(Insert Whatever Tool You Want Here) Roll Tutorial

When I was a makeup artist, I used to make these for kicks and friends all the time. At that time I called it a makeup roll, however I’ve seen them used to carry pens, needles, or anything else your heart desires. Last night I whipped one out for the specific purpose of crochet hooks. Any which way you roll them; they are adorable little things that can be modified to no end.


So, now you’re asking yourself, “Self, how do I make one of these glorious creatures?”



Don’t worry your pretty little self, I’m going to show you right here:



First things first; pick out some fabric that is particularly adorable. How much do you need? Although this is a tutorial, I’m not going to hold your hand *that* much. You want as much fabric as you want it big. You can go to the store and buy a yard or you can reach into you scrap pile and pull out 1/8 of a yard.

Whatever you do, just make sure you have a piece a tad bit bigger than what you would like your final project to be. Also, you will need another piece of fabric to be the inside of the roll. On this roll I used the same fabric, but it is rather dashing if you use a contrasting fabric. Again, I’m not going to hold your hand.



Take the two pieces of fabric and cut them out the same size, in a rectangular shape. You could go square, but I feel it is more aesthetically pleasing as a rectangle.



Now, take the piece of fabric that will be the inside of the roll, and lay a piece of elastic across it. Pin the elastic at either end, and make sure you have a bit hanging over the edge.



Now you’re going to make the elastic “pockets” to hold your tools. (You could of course have cut out more fabric and made an actual fabric pocket, but this is just simple tutorial to start you out) Once the elastic is pinned tight, move in a few inches along the elastic toward the middle of the fabric. Sew across the elastic, to attach it to the fabric, cut your strings, move the fabric over a bit, and sew the elastic to the fabric again. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Make as many stitches as you will need to hold all your tools.



Trim all your little strings and admire your work.



For the very basic; you can lay your two pieces of fabric together, right side in, line the edges up, sew it closed, and remember to leave an opening to turn it right side out.



Or you can use some trim.



I used trim, and went ahead and pinned it in place along the edges of the roll. Don’t look here for trim hints; I am no way an expert in it.

Now, this is the one thing that I forgot to take a photo of; you will want to have some way to keep the rolled roll closed. A ribbon tied around it is pretty, but I would lose my ribbon in nothing flat. Therefore, I like to take a loop of elastic, pin it to the fabric, so that the ends are hanging off the edge, and loop is sandwiched between the two layers of right side facing in fabric.



Sew along the edges, let that excess elastic hang out (it will rest safely and secretly inside your finished product), and remember to leave a space to turn it out.



Be gentle when you turn it out. If you left your hole too small, this can be frustrating.



You’re almost done. There is the matter of that pesky little opening. Take a needle and thread (or the machine if you’re not one to worry about looks) and sew the opening shut.



Your elastic is going to need something to attach to (Unless you made your loop so big that it could fit around the whole roll. If that is the case; good job!) I prefer to rummage through my button jar. Also I prefer to sew the button on at this point, because I like to put some of my tools in the roll, roll it up, and see where the ideal button placement would be. This way you don’t make your roll too slack or too tight.



Sew the button to the outside of the roll at just the right spot. Pull the two layers of fabric apart so that you don’t sew through them both. (Or sew through them both. I don’t care, it’s your roll.)



Tuck your tools in, because you are done! Actually, you might want to iron it.



Other than that, you’re all done!