Tutorial: Make Up Brush Roll

Here's a tutorial for an easy-peasy make up brush roll that is totally customizable. These are a great way to keep your make up brushes clean and protected. There's nothing earth-shatteringly new here but hopefully this will come in handy for someone! Play around with the measurements and this would also make a sweet color pencil roll for the kiddos.

Go grab the following:

-a fun print for the outside and pocket piece
(9 x 13.5 outer piece, 8 x 13.5 pocket piece)

-corduroy for the inside of the roll
(9 x 13.5 inches)

-cotton batting
(9 x 13.5 inches)

-satin or grosgrain ribbon
(26 inch piece)

-thread, fabric marking pen, ruler, rotary cutter and mat, hand sewing needle

*the ribbon length should be approx 26 inches, not 13 like the photo!!



Fold the pocket piece in half lengthwise, press, and topstitch. Starting from the right, mark off the lines you'll be stitching to create the brush slots. Measure in 2 inches and draw the first line. Measure 2 inches from the first drawn line, and draw another. From there mark off 6 lines 1 inch apart. That will leave you with a 3 1/2 inch space on the far left.

Now, layer the pocket piece on the corduroy and place both of those on the cotton batting. Pin everything in place. I like to sew from the bottom to the top of the pocket. Sew over every line you drew making sure to reinforce the stitching at the top of the pocket. Stitch across the topstitching of the first 2 inch slot to close it. This will allow the brush roll to "roll" up nicely and it will be easier to tie closed.

Fold the ribbon in half and place on the right side at the midpoint. Sew in place.



Lay the outer fabric on top of the pocket piece, right sides touching, pin in place, and then sew around all four sides using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Leave a small opening along the top of the brush roll for turning.

Clip the 4 corners. You may need to trim the cotton batting near the corners to help reduce bulk. Turn the roll right side out, press, slip stitch the opening shut, and topstitch all around. All done!

A few tips:

Don't use cheap-o ribbon from the Target Dollar Spot. Great for scrapbooking, not so much for sewing. It won't hold up :(

If you're just starting out sewing, use thread that matches the fabric you're using. It will help blend away the wonky stitching.

Use a lighter or any other open flame you happen to have handy to heat seal the ends of the ribbon so they won't fray.

Feel free to ask any questions or to point out any glaring errors or inconsistencies. It is past my bedtime so there is no telling!

If you make one or a bunch, make sure to add your photos to my Flickr pool!!

at the center of the Anti-Craft capital of the world

1. and still more buttons!, 2. Back Forty Quilting, Port Gibson, MS, 3. Fabric Crush, 4. spring fabrics and yarns


Ok, so that title is a bit of an exaggeration but fits in with my current mood. I'm cranky and feel like griping. I would kill to have an awesome, fully stocked fabric shop like the ones in the photos in my town. Twice this week my creative plans were dashed by the fact that unless you scrapbook, there are no places in my area to get proper sewing supplies or fabric! And it's only going to get worse. The local quilt shop just recently went out of business. The chicks who work in the fabric department of Hobby Lobby said they won't be carrying as much interfacing type stuff anymore, and Walmart has plans to do away with their fabric department altogether. Granted, Walmart's fabric department is pretty craptastic, but still. I take what I can get, ya know? Grrr. All I wanted was some Timtex/Peltex (out of stock at Walmart and no longer carried by the HobLob), elastic thread, and some grommets. I broke down and ordered the Peltex online but thought surely elastic thread was a commonplace sewing notion. Big fat NO. I got strange looks when I asked for it. Elastic thread. . . a mythical creature, who knew? Anyone else live in a sewing supply black hole? Do you just break down and order everything online and pay crazy shipping? For instance, I can get a spool of elastic thread online for about a $1.50, but the shipping is $4. Wha? I must start planning ahead. No more sewing on a whim.

So, why the big need for elastic thread? I have some shirts I want to refashion/reconstruct for myself and I really want to try Dana of Made's Summer Vacation Dress Tutorial. SO cute. Guess I'll be taking a road trip in the next few days. Yes, I have to drive at least 45 minutes to get to the closet Joann's. If I want to go to a cool ,hip, independently owned fabric shop, I have to drive at least 2 hours! That is a long way to go with a McScreamy toddler in tow. Trust me, I know because we tried that once. Maybe I should buy a lotto ticket while I'm in Georgia and that way, if I win, I can open my own fabric shop/studio!

Look Ma! No Naps

It looks like I'm going to have to figure out a whole new game plan for Sydney and I. It's been a week since the child has taken a nap. . . she went from napping 3 hours a day to no nap cold turkey. I'm hoping that maybe now she'll go to bed earlier and that I can get my sewing and Etsying done in the evenings. We shall see. In the meantime, I've managed to finish up a dress for Sydney. I'm really excited about how it turned out. I used a pattern by Zozobugbaby on Etsy. I made the dress using "scraps" my friend sent me. All in all, a very easy pattern to follow makes a great little dress with lots of possibilites. I love that it has adjustable straps so Sydney will be able to wear this for years. I made a few small changes just because. I moved the seam from the side of the dress to the back and sewed the straps in a little different to avoid having raw edges. Raw edges bug me! I'm pretty sure I'll be making some more of these.




Coming soon. . . a new tutorial! A reader emailed me about a pattern for the make up brush roll I made a while back. As soon as I regroup from losing my midday break, I'll be making up a tutorial for the make up brush rolls. It's super quick and simple and would make a great gift for the make up lovers you know.

Not a whole lot of sewing going on. . .

It's been one of those lazy weeks where I haven't gotten much accomplished. Between being sleepy and sloth-like, an anti-napping toddler, and the dreaded but necessary bookkeeping I've been hard-pressed to find any time to create. I've managed to squeeze in a bit of sewing here and there and hope to finish up some projects sooner rather than later. My lovely friend Lyann offered to send me some of her fabric scraps for my patchwork projects. Lucky for me, what she considers scraps is yardage to me! Her package of fabric (and homemade snacks!) was an awesome treat. I'm using some of that fabric to make Sydney a summer dress. I haven't made the poor child clothes in a long time. Sneak peek here:



I also cut and quilted a bunch of squares that will become two mini rag quilts for a little boy named Oscar. I might have to make some for the shop as they are fun to make and just plain cute.



I really want to go to the Inman Park Festival in Atlanta! Not sure if attempting a road trip and outdoor festival solo with a 2 year old is a bright idea but it looks like fun.

colors: cobalt, lime, and orange

I've got some nifty white shelves on either side of my kitchen sink. I love these shelves as they make it super easy to add some color to the room without any major effort. I've collected the items on these shelves over the years. Some things belonged to my grandmother, some are items my sister found while thrift store shopping, and others come from one of my favorite stores in the whole wide world- Ikea. While I'm fairly certain most everyone out there has heard about or been to an Ikea, I linked it anyways because you never know. And I would hate to keep someone in the dark about that place. I'm really loving these colors together and want to use them in a sewing project sometime soon. Curtains for my kitchen windows, maybe?

Sewing and Chocolate. . . does it get any better?

Last year sometime my friend Lyann sent me a box of the most delicious candy I've ever had. She likes to call it 'Crack' and I think it is a very appropriate name. The stuff is wildly addictive. I inhaled the entire box full in a few days and had big plans to make some myself. Well, I lost the recipe and forgot about it. Luckily, the last time I went grocery shopping I saw matzoh on sale and remembered ALL about it. So, I googled the recipe on my phone, grabbed up the rest of the ingredients, and made some yesterday. It turned out perfectly! This stuff is the perfect blend of sweet, salty, chocolate, and crunchiness. Quick and easy - try this recipe!



I also stayed up late last night finished my first mini rag quilt. I lucked up and found all the episodes of Buffy on Netflix so I watched, sewed, and cut fringe. That's probably the trickiest part of rag quilting-cutting the fringe without cutting into the seams. I discovered a few spots after washing the quilt where I had cut through the stitching and had to a bit of repair. Other than that, it turned out well. I may splurge on on rag quilting snips before I make anymore.

Happy Easter!

We've had a great day so far. . . rest, relaxation, good food, lots of chocolate, and an egg hunt. The kiddo is napping and I'm about to get to work on her mini rag quilt. I'd never heard of rag quilting until a friend asked if I could make one for her little boy. I did a bit of googling and found this tutorial and this one. I'm using designer cottons for the top and minky for the bottom with a layer of flannel in between. I got all the squares cut out and am ready to see the finished quilt. I think Syd will enjoy dragging this little "banket" (as she likes to call them) around with her.



Last night I played around with my Patchwork Pencil Pouch pattern and came up with a variation. I cut [6] 1.25 x 4.5 inch strips instead of the 2.5 inch squares. I was able to make use of skinny scraps and was pleased with how it turned out. I'll probably have to make a few more!




On a totally unrelated to anything note, has anyone tried out shaping/toning shoes? I picked up a pair of Skechers Tone Up Sandals yesterday. There was a great sale going on and I need all the help I can get. I didn't really believe all the claims of a firmer butt and what not but the shoes were super comfy when I tried them on so I grabbed them. I wore them for about 3 hours today around the house. Wow! My legs are sore. Not sure if that means I'm pathetically out of shape or if there is something to these shoes. I'm going to start wearing these to the park on longer walks and hope for the best! I'll let you know when I start swimsuit modeling ;)