Check out one of the best ways to corral all those crayons! This simple tutorial will show you how to make a crayon roll-up so that your child won’t have to lose any of their crayons ever again. And the best part? You can let your little one pick out a really cool fabric so that it matches with their room or with their school supplies as well. This is a fairly easy sewing project that even a beginner can sew.
Being a parent means that we’ve all spent time searching for crayons or stepping on them and throwing them in the trash to hide the evidence. But once you create this simple crayon roll-up, that worry is really a thing of the past. If you’re looking for a simple way to make something homemade and fun, this easy project needs to be on your radar.
SUPPLIES FOR A CRAYON ROLL-UP
- Fabric (you’ll need a half of a yard of two coordinating fabrics)
- Fusible fleece interfacing (a quarter of a yard)
- Thread
- 1/2” elastic (I used the type for baby headbands)
- Scissors
- Tailor’s chalk or marking pen
- Optional: Rotary cutter and mat
- Pins or clips
- Iron/ironing board
- Sewing machine
HOW TO MAKE A CRAYON ROLL-UP
Wash, dry, and iron fabric (not interfacing) before you start sewing the crayon roll-up.
In the first steps of how to make a crayon roll-up you will need to Measure and cut fabric. You will need:
a. Two pieces of the same fabric (we’ll call these pieces A)
i. 6.5” x 17.5”
b. One piece of coordinating fabric (this piece will be piece B)
i. 7.5” x 17.5”
c. One piece of interfacing
i. 5.5” x 16.5”
Lay one piece A wrong side up. Lay the interfacing on top of the wrong side of piece A. The rough side of the fabric should be touching piece A. Make sure all the edges line up accurately, then carefully flip both pieces over together. With your iron on the dry setting, press piece A onto the fusible interfacing. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for this as well. The two pieces should now be fused together.
Now take piece B and fold it in half lengthwise. You’ll be folding one 17.5” edge to meet the other 17.5” edge, making the sides now 3.75”. Make sure the edges line up, then press to make a sharp crease along the fold.
Using a very close seam allowance (1/8”), stitch along the pressed fold.
Next lay piece B down onto your cutting mat (if you have one). Find the middle of piece B at 8.75” and mark a straight line on the middle with tailor’s chalk or a marking pen.
From this center mark, make another straight line mark every inch out towards the side edges. The last mark will leave 1.5” to the edge. *Tip: Move your center mark to a line on the cutting mat, then it’ll be easy to find your 1” mark each time without having to measure!
Carefully lay your marked piece B down on top of the right side of your second piece A (not the interfacing piece!). Clip or pin around the edges a few times to hold the crayon roll-up.
Starting with your original center mark at the folded edge of piece B, stitch directly on top of your chalk line down to the raw edge of the fabric. Be sure to backstitch several times at the beginning of your stitch (across the folded and sewn edge at the top of the pocket – piece B) and the end. This will be the most stressed part of the roll-up due to small hands tugging on it each time they remove or put in a crayon. Backstitching will ensure the seam doesn’t come undone.
Continue stitching each chalk line across piece B. Once finished, carefully snip your loose threads.
Cut a 7” piece of elastic.
Fold the elastic in half, right sides touching, and pin just below the top of piece B on the right side of the roll-up.
Now lay the fused piece A on top of piece B, face down (the fleece should be facing up) and pin or clip around the edges.
Right next to the fleece line, stitch all of the pieces together. It should be about a ½” seam allowance. Leave a 4-5” gap for turning (see photo for where to start and stop sewing).
Snip all corners, taking care not to cut your stitch lines.
Through the hole you left, carefully turn the roll-up right side out. Use a chopstick or turning tool to poke out edges and corners (the fleece will help with the edges!). Fold in the hole’s raw edges, press, and clip or pin to hold the hole shut.
Top stitch all the way around the crayon roll-up with 1/8” seam allowance to close the hole.
You’re done with this fun sewing project! Now you can fill it with crayons and gift it to a kiddo for a fun, artsy gift! This crayon roll-up is great to keep in a backpack or craft bin. It stores nice and neat. Plus it is such a simple sewing project that you can make a few as gifts.
Tips for making this DIY Crayon Roll-Up
You can customize the size of your roll-up for a specific number of crayons or the height of your crayons (for the twist-up style). This roll-up was made for 16 crayons, so 16” plus 1.5” for seam allowances equals 17.5” width. The height was made for normal crayon size, which is 3.5”. The height of 6.5” allows for seam allowances and some backing fabric at the top. The pocket piece was double the crayon size (3.5” x 2 = 7”) plus .5” seam allowance, making it 7.5” tall.
For less crayons, simply take the number of crayons in inches and add 1.5” for seam allowances. For taller utensils, add height to the 6.5” piece and the 7.5” piece to accommodate your utensils. And for wider utensils (fat markers or triangle/jumbo crayons), you’ll want each section to be 1.5” instead of 1”. See how fun this crayon roll-up is to make? It’s a really simple way to keep track of all the crayons. It’s also a great gift idea for your friends who have kids, too!
If you liked how to sew this simple crayon roll-up, make sure to pin it to your favorite Pinterest board or share it with friends on social media. If you decide to make this simple project on your own, make certain that you take a picture afterward and tag us on social media as we love seeing the fabrics and color choices that people use!
How to make a crayon roll-up
This crayon roll-up is such a fun project to make that is an easy sewing project for beginners. Start making this crayon roll-up today with our step by step tutorial.
Materials
Tools
Instructions
- Wash, dry, and iron fabric (not interfacing).
- Measure and cut fabric. You will need:
- Two pieces of the same fabric (we’ll call these pieces A)
i. 6.5” x 17.5” - One piece of coordinating fabric (this piece will be piece B)
i. 7.5” x 17.5” - One piece of interfacing
i. 5.5” x 16.5” - Lay one piece A wrong side up. Lay the interfacing on top of the wrong side of piece A. The rough side of the fabric should be touching piece A.
- Make sure all the edges line up accurately, then carefully flip both pieces over together.
- With your iron on the dry setting, press piece A onto the fusible interfacing.
- Now take piece B and fold it in half lengthwise. Make sure the edges line up, then press to make a sharp crease along the fold.
- Using a very close seam allowance (1/8”), stitch along the pressed fold.
- Next lay piece B down onto your cutting mat (if you have one).
- Find the middle of piece B at 8.75” and mark a straight line on the middle with tailor’s chalk or a marking pen.
- From this center mark, make another straight line mark every inch out towards the side edges. The last mark will leave 1.5” to the edge.
- Carefully lay your marked piece B down on top of the right side of your second piece A (not the interfacing piece!). Clip or pin around the edges a few times to hold.
- Starting with your original center mark at the folded edge of piece B, stitch directly on top of your chalk line down to the raw edge of the fabric.
- Backstitch several times at the beginning of your stitch (across the folded and sewn edge at the top of the pocket – piece B) and the end.
- Continue stitching each chalk line across piece B. Once finished, carefully snip your loose threads.
- Cut a 7” piece of elastic.
- Fold the elastic in half, right sides touching, and pin just below the top of piece B on the right side of the roll-up.
- Now lay the fused piece A on top of piece B, face down (the fleece should be facing up) and pin or clip around the edges.
- Right next to the fleece line, stitch all of the pieces together. It should be about a ½” seam allowance.
- Leave a 4-5” gap for turning (see photo for where to start and stop sewing).
- Snip all corners, taking care not to cut your stitch lines.
- Through the hole you left, carefully turn the roll-up right side out. Use a chopstick or turning tool to poke out edges and corners (the fleece will help with the edges!).
- Fold in the hole’s raw edges, press, and clip or pin to hold the hole shut.
- Topstitch all the way around the roll-up with 1/8” seam allowance to close the hole.
- Fill with crayons and gift to a kiddo for a fun, artsy gift!
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