Pencil Case Tutorial

This pencil case is a wonderful beginner project. I've taught it to Moms who were distracted by toddlers. I've taught it to elementary students who were just learning to sew. It is a versatile design that is useful as a gift or simply as a way to store your art supplies.

This case can be modified to hold knitting needles, crochet hooks, artist's paint brushes, and other similarly shaped objects. Suggestions for modifications will be given at the end of the tutorial.

The YouTube version of this tutorial may be viewed here:
https://youtu.be/qnIjmmG_A8g

Completed Pencil Cases

 Materials

• ¼ yard of fabric (measured across the full width of the fabric, NOT a fat quarter)
• 12 - 18 inches of ribbon (between 1/4 inch and an inch wide)
• Thread to match the fabric 

 

 Instructions

 

 Step 1:

Prep your fabric by washing and drying to preshrink it, if you plan on having a washable pencil case. Iron your fabric.

Step 2: 

 

Cut or tear a strip of fabric that is 9 inches wide and extends across the full width of the fabric. (Press the edges flat if you tear it.) The reason you might wish to tear your fabric is that you automatically have an edge that follows the grain of the fabric when you do. It is also easier to get a straight edge all the way across if you tear the fabric than if you cut it.

Step 3:

Take one selvage edge and measure over 13.5 inches. Fold your fabric here. Cut your fabric so you have a 26 inch piece that is folded in half. (So, you'll cut 13 inches from the fold. The extra half inch is the selvage edge.) This is piece A. 

Make sure you have a good crease at the fold. Use an iron if you have stubborn fabric. The picture is below. Please note that this is a piece of fabric 26 inches by 9 inches that is folded in half.

Piece A (from step 3)

 Step 4:

Cut a 13 inch by 9 inch piece from the remaining fabric. This is piece B.
If you are not using ribbon, cut your ties from whatever remains of your original piece of fabric.

Piece B and a small bit of extra to use for ties if ribbon isn't used.

Step 5: 

If you are using ribbon, skip to step 6. If you are using fabric ties, fold each piece of tie fabric (right sides together) lengthwise and stitch to make a long tube. For each tie, stitch across, closing one end of the tube. Turn the tubes right side out and press. If desired, top stitch the ties.

 Step 6:

 

Fold piece B lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press. You should have a rectangle measuring 13 inches by 4.5 inches. The folded edge will be the top of your pocket.

 Step 7:

Open up piece A so the full 26 inches is right side up. Line up the folded piece B in the bottom right quadrant of piece A. You want one short edge of the rectangle to be right in the crease and the other to line up with the outside edge of the big piece of fabric. All of the cut edges of piece B (except the one in the crease) should line up along cut edges of piece A. If you have the fold of B along a cut edge of A, rethink that plan…
 

This shows what the work should look like after steps 7 and 8.

 Step 8:

 

If you are using a ribbon fold it in half and place the fold in the crease of fabric piece A. If you are using fabric ties, place them with the open end in the crease.
The ribbon or ties will be lined up along the top edge of the pocket.  As you can see in the picture, the ribbon, folded, is shorter than the pocket. This is to be desired. Fabric ties should also be shorter than the pocket.
Pin your ribbon or fabric ties in place, but place the pin at least ½ inch back from the crease. You don’t want to sew over this pin later. You may want to pin the outside edges of piece B at the point as well. Again, make sure the pins are well back from the edge.

Step 9:

Fold piece A at the crease. You should now have a fabric sandwich with piece A on the outside, piece B and the ties (ribbon or fabric) on the inside. It should be a rectangle measuring 13 inches by 9 inches with wrong sides showing. Pin carefully, making sure that the edges of all the layers line up. 

Step 10:

 
Stitch around your fabric sandwich using ¼ inch seam allowance. Leave an opening in the middle of an edge to turn your work. I prefer to turn mine using a 2.5 inch opening in the top. Clip your corners so they will lay flat when the work is turned. Just be careful not to clip into your stitching. Turn your work carefully because there are pins on the inside.

Notice the stitched edges and the opening at the top.

 Step 11:

Remove any remaining pins and press your work flat. Remember to tuck in the opening before pressing everything flat.

Step 12:

Draw guidelines for the channels for the pockets. I draw mine from the bottom to the top so I don’t "trip" over the edge of the pocket. I used chalk and made my pockets 1 inch wide. If you have newbie pencils or are making pockets for knitting needles, crochet hooks, or paint brushes, you may want a different size. Pin the pocket down in a few places after you have drawn the lines.

Chalk guidelines for the channels.

 Step 13:

 

Stitch along the guide lines from the bottom to the top, again, so your foot doesn’t trip on the pocket edge. Topstitch along the outside edge, closing turning opening. 

Step 14:

 

Finish. Trim your threads, melt the ends of your ribbon or turn them under and stitch them. Wash and dry to remove chalk lines. Stuff with pencils, crochet hooks, knitting needles, paint brushes, or other similar items. Roll your filled case and tie closed with your ribbon or fabric ties.

Completed case, stuffed for illustration. After use or washing the chalk lines come off.

  

Modifications

 

This pencil case design can be easily modified to fit any set of long, narrow objects. As you can see in the picture, knitting needles are too long for this case when it is constructed according to these directions. However, if you cut your piece A to be 18 inches by 26 inches, the knitting needles will fit. Likewise, these pockets are likely too wide for all but the largest crochet hooks. However, if you make your channels a bit narrower, your crochet hooks will fit better. Similar modifications can be easily made for varying sizes of paint brushes, as well. 

Thanks for reading! Tune in again for another exciting post.