Today’s contributor is Jill from Snugglebug University. All posts written by Jill for Make It and Love It can be found HERE.
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Hi, it’s Jill from Snugglebug University. Today I’m going to show you how to make some really easy vinyl pencil bags!
I always want to make my kids a little something for the first day of school. This year I made them little clear vinyl pencil bags. These are such a satisfying project guys! They come together really quickly, and I love that you can really embellish them however you might like. I’m thinking that I might even make a batch of these for my daughter’s next birthday, because I think it would be so fun for the kids to be able to decorate them however they might like. Or perhaps I will suggest to my kids to make these for their friends for Christmas! They are just so great for personalizing!
I feel like it’s impossible to have too many pencil cases. My kids are constantly bringing a handful of markers and pencils somewhere, so it seems like we can never have enough bags to keep markers in.
These vinyl pencil bags are easy because there is no fussy lining to attach and there are just a few seams to sew. It’s quick and easy, I promise!
I decorated each pencil bag using Sharpie paint pens. These are oil based (not like your typical sharpie) so the drawing stays on better.
I added ribbon on one of my bags to add a little bit more color, but that’s totally optional!
Otherwise you just need a zipper and some vinyl! I use to hesitate to make things with vinyl because I am always afraid my machine won’t be able to sew it well. The truth is though that I really didn’t do anything different when sewing up these pouches, and my (inexpensive back-up machine) handled it like a pro. So don’t be afraid!!
Need some extra tips for sewing with vinyl? Check out this post.
***As always, if you need a bit of help with the basic sewing skills used in this tutorial, don’t hesitate to check out the Sewing 101 post for more help.
The first thing you need to do is cut out the vinyl using the template provided. If you’d like to add a little ribbon, now is the time to do it. You can sew it to the top of the vinyl, just make sure to leave room to sew on the zipper.
Next you can decorate your vinyl, or you can wait until the bag is all finished. It will work either way, but I liked doing the decorating while the vinyl is laying flat.
Remember that when the bag is assembled the sides will be going opposite directions, so you might want to keep this into account if making designs with a clear “right” direction. See how I did the cat bag?
Place the zipper along the top edge of the vinyl piece, such that the zipper is face down. Using a zipper foot, sew the zipper to attach it.
Then flip the vinyl piece over and sew the other size of the zipper to the opposite side. You can move the zipper as needed to make sewing easier.
Next, with the pencil pouch still wrong side out, sew the pencil bag top to the bottom piece as shown. Repeat with the other side.
Now you’ll need to make sure that your zipper is at least some of the way open. If it’s not open, reach in and open it, otherwise, you won’t be able to turn the pencil bag right side out.
Now pinch the sides together and sew up each side as shown.
Next, repeat with the other side of the bag. Here it is all finished.
Now turn the bag right side out, making sure to use your fingers to push out all of the corners.
That’s it! Pretty simple right?
If you have a little left over vinyl, make sure to jump on over to my blog and see how to make these vinyl bows! I used to love these as a kid, and with scrunchies and huge bows coming back, I thought “why not”!
Happy sewing everyone!
–Jill
You can follow Jill on her blog (www.snugglebuguniversity.com), on instagram, on pinterest, and on facebook.
For even more cute projects for keeping those pens and pencils organized, check out these tutorials:
Hi, I’m Ashley—the DIY-enthusiast behind this crazy blog!
