It’s very nearly back to school for us which also means back to my desk full time. September always feels like a fresh, new start for me – kind of like an unofficial new year. I’m guessing that’s how most mums feel as their kids go back to school after a long break. We get back to our routines, everyone goes to bed on time and normal life finally resumes.
Thinking about back to school (and going back to my desk), it’s always fun to go back with new stationery and accessories. So I decided to make some diy no sew pencil cases for me and Anya. I choose a cream jute fabric (burlap in the US) because I love it’s raw simplicity – it’s natural and beautiful. Anya and I both have something like 10+ pencil cases each but we never tire of adding to our collection!
The soft, creamy colour of the jute/burlap pairs well with any colour zip so for my diy no sew pencil case I chose a contrasting mustard coloured zip. You can choose whatever colour you like – no colour is off limits here. I also made a few extra of these as they are so handy as make-up bags or little pouches for your handbag.
DIY no sew pencil case
Materials:
hessian/jute/burlap fabric
18 or 20 cm zip
fabric glue
sharp fabric scissors
pencil and ruler
1. Decide how big you want your pencil case to be. I used 20cm zips and made one slim pencil case which once folded was 7.5 cms deep and the other was 10 cms deep. You can go as big or small as you like.
2. Cut your hessian to size – I like to cut it a little bigger in width and then trim later.
3. Glue one end of your fabric to one side of the zip. And then glue the other end of the hessian to the other side of the zip. The video will make this step very clear. Leave to dry according to instructions on your fabric glue.
4. Undo the zip and flip the pencil case inside out.
5. Glue the sides of the pencil case. If there is excess fabric, make sure to glue the sides where the zip starts and ends and then trim off the excess. Leave to dry.
6. Flip inside out and you have a gorgeous jute pencil case.
Here’s a short video showing the making of this DIY no sew pencil case:
Being a minimalist at heart, I chose a more muted toned zip for my pencil case while Anya chose a bright orange zip. But I think if I were going back to school, I would love a neon coloured zip as it would really pop against the cream jute fabric. Alternatively, pastels would look beautiful too.
If you make these no sew pencil cases, make a few extra ones as they are so useful for your handbag or as little pouches to keep various bits and pieces. Just vary the size of them according to what they’re going to be used for.
What colour zip will you go for?
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