Clumsy Crafter: August 2008

Ever had to take a baggie full of crayons to the dr.'s office? Just to have them go rolling all over the floor when your two year old turns the bag upside down? I have a solution for you! A simply crayon roll up will hold several crayons neatly in your bag without them being able to fall out. It's simple to make with your sewing machine, two squares of matching fabric that are about 12" by 10", an elastic hair band, and matching thread.

Start by taking your two fabric squares and laying them down with the right sides together. Basically you're going to put the pretty sides that you want to see, facing each other.

Next you're going to sew three of the sides together, leaving one long side open. This will be the top of the crayon roll. Turn the fabric inside out so that the pretty sides are now on the outside. Lay it down on the table so that the fabric you want on the outside is now facing down on the table. Fold the bottom up to the correct height for crayons.

Next, place the elastic hair band on the right top edge of the fold. Then sew down that edge to secure the hair band into the fabric. Sew several more lines of stitching over the elastic to secure it well. Then sew the other side of the fabric to make a pocket.

To make the top edge, fold the two pieces into the middle to make an even edge. Sew them together. You could iron this down to make sure the pieces are perfectly straight, or you could throw caution to the wind and live a reckless sewing lifestyle and just do it by eye.

Now you will start making the pockets for the crayons. I made every pocket 2 and 1/2 inches wide for my three year old and a little larger for my two year old. This way the pockets will hold both toddler size crayons and normal crayons. If you have older kids, you can make more smaller pockets to fit normal crayons only. Starting on the left side, sew a straight line from the bottom of the pocket to the top. Do this every few inches, depending on the size of your crayon.
Now this is where you question my clutzy abilities. It's been going to so well, without any hitches.... how can I call myself a clutz?

Yes, that is a huge knot you are seeing. Yes it did require me to take apart part of the machine to fix. Yes, this is my life. No, my grandmother would not be proud. Just kidding, she's always proud.

So after you stop to fix your knots, you know you get them too!! Then you press on and finish sewing all the individual crayon pockets. If the last pocket does not measure up to the correct size for a crayon, don't sweat it. I just sewed that entire pocket shut so that my children wouldn't get fustrated trying to put a crayon in the pocket when the elastic band is taking up part of the room.

The last thing to do is throw a few crayons in and watch your children go nuts over your new creation. I also used the reversed fabrics on the outside so we can easily tell which crayon roll belongs to which princess. Roll it up, slide the elastic around the roll and throw it in the diaper bag. It's good to go.