Tool Roll Tutorial May 29, 2014 – Posted in: Family, Tutorials

I’m on a roll (get it?) this year! I’ve been doing great with my quest to give handmade birthday gifts and this idea really thrills me!

I struggled with what to give my brother, Matthew, for his gift. After consulting with his wife, I had a few ideas that would have been awesome for him. But I chose to make him tool rolls because for Christmas I’d drawn his name and I gave him a tool bag. I pictured loose screwdrivers and wrench sets cluttering the bottom, jumbled together in a mess of disorganized metal.

This project was ridiculously easy! Each tool roll took about 20 minutes to make start to finish.

I got this upholstery vinyl at Jo-Ann’s for pretty cheap. It’s normally $30/yard, but I wanted the rest of the bolt, so the awesome guy at the cutting counter gave it to me as a remnant and I ended up paying just $12 for 31″. He was willing to do it because the end of the bolt was sad and wrinkled and has seen better days. But knowing it would be bent and rolled and stretched, I didn’t mind! And I didn’t use it all, making this project even cheaper. Fast and budget friendly!

I started by cutting a piece of the vinyl 14.5″ wide by 19″ tall. Honestly, I didn’t use any special math, I just cut.

I knew I wanted it to angle so smaller items could be stored at one end. So I chose to measure down about 2.5″ on one end and draw a line diagonally to the other top corner.

Then I folded it up 6.5″ on the taller side.

I cut a piece for a tie about 40″ long by .5″ wide. I folded it in half and stuck it just inside the seam on the taller side. I wouldn’t recommend using pins on this project since they’ll leave small holes in the vinyl. Just cut carefully and use your fingers or clothespins or little clips, if you need help.

I sewed the first seam about 1/8″ from the edge, catching my tie and backstitching once to make sure it was secured well.

On the roll with the wrenches, I sewed lines every 1.5″. For the screwdrivers I made them 2″ apart. It’s a matter of personal preference and what you’re using the rolls for.

The wrenches were small enough I could fold the top over and they were more compact. The screwdrivers were tall enough that I didn’t need to fold–but it’s great for him to have that option!

And that’s it! Awesome like crayon rolls, but for adults. They have so many uses and are such a great gift for men (and women) of all kinds!