Thanks to Skip to My Lou, I found this idea and knew my kids would LOVE them. They all got them for Christmas and they certainly have loved them. I get compliments all the time and think they will be great birthday presents this coming year!
I really do need to invest in some more cute boy fabric. I used the same fabric for each of my boys, and opted to use freezer paper and paint their first initial on their own roll. For the boys’ ones, I used this tutorial HERE.
For my little girl, I used THIS tutorial.
*Things I would differently next time I make these:
1) I would cut my fabric 2 inches longer than her tutorial on the longer roll. So the main body part is longer and also the pockets. I wanted to use twistable crayons, and they stuck out the top of the crayon roll, so I sewed on some on the top.
2) For the felt one, I would make the pockets longer. I might also sew a strip of matching ribbon closer to the top for the notepad backing to go through, so it is more secure. It’s kind of floppy how it is right now.
3) I would definitely use chalk liner thing (I found mine at JoAnne’s for $9.99 but used a 50% off coupon–it was in the quilting section). I would mark the lines better, and maybe even get a clear ruler so I can see what I’m doing better! My lines ended up a little off since I was just trying to match up little marks that I made. If the whole line was drawn, it’d be much easier and better-looking as well!
Those are my bits of advice! They were fun to make and even more fun to see my kids open! Thanks for the tutorial, Skip to My Lou!
Originally posted on my family blog in December, 2009.