Imagine a pencil case that's not just a container, but a delightful, rollable masterpiece! This project guides you through crafting a vibrant "burrito" that artfully organizes your writing tools. Let's ignite our creativity and bring this unique vision to life!
Gather Your Artisan Ingredients (Materials):
Approximately 1 yard of cotton fabric for the exterior of your case
Approximately ½ yard of lining fabric for the inside of your case
24 inches of 1 inch wide elastic
A layer of quilt batting
Soft ruler
Rotary cutter, cutting mat or just a trusty pair of scissors
Thread that matches your exterior fabric colors
Sewing machine; I use the Baby Lock Accomplish 2.
Okay great! You're ready to get started.
Step one is to measure out and cut all our pieces.
Mark and cut 16 tall by 26 long of your fun printed fabric that we will use for the outside of the case, and liner fabric. I like to use a colored pencil as a marking tool and a hard ruler to draw all my lines before cutting.
Next, mark and cut 8 in wide by 24 in long of your inside quilting batting. The batting adds a bit of structure and protection to your pencils in the event that it’s dropped on the floor. You might want to proof the measurements I provide against your colored pencils, make sure the batting is about the total height of them.
Let's cut the straps next, you need two 28 in by 2 in strips that you are going to sew with your sewing machine. I use the Babylock Accomplish 2 with a standard sewing foot into strips. I fold the strips as if I am making bias tape, ironing them closed and sewing a straight stitch along the open edge. Iron these after sewing to keep things extra clean.
Now that everything is cut, center the batting on your outside fabric, leaving a half-inch seam allowance (we don't want to build up bulk in the seam, so keeping the batting out of the seam will help keep things clean and not bulky) on the short edge and bast it in place using your sewing machine. For me, the center was about 4 inches from the bottom of one edge.
Then sew, right sides together, your outside fabric and lining fabric. Leave one of the short edges open.
After sewing, flip it so that the right sides are out, push out corners and iron nice and flat.
Fold in the open edge and iron into place. You can use pins here too if preferred. Don’t forget to tuck one end of one of your straps we made into the opening. I like to pin it in at the halfway point of the batting. After ironing or pinning, we take this to our sewing machine to topstitch the edge fully shut. I will also topstitch around the entire perimeter of the case to keep things really clean.
Fold the shorter edge of the fabric up and top-stitch it on each end of the fabric to hold it in place. This is the bottom flap to your pencil case.
Next, take our elastic and sew it down, starting at one end of the fabric. Measure and mark about two inches, and sew your elastic into place at each mark. This will be the size of your pencil slots. You can make them smaller or bigger based on personal preference. And after we have reached the end of our pencil case, simply cut off the excess.
Lastly we need to attach the second strap to the outside of the case. I like to line it up with one of our elastic seams so it doesn’t interfere with the colored pencil slots.
And we are finished! We have successfully made our colored pencil Burrito, now it’s time to fill it with our beautiful colored pencils! This case will hold roughly 40 pencils, if you have more than that simply adjust the length of the case to your desired length. Happy Sewing!
