If you have visited my site in the past you may have noticed that my projects are varied and unique according to the materials I have on hand. That is because I have a habit of shopping in the remnant bins and clearance sections. I love to find items that are on are their way out because of season changes. In fact, if you use your creativity, you can save some money and sew projects to donate. This solves problems. First, those items will become something brand new and usable. Second, you will be giving back to your community which is always positive. Third, you can lift your own spirits if you suffer from feelings of depression or getting low. It is true that doing for others always makes you feel better. The hardest part is getting started. This Felt Crayon Pouch is a great project for accomplishing all of those things.
So this picture might pique your interest a bit. A 9x12 piece of felt is the main part of the Crayon pouches. I was walking in my local Hobby Lobby and in the rear corners, they usually have the clearance section. Sometimes you find gold there. The felt pieces are usually .99 cents each. I found these for .19 cents. There were others for .24 cents. There is nothing wrong with them. The store was restocking to move in their fall merchandise and these were from the previous season. Now you may have thoughts of Pumpkin Spice and Falling leaves in your head right now, BUT.... the receiver would love these bright colors and cute designs ALL YEAR ROUND. So when you are feeling low, drive to your local store and just walk, look and keep an open mind. When you find a great deal, buy the materials bring them home, sew then give it away. You will feel better.
This project really lends itself to assembly line production. I was able to mark pin and sew several of these then move on to each step in the pattern. I finished 36 of them in two sewing sessions of about 4 hours each. It is all straight sewing so beginner friendly too. Do you belong to a sewing guild or lead a scouting group? Your members could whip these out quickly for Christmas shoebox giving.
I wanted to include crayons and a small tablet in each of the pouches so I calculated the cheapest crayons I could find locally. Right now school supplies are marked down in most stores and you will probably be able to find them cheaper than these. I went to Walmart and the usual price on a 24 pack of Crayola crayons are. 50 cents each. If you have ever purchased them you will notice they have duplicates of several colors in these boxes. You will have multiples of blues, reds, oranges, greens and purples in one box. Weird but true. So these are perfect to split up and use.
The small tablets came from the Dollar Tree. These composition books are usually in packs of three for $1.00. The size is perfect to slide into the crayon pouches.
When you download the pattern you will also receive this cost breakdown sheet. I wanted to show each unit cost including the crayons and tablets. Also, this will make it easy for you to buy enough materials for 36 pouches. Where I got everything, yardage amounts for the Velcro closures, ribbon for the loops, Felt squares, crayons and tablets. It assumes you will have thread and free labor also. But if you are looking for a service project for your organization, you could print this page off and take it shopping. It also shows three different price ranges depending on whether you are able to find the felt at a discounted price. If you pay full price, each unit would be around $1.55. If you are able to find the felt for .19 cents, each unit will cost around .80 cents. WOW! Kind of fun to see what you can do with materials that might be overlooked and a little bit of creativity.
Wouldn't you love to get something this cute for free? I can think of so many places these would be appreciated. How about, classrooms, libraries, doctor's offices, shelters, retirement centers, adult daycares, cancer treatment centers, police and firemen, counselors? Have I got your creative side sparked? GO HERE to get the FREE Pattern. Watch the video demonstration below to get even more inspired. Better yet, September is National Sewing Month. What a great way to celebrate by sewing and donating.
I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!
