My challenge this week was to use this

Fabric.11 Some tote bags and crayon rolls

and this

Emily20.1 Some tote bags and crayon rolls

to create something like this.

Emily17.1 Some tote bags and crayon rolls

These are birthday gifts for the girls in my daughter’s Sunday school class and there are 9 girls (and 1 boy) in the class.

In order for me to not get bored with making the same thing over and over again, I decided that each tote will be slightly different, hey, even the crayon rolls are different, though not by choice as this is the first time I’ve made them and the design and measurements still needs some adjusting.

So here are the first 3 sets that are finished.

mosaic2cc9f44313939018017622864a35eab1d53dfdd1 Some tote bags and crayon rolls

I had originally left the back of the tote blank but decided it was too boring and appliqued these lollipop flowers.  I love the fact that I don’t have to be precise with my stitching which is a bonus because I don’t think I’m able to sew a perfect circle yet.  My first “crayon roll” was actually a “crayon wallet” with a button and elastic closure.

mosaicef08d24e1678cce3bb4d7c3b020ab2e803ef6709 Some tote bags and crayon rolls

The second tote has a single appliqued lollipop flower with a button that reminds me of a red smartie.  I decided to do “peekaboo” linings with all my totes because I think it looks kinda cute (plus the fact that I can’t seem to iron the lining into place).  This time my crayon roll was actually a roll with a flap (to prevent the crayons from falling out) and velcro closure but why is the roll not sitting flat or rolling up nicely?

mosaic8441ad3ee90c2c38253895eaf638c43a907ae8cc Some tote bags and crayon rolls

My favourite tote so far has a polyacetal resin snap to hold the pocket close.  The snap was a last minute addition and adds a cute detail to the pocket, don’t you think?  The finished size of the totes are about 9″x 9″and are the perfect sized for little girls.  Again this crayon roll is a bit different by sewing the flap separately to the body and rolls up evenly but I’m still not totally convinced with the crayon pockets.  I might have to do pleated pockets or something.

Oh well, that’s 3 down and 6 more to go but  I’m taking a break from them as the next lot of birthdays aren’t coming up until August.  If you have any suggestions on how to sew a crayon roll that sits flat, let me know.