We are halfway through our back to school craft ideas and want to keep the good times rolling! Now that we have ideas on backpacks (see “10 Fav Back to School Crafts: #9 The Owl Backpack”), it is time to start putting some things inside. Your child(ren) will most likely need notebooks, binders and writing utensils. If however you do not store loose objects that are sharp, they have the potential to shorten the lifespan of your backpacks. To help prevent this, you will need a pouch to store your objects and Factory Direct Craft has just the diy project to make one.

#5 – Block Print Burlap Pencil Bag seen on Factory Direct Craft

Burlap – 12×20 inch piece
10-inch zipper
2 Styrofoam trays
Scissors
Knitting needles
Block Printing ink
Brayer

1. Cut a rectangle out of the bottom of one tray about 4 inches high by 7 inches long. Using your knitting needles, draw a design in the surface of the foam. If you are lettering, remember to mirror your letters so that they come out right when you print. This is your block.

2. Cut the burlap into two 12 x 10 inch rectangles.

3. Squirt about 1 tsp of ink onto the other tray and roll the brayer across until you have an even coat of ink on the roller.

4. Roll across the block you created in step 1. Make sure the ink is coated evenly across the whole thing and not in the divots created by your knitting needles.

5. Press the block onto the center of one of the pieces of burlap, smoothing all over the back to get even coverage. Re-ink and repeat with the other piece of burlap. Allow the ink to dry.

6. Unzip the zipper and lay one side along the top edge of the burlap with the teeth facing in. Stitch along the edge of the zipper using a short straight stitch with a high tension. Repeat with the other side, zipping and unzipping as needed to keep the fabric of the zipper and the burlap flat together.

7. With the right sides facing each other, sew the remaining three sides with first a straight stitch and then a zig zag closer to the edge of the burlap.

8. Trim and turn right side out, working the corners out with the end of a pencil.