Today’s contributor is Crystal from Stitched By Crystal. All posts written by Crystal for Make It and Love It can be found HERE.
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Hello hello! Crystal here, from Stitched by Crystal. Can you believe it is back to school time already? It seems like summer just started and I dropped my kiddos off for their first day of school this morning! They are loaded up with new school supplies in their fresh new backpacks. So, to make keeping track of all those new pencils, markers, and crayons a little easier, I made a fabric pencil case to keep everything organized! Today I am sharing a tutorial so you can sew a fabric pencil case too!
This little fabric pencil case is really roomy, it measures 10″ long by about 4″ wide and is almost 2″ tall, making it big enough to hold lots of freshly sharpened pencils and you can even get some scissors and other supplies in there, too! And it opens wide with a zipper top for easy access when you need them.
This fabric pencil case sews up quick and is a great project for beginners. If you are a beginner, this is a great project to practice your zipper skills – the zipper on this project is easy peasy. And you don’t need much fabric, so raid your scrap bins for some fun prints.
A fabric pencil case would be perfect for a boy or girl of any age, even adults would love one! It would make a great back to school gift for your student or a really fun gift for their teacher, or just sew one up to keep on your desk!
Want to sew a fabric pencil case? Great! Let me show you how…
*All seam allowances are 1/2″ unless otherwise stated*
From your main fabric and your interfacing, cut two rectangles that are 12.5″ wide x 6″ tall for the main case and four for the zipper ends that are 1″ wide x 2.5″ tall. Fuse the iron on interfacing to the back of the fabric pieces.
From your lining cut two rectangles that are 12.5″ wide x 6″ tall.
From your contrast, cut one strip that is 2.5″ wide x 6″ long for the zipper tabs.
And cut your ribbon to be 7″ long, cut the ends at an angle and heat seal them by holding them close to a flame so they won’t fray in the future.
Take your contrast strip and fold it in half, matching the long edges and press. Unfold it and then fold the raw edges into the center crease and press. Refold along the center fold and sew along the edge. Cut the strip in half and set aside.
Sandwich one end of your zipper between two of your zipper end pieces with the right side of the fabric towards the zipper and the edge of the zipper ends lined up with edge of the zipper. Sew along the edges with a 5/8″ seam allowance. Fold the zipper ends right side out and press. Repeat with the other side of the zipper and the remaining zipper end pieces.
Find the center of your zipper and line it up with the center of the top edge of one of your main case pieces with the right side of the zipper against the right side of the fabric. (Your zipper with the end pieces will be slightly longer than your case, that is OK) Baste the zipper in place using a zipper foot.
Lay one lining piece on top of the basted zipper, aligning the center of the lining piece with the center of the zipper and sew along the edge using your zipper foot.
Flip the fabrics right side out, press and topstitch along the zipper.
Place your second main case piece right side down on top of the pieces you have sewn (your two main pieces should be right sides together), align the center of the top edge with the center of the zipper and baste it in place.
Flip the case over so the right side of the lining is showing. Place your remaining lining piece right side down on top, lining the center of the top edge up with the center of the zipper. (your 2 lining pieces should be right sides together) Sew along the edge as shown below.
Flip right sides out, press and topstitch along the zipper. Trim off any extra zipper end.
OPEN YOUR ZIPPER!!! <—-That is an important step you don’t want to miss!
Grab the zipper tabs you set aside earlier. Fold them in half and line the raw edges of the zipper tabs up with the edge of the zipper ends with the folded edge pointing in towards the zipper. These little guys will make it easier to open and close the zipper on your finished case.
Double check that you have opened your zipper. Place the main pieces and the lining pieces right sides together, lining up the bottom edges.
Sew across the bottom of the main and lining pieces, leaving a 3″ gap in the bottom of the lining as shown below.
Press the seams open. Line up the seams in the lining and the main with the zipper as shown in the photo below.
Sew across both sides.
Turn the case right side out through the hole left in the lining. Flip the case inside out, press to form creases on the sides of the case. Sew the hole in the lining closed either by machine, sewing as close to the edge as possible, or by hand with a ladder stitch.
Box the corners of the case by folding the case so the crease in the side is lined up with the seam at the end of the case. Sew across the corner with a 3/4″ seam allowance.
Repeat for all four corners.
Turn your case right side out and add your ribbon my feeding it through the end of your zipper and tying a knot.
And your fabric pencil case is done! Fill it with school supplies!
Thanks for reading and happy sewing!
-Crystal
Check out Crystal’s blog here. Her darling shop here. Follow her on Instagram here. And her Pinterest page here.
***ALL contributor posts by Crystal, can be found HERE.
For even more adorable back to school inspiration, check out these fun project ideas:
Back To School Advent Calendar
“First Day of School Picture” DIY Chalkboard (re-usable each year!!)
Hi, I’m Ashley—the DIY-enthusiast behind this crazy blog!
