How to Make a Roll-Up Crayon Tote

If you have at least one child past the age of two you probably know what it’s like to drag along all types of toys to keep the child busy while you run errands. If the child is especially fond of coloring, as many children are, it’s a hassle to worry about a giant cardboard box on which the lid will not stay closed. You know the deal: reach for a diaper from the diaper bag and get a handful of crayons instead. No more. Now it’s easy to make a roll-up crayon tote for crayons, jumbos, and even markers.

Choose colorful fabrics for children’s crayon holders, like cartoon characters, balloons, or even Batman. It doesn’t take much fabric to make the holder – a quarter-yard will cover it and leave a little leftover (so long as the cloth is at least 42″ wide). Since regular crayons come in packs of 64, yet jumbos and markers come in much smaller packs, the holder is designed to carry either.

Cut a piece of cloth 13″ by 22″. Cut the longer measurement from the width of the cloth. Be sure there are no wrinkles or creases in the cloth. Fold it in half, lengthways, with right sides together. Start on one corner, by the fold. Take a few stitches then back-tack. Sew until almost at the middle and place a 12″ long, thin ribbon, folded in half, in the center. Make sure the length of the ribbon is in between the right sides of the fabric. This ribbon will serve as the tie to close the bag.

Sew on around to the opposite end of the holder. When you get almost to the center, stop and back-tack. Turn right side out and stitch the end shut. Press. Cut a piece of fabric that is 30″ by 5.5″. Fold one short end over, a half inch and stitch to the very edge of the first fabric piece. Now sew the small piece to the large piece, across the bottom. As you do, take a tiny tuck every inch. This will allow the fabric to form a pocket for the markers.

After sewing across the bottom, and making the tucks along the way, finish by trimming off any excess fabric and stitching the sides together. Make pockets by measuring an inch and stitching vertically down the two pieces of fabric. Mark another inch and stitch downwards. Continue this until you have a crayon pocket for every inch of fabric.

Place three crayons, one jumbo, or one regular marker in each pocket. Roll up and split the ribbon in half, tying the two ribbon halves together to secure. Make a different set, with wider pockets, and kids can carry decks of cards, dice, checkers and more. The roll ups are also great for artists who do chalk drawings. The ribbons can be made longer to tie around the waist, rather than carrying.