DIY: Pencil Bags

Back to school again! 

Summer just flies by, doesn't it?  

Well, I hope you all enjoyed your summer as much as I did.  I took my girlfriend shopping with me last week so I could get all of the necessaries for school, and I have never seen someone so excited about school supplies! While we were going up and down every aisle, she excitedly pointed to this and that as if she was opening Christmas gifts.  Her boyfriend called her so she was busy talking when I pointed to extra large post-it notes that were slightly bigger than index cards.  Her mouth dropped and held the package, patiently waiting for her boyfriend to finish whatever he was saying so she could tell him about these incredible post-its. Haha! It was entertaining to say the least.  If you get half as excited about school supplies as my girlfriend does, you are going to love today's post.

DIY Pencil Bags!

I mean, you could just buy a plastic bulky box to put everything in, but where's the fun in that?? So instead of school shopping for a pencil bag, school sew! :]

Materials:

Fabric

Buttons

Scissors

Sewing Machine

Thread

Straight Pins

Rotary cutter

Tape Measure

Ribbon 

Fray Check

Directions:

Cut a piece of fabric to your desired size. (Mine was 20"x8" for colored pencils)

Then fold the top of the fabric down 3 inches, then fold 3 inches again and pin.  Fold the bottom of the fabric up 5 inches, then pin. 

Sew the top three sides, I like using contrasting fabric. As you can see, I didn't sew any hems.  I could get away without them because this fabric was thin and didn't fray much.  I used Fray Check on the raw edges to prevent any fraying. 

Then I cut a piece of fabric 9"x2"

Fold it in half and pin

Sew all four sides, then sew a gathering stitch down the middle

Pull the string so a bow forms, then wrap the string around the bow and secure with a knot. 

Add a cute button if you'd like!

Then sew the bow onto the outside of the top flap of your bag.

On the opposite side of the bow, sew the end of a ribbon.

Fill up your bag with pencils, roll up the bag, and wrap the ribbon around.  Form a large knot at the end of the ribbon to tuck back under the ribbon to secure it.

And now you have a darling pencil bag! 

I had to get creative because I didn't have any zippers or velcro, so I used ribbon and buttons! The green polka dot one in the back is a bit bigger than my orange one and it holds markers.  To secure that one, I sewed on two buttons, one on the top flap and the other on the bottom, and then added a thick thread underneath the bottom button. To close it, I just wrap the thread around the top button and back around the bottom button a few times. 

Happy School Sewing!

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Linked to: One Artsy Mama, At the Picket Fence, Shabby Nest, The Girl Creative, Home Stories a to z, Craft-o-maniac, I Heart Naptime,