Pencil Roll {a Christmas Tutorial}

On the 10th Day of Christmas… To view all our 12 Days of Christmas Tutorials please visit here.

I’ve well and truly jumped aboard the colouring craze – I’ve bought colouring books and delight in any time I get to sit and colour. Most of the time I’m sharing my colouring sessions with Lil – she will spend hours sitting on the floor of the studio colouring, cutting {with safety scissors} and gluing bits and pieces of paper together. It’s our special time, and I love that!

Along with the hours spent colouring, is the time spent picking up pencils and crayons from the floor and bundling back up into the pencil tin. This quick and easy pencil roll is sure to impress your little artist, and ensures that all those pencils have a place to rest at the end of each day {Lil loves that each pencil has its own pouch and gets quite particular about putting them back – win-win I say!}.

To make your pencil roll you will need:

2x Fat Quarters {One as your main print, and the other a co-ordinating pencil pocket and tie}

Iron-on Interfacing {cut to 9″x 20″}

1. Start by cutting your Fat Quarter as follows:

Main Print – 9″x 20″ rectangle x2 {outside and lining piece of your pencil roll}

Co-ordinating Print – 11 1/2″ x 20″rectangle {pencil pocket} and a 3 1/2″x 20″ strip {tie}

2. Take your pencil pocket piece, and press in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. Top stitch 1/8″ along the folded edge. Set aside.

3. Make your co-ordinating tie by folding and pressing your strip in half, lengthwise, with wrong sides together. Unfold and turn each end under 1/4″. Press ends well.

Fold each raw edge back into the centre meeting at the crease from previous step. Press well. Fold strip in half again {on original crease} and press. All raw edges will now be enclosed. Top stitch 1/8″ around all four sides, press in half and set aside.

4. Fuse the outside fabric piece {9″x 20″} to the interfacing with a hot iron. It is important to follow manufacturer’s instructions for using iron-on interfacing so as to not destroy your fabric or your iron. I place the Interfacing with the glue side {shiny} facing up. Layer the fabric piece on top and press with a medium heat. Using the highest heat setting on your iron may cause the interfacing and/or fabric to stretch or bubble.

5. Layer the pencil pocket on top of this piece, aligning the raw edges along the bottom of the piece. Take the fabric tie and align the centre fold {from step 3} about half-way down one side. Make sure the fabric tie is placed on top of the pocket and outside fabric pieces {this will be enclosed and stitched in place} rather than out the side!

6. Place the lining fabric piece on top {right side facing down} and pin around all raw edges.

7. Sew all layers together with a 1/4″seam, leaving an opening of approx 7″ along the top edge {for turning}. Clip corners and turn right side out. Push out corners and press well, turning under 1/4″ along open seam. Top stitch around all four sides, securing opening, with an 1/8″ seam.

8. Measure 1″ intervals along the top and bottom on the inside of your pencil roll – these marks will form the stitching guides for making each individual pencil pocket. Using a stripe fabric like this one makes sewing these seams quick {and painless!}. It is a good idea to backstitch at the beginning and end of each stitching line.