Friday, March 2, 2012

Ambon Mission Trip: Pencil Rolls

my little family
 my husband
my boy
my mum
& my dad
are all joining in a mission/awareness
tour to Ambon, Indonesia
we're very excited about this
& think its going to be a wonderful
life experience for all of us
we're supporting the foundation
Lawamena is an Ambonese word that means
keep on moving forward! i like that!
they sponsor children in order to continue their eduction
we also are really great friends with the directors
& so this foundation has a special place in our hearts
there's noting like personal ties!
fundraising contributed to Lawamena
pronounced "LA-WA-MEAN-A"
(psst ... yes we are going to do another PM or 2!!
the 28th July & the 8th Dec ..... interested??)
we're going to visit two of the schools
that Lawamena supports
the idea is to help the teachers
with a fresh look at a literacy programme
set up reading corners
donate books & teaching aides
help demonstrate with the students the 'how'
of using some of these new resources
& we'd like to give a little gift to the children that Lawamena sponsor
along with taking them some stationary items
i had the idea to make a whole lot of pencil rolls
so i've got a little group of girls
helping me out tonight
to make
22 pencil rolls
(if you're at all moved by this you'd be welcome to donate or contribute in some way!?)
hint hint ... we actually need the pencils to fill these ... xxoo
 
i'm excited!
so
here's what we're making & how
i'm also thinking of making versions of these for
the various markets i'm heading off to ...
i've had a good read on a few blogs & taken in the 
instructions written by a friend ... on how to make a pencil roll
i've come up with my own version that suits this venture
here it is
if you make one please leave me a message & send me a pic
would love to see ...

PENCIL ROLL
cut x1 outer fabric piece 9 inches by 14.5 inches
cut x1 sandwich layer fabric piece 9 inches by 14.5 inches
cut x1 inner/lining fabric piece 9 inches by 14.5 inches
cut x1 pocket fabric piece 4 inches by 14.5 inches
cut & press x1 WOF width of fabric 2 inch binding
some of these fabric choices could be the same but here you will note mine are all different
& i also made the outer piece by piecing two fabrics together purely for interest sake!
note the thrifty batik style fabric used
told you there'd be a whole other post on that!!
guessing you've worked out the Ambon, Indonesian batik link there!
 STEP 1:
sew some of the binding onto the top edge
of the pocket fabric piece & press
this of course neatens the raw edge & strengthens the pocket
 STEP 2:
assemble sandwich layer fabric
(treat the sandwich layer as if its wadding 
but i think wadding makes it too chunky)
then inner/lining fabric
and then pocket section
all lined up square at the bottom edge
pin in position
mark out 1 inch lines with a fabric washable marker pen
(or tailors chalk if you have a darker fabric!)
 you should have 12 pencil pockets
as a result but measure carefully ...
to do this mark the first line 1 inch from the side edge
& continue all along ... maybe on the skimpy side of 1 inch to be sure
then sew
 quilting stitches through all layers along these lines
from edge to edge
this holds all the layers together neatly
& your back stitching will be hidden in the next seam
 STEP 3:
 use remaining section of 2 inch binding
by folding over & sewing down the length of the binding
to create a ribbon/ tie
STEP 4:
assemble the pocket, lining layer with
RSF right side facing
the outer fabric piece
pin in position
include the binding tie by folding it in half
then pin in between the RSF layers
i have pinned mine to line up neatly with the
binding on the edge of the pocket
tuck the length of the binding tie neatly insides the layers
 STEP 5:
as now you sew all around the rectangle
leaving a 3 inch gap at the top
when you get to the spot where the binding tie is
give it a few back stitches to strengthen
be careful not to catch the binding tie in the stitching
 STEP 6:
 trim the corners
turn out the right way
poke out the corners neatly
press well including tucking under the gap seams
then top stitch all the way around
trim any loose threads
 to finish
fill with 12 different coloured pencils
or 
grey leads of varying softness
or 
pens
or 
crayons
or
twistables etc
you can always alter the height measurement
for short or taller items!!
 roll it up
tie it proudly
its ready to create a masterpiece ...
enJOY

5 comments:

Cath said...

They look gorgeous! Wish I could have been there... xxx

ARTwendy ... said...

oh Cath we missed you .. had fun & they look great!

Karen said...

How did you go?? Get lots done?

Lotti said...

Such a simple thing to make and it's so nice.

Diane Swett said...

I made the pencil/crayon roll ups usning 2 pieces of fat quarters for christmas for my grand/greatgrand children for a christmas gift this past dec. they loved them.. (I have 30 grandkids and 12+ great grandkids) all the ones 12 & younger got these as a gift with either colored pencils or crayons in them (the older grandkids got to choose a jar of homemade jam- also a hit. I have a couple extra that I made and plan to sell them in My Churches Womens Sale to help with our mission programs. I think they will sell nicely. Thanks for this tutorial - Diane S