pop print pencil roll

Here’s a quick peek at the pencil roll I made to carry my favourite pens.

At six hours from design to final product this was a super fast project, but it’s actually become one of my favourites. It comes with me pretty much everywhere!

It’s made from heavy cotton in an eye-popping primary colour print. Unfortunately I have no way to find this fabric again as it was in my flat when I moved in with my boyfriend (and was probably purchased by his ex) but I’m glad it went to good use!

In its unrolled state, there’s space for 15 (long) pens and the big pocket on the side is good for smaller items like erasers, spares, etc…

…but rolled up, it’s super compact. The tie wraps around the pens, holding everything securely with no need for buttons or zips. Pretty neat!

 

making a pencil case

Like a lot of crafters/artists/designers, I’m an absolute sucker for art supplies. The Artstore in Glasgow is one of my favourite places to spend an hour, with the sliding shelves, the jars, bottles and rolls stacked to the ceiling, and the friendly staff who are all (I’m pretty sure) artists themselves. I pop in often to browse the products and see what catches my eye. Sometimes I contemplate splashing out on another heavy glass jar of Indian ink – which I rarely use but like a lot – but I usually settle on getting something small like a little tube of candy-coloured refills for my mechanical pencils or yet another fancy imported pen.

Unsurprisingly, this has left me snowed under with pens and pencils. The ones I use most are kept in a battered pink bathroom bag that I’ve had for about five years. It’s stained blue-black in one corner and its two inner compartments are falling to bits – well past due for a replacement!

This week I started prototyping my simplest pattern, a 20cm long case that’s just long enough to fit my double-ended pens inside.

This was made using a heavy navy cotton with a lovely ribbed texture. I used a brassy metal zip and added a single hanging loop on one side as the only detail.

I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out. The colour of the zip and the fabric contrast nicely and it’s surprisingly roomy inside – I can fit in a good handful of pencils. I’m excited to play about with this pattern as its so easily customised – there’s plenty of potential for colour, pattern and texture on such a minimal form.

Here’s a closer look at the hanging loop – I rarely use these to hang pencil cases but I think they look cute.

So what do you think? If you have any comments or suggestions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you all.

Moitt