I love pre-school aged birthday parties! All the laughter of playing games with their little friends, blowing out the candles brings such a sense of accomplishment, and just tearing into all that colorful wrapping paper is half the fun. But I think my favorite part is giving a gift that the birthday boy or girl not only loves, but that was made with care and attention. I often make gifts that aren’t part of what I sell in the Elle Belle shop just because it’s a good excuse to try something different. I tried my hand at a crayon roll for a recent 2 year old party we were invited to. It was easy to make and when filled with crayons and accompanied by a coloring book I thought it made a sweet gift. 
Here’s how I did it: You can make them in whatever size you like, depending on how many crayons you want to store. I wanted to fit about 20 crayons in this one, so I cut two strips of fabric 12.5" long x 5.5" wide. Pin the strips right sides together. Cut a length of ribbon for the tie, fold it in half and pin it between the strips into the middle of one of the short ends. Sew the strips together (1/4” seam allowance), leaving room to turn. Turn the strips right sides out & press.
Cut a piece of felt 3” tall and a quarter of an inch shorter than the outside of your crayon roll (I used pinking shears for a decorative edge). Pin the felt to the bottom of the crayon roll and top stitch all the way around (catching the felt & the seam allowance from the spot you used to turn the strips). I did a double row just because I thought it looked nice, you can skip that if you’d like.
Sew a row of stitches every ¾” across the crayon roll. Fill with crayons, roll it up, tie it with your ribbon & heat set the ends to prevent fraying. Now you can invite your friends out to dinner and have adult conversation while their little one quietly colors away with their handy dandy new crayon roll!
Cut a piece of felt 3” tall and a quarter of an inch shorter than the outside of your crayon roll (I used pinking shears for a decorative edge). Pin the felt to the bottom of the crayon roll and top stitch all the way around (catching the felt & the seam allowance from the spot you used to turn the strips). I did a double row just because I thought it looked nice, you can skip that if you’d like.
Sew a row of stitches every ¾” across the crayon roll. Fill with crayons, roll it up, tie it with your ribbon & heat set the ends to prevent fraying. Now you can invite your friends out to dinner and have adult conversation while their little one quietly colors away with their handy dandy new crayon roll!
