Free sewing pattern and Instructions for a pencil case

Good morning, everyone! Today we’ll be sewing a small and neat pencil case. It stands out with its special shape and is the ideal storage for all kinds of bits and bobs in your handbag or backpack.

You can use various fabric scraps for this – from softshell, quilted fabrics, coated cotton, regular cotton, corduroy, denim, and even boiled wool. Additionally, you’ll only need one half of a zipper, meaning you can quickly sew two pencil cases at once. I’ll show you the lined version first, followed by the single-layer version. Let’s get started!

Materials Overview

You will need:

Various fabric scraps of your choice, at least 22 x 17.5 cm in size
60 cm continuous zipper (half) plus slider
Webbing scraps, 8 and 4 cm
Bias tape, 12 x 4.5 cm
Printable template

Print out the template. It already includes a 0.7 cm seam allowance. Then cut your fabrics accordingly.

Since the curve at the top can be tricky to sew with the zipper, I recommend doing it in two steps rather than one. First, sew the zipper half right sides together onto the outer fabric. The lower edge remains unaffected.

In the second step, place the outer fabric right sides together on the lining fabric and sew again following your previously made stitches.

When you reach the curves, you’ll need to keep pushing the zipper teeth inward to achieve a clean result.

Next, cut small triangles along the seam allowance at the curves, close to – but not through – the seam. This will allow the zipper to lay flat.

Turn the pencil case right side out and topstitch along the edge of the zipper. For this, I like to use the Edgestitch Foot #10 on my BERNINA 790 PRO.

BERNINA 790 PRO

Next generation stitch precision ✓ Even faster embroidery ✓ Superior stitch quality ✓ Pinpoint Laser ✓ Thread the needle automatically ✓ Place the design proportionally ✓ WiFi Connectivity and BERNINA Stitchout App ✓ Customizable Quilt Designs ✓ Sew any material ✓

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Edgestitch Foot #10

Excellent for topstitching edges, hems and pleats ✓ Ideal for sewing on lace or ribbon ✓ For reinforcing edges ✓ The guide lets you sew perfect seams and hems running parallel to the edge ✓ For 5.5 mm and 9 mm machines ✓

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Thread the zipper evenly on both ends and lay the bottom edge, as shown here, so that the zipper is centered. If you like, you can enclose a piece of webbing in the edge. Place the bias tape from underneath, right sides together, along the bottom edge of the case. I’m using a piece of coated cotton scrap instead of traditional bias tape, which works very well.

Sew the bottom edge to the bias tape. Then fold the excess ends onto the seam allowance…

…and then fold the open edge of the bias tape twice inward, so it lies precisely on the just-sewn seam.

Now you can topstitch the bias tape close to the edge. Make sure to lock the stitch well at the beginning and end.

Here you can see why I sew the strip with overlapping ends this way: it’s neatly enclosed, resulting in clean corners.

Congratulations, your pencil case is finished!

Sewing a Single-Layer Pencil Case with Bias Tape

Now, let’s briefly look at the single-layer version: for this, you’ll need about 60 cm of bias tape so the zipper looks neat from the inside as well.

Place the bias tape as you did with the lining, right sides together on the left side of the zipper, and topstitch it in place. If you like, you can attach a small piece of webbing as a loop at the top center.

Then, fold the bias tape over the just-sewn seam…

…and pin it flat with a few pins so it lays evenly.

Topstitch it along both edges, close to the edge. The rest will be sewn as with the lined pencil case.

Now you can start filling your pencil case – whether with pens, as a small cosmetic bag for on-the-go, or for various accessories – it’s up to you.

Here’s how it looks when closed – a very nice shape, in my opinion.

Since smaller fabric scraps are often left over when sewing bags and backpacks, you can now use them perfectly and have a small pencil case to reduce clutter inside the bag, all made from the same fabric.

I wish you lots of fun sewing,
Sara