Instructions for Pencil Case (and variations)
text and photos by Cyndie Kimball
copyright ) 2001
My daughter wanted a pencil case that would keep her colored pencils separate but
together. We had seen leather pencil cases of this type, but she wanted one that
would hold more pencils and she also didn't like the leather prices! So I decided
to make one for her. I based the case on the crayon holders I had made many years
ago for our "school crayons." After finishing the pencil case, I realized it could
also be made to hold knitting needles if the measurements were slightly adjusted.
I used 100% cotton corduroy for the outside (though any heavy cotton such as denim
would work as well) and 100% cotton quilting material for the inside and pencil
pouch area.
Materials needed: 1/2 yard - 100% Cotton Corduroy (or similar heavy weight cotton) 1 yard - 100% Cotton quilting materials 1 yard - Ribbon (optional)
Cut a rectangular piece of the cotton corduroy that measures approximately
29" by 12-1/2" (these measurements can be adjusted depending on your purpose and
how many pencils/needles you might want to hold -- i.e. my daughter's pencil case
can hold up to 56 regular size colored pencils -- to hold more/less or to
accommodate longer/shorter, such as knitting needles or crayons, the size should
be adjusted accordingly). Cut a piece of the quilting cotton to the same
measurements. Place wrong sides together -- sew around entire edge leaving a 3"
opening to turn right sides out. Clip corners -- turn right sides out. Press
flat. Topstitch around all 4 edges.
Take another piece of the quilting cotton that measures 25" by 16". Fold in half
right sides together so it measures 25" by 8". Sew along edges, again leaving a 3"
opening to turn right sides out. Clip corners - turn right sides out. Press flat.
Topstitch along the two sides and bottom.
Place this on inside of pencil case evenly spaced at the sides and close to the
bottom. Sew sides/bottom in place. Mark intervals for pouch seams with a small
marker (I used a sewing marker that disappears; one could also use a pencil or
tailor's chalk). I used a 1" pouch size and this holds 2 regular size pencils
(like the Berol Prismacolor pencils) or one chunky size pencil. If I were making a
knitting needle case, I would make the pouch sizes of different widths to
accommodate holding 4 of the double point needles in one pouch or two of the larger
size needles. My daughter's pencil case has 28, 1" pouches so she can get up to 56
pencils in her case.
Sew a straight seam from the top to the bottom of the pouch material at each 1" (or
other) interval. This stitching will show on the outside of the pencil case so keep
it straight! If you use a napped fabric as your outer piece, the stitching won't be
quite as noticeable.
(Optional) Add the ribbon piece by sewing the middle of the ribbon to the middle of
one outer edge. To make this secure, I made a small square seam on the ribbon.
Add pencils or knitting needles; roll up and tie with ribbon to close.
Crayon Case Variation:
Crayons are much shorter than pencils or knitting needles so the inner pouches need
to be much shorter. I would add pouches on both the two long sides so cutting two
rectangles to fold in half the appropriate length/width. Pouch sizes need to be
wider to accommodate stick or block crayons - approximately 2" for block and
slightly smaller for stick. When I made our crayon cases several years ago, I just
used a piece of corduroy - this won't be quite as sturdy as the case using a lining
and pouch pieces but ours have lasted 8+ years through 3 children. To make this
simpler version for crayons, take a rectangular piece of corduroy (or similar) - I
used a piece 21-1/2 " by 12". With approximately 2" pouches, this holds 22 crayons
(either stick or block) 11 pouches on each side. Do a rolled hem on all sides. Turn
the top and bottom into the inside 2 =" - sew in place. Then sew pouch seams at
appropriate intervals (again approximately 2" will allow you to put stick or block
crayons into this case) from top to bottom. Again, this stitching will show on the
outside but will blend into a napped fabric. Again, one can add a ribbon for tying
the case closed. Fill with crayons, roll it up and tie to close.
There is also a pattern for a felted knitting needle case on the Paton's website. It is free but one has to registere to obtain it.
I found anopther one here: http://www.moonarts.com/blog/free_patterns/pages/needle-print.htm or http://www.moonarts.com/blog/fp-hang-needles.htm
Hope this helps,
Gloriamarie
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