need 3 rectangles for this project, plus some ribbon or bias tape for the tie.
You need two rectangles 15 inches x 10 inches, and one smaller rectangle 15 inches x 6 inches for the pocket part. If you are using the same style as mine, one of your bigger pieces needs to match the smaller pocket part. For my project, I used dark blue thick fabric for the outer part and I used the Star Wars fabric for the lining and pocket.
Cut out your pieces.
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
I used more Star Wars fabric for my pocket, and made sure to cut it to show the wording and schematics just right.
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
Take the pocket and iron down the top and bottom edges (the longer sides) 1/4 of an inch.
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
Lay the pocket on top of the inner fabric.
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
Pin your outer fabric on top, right sides together, keeping your pocket sandwiched between the two.
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
Sew around the edge, making sure to leave a small space so you can turn it right side out.
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
Trim the points of your corners
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
And iron down  the extra fabric of the seam. This will give you a nice, clean edge when you turn it right side out.
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
Turn it right side out. Use a pencil eraser or a crochet hook to shape your corners nicely.
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
Iron all of it, focusing on making the edges smooth.
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
Take some ribbon (I used bias tape because it’s what I had on hand, but either will work!), and cut about 14 inches. It’s always better to cut extra and trim! You want to make sure it will wrap around your whole roll.
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
Fold it in half. Sew this to the middle of one edge.
I sewed around the edge of the whole case, just to make it shape nicely. I sewed about an 1/8 to a 1/4 inch from the edge.
Next, it’s time to make the pockets for the pencils. Starting at the bottom edge of the case, sew lines straight up to the top edge. Depending on the type of case you are making will determine how far apart you sew your lines. Since I was making a colored pencil case, I sewed my lines about 3/4 of an inch apart. I just eyed it, but if you want to be precise you can use a ruler and a fabric pencil to mark where you want to sew the lines. You’ll want to use a thread color that matches or blends well with your outer fabric, because these lines will be visible on the outside of the case.
Then you can add your colored pencils.
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
Roll it up and tie it off.
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
The great thing about this project is it’s easily adaptable to make a variety of cases. Want to hold crayons? Shorten the height of the case and sew your pocket lines big enough to fit crayons. When my mom made my paintbrush case, she varied the widths of the paintbrush pockets so it could fit a variety of sizes.
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com
I love how portable it is. You can just throw it in a backpack or purse to take along.
Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com

Easy pencil roll tutorial with Star Wars fabric www.createinthechaos.com

Other fun and simple sewing project tutorials:

Felt Monster Finger Puppets
Such an easy sewing project! DIY Monster felt finger puppets - includes a free printable pattern with the tutorial. www.createinthechaos.com
Robot Finger Puppets
DIY Felt robot finger puppets - includes a free printable pattern www.createinthechaos.com
Dinosaur Finger Puppets
Felt Dinosaur Finger Puppets

Filed Under: Crafts Tagged With: Sewing, Sewing project, Star Wars, Tutorial

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Geek, crafter, and papercraft maker - I love helping you craft more with your kids or students. Read more here!

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