DIY knife roll bag ~

Sometimes necessity IS the mother of invention! In this case, it prompted me to make this DIY knife roll bag. 🙂

This is a MGFTW project ~ MacGyver For The Win! You know, when something is creating a problem and you totally MacGyver a solution? MGFTW!

This came about one night just before leaving for a vacation road trip, and I was packing up the kitchen things we were taking along for our cottage stay. Even though the cottage was sure to be equipped with the standard kitchen paraphernalia, there are a few things of my own that I always take along. The bartender’s box and kitchen knives are always on the list. I’ve picked up a few kitchen knives with individual plastic sheaths (hello CostCo and Publix!) and usually just wrapped them in a dish towel and put them in one of the travel bags.

That particular night, I was having a klutzy moment (you’re shocked, I know) and kept dropping knives as I was wrapping them ~ then the idea hit. Here’s the results ~ a DIY knife roll bag you can make in no time!

This starts with an old standard size pillow case. Sewing is not one of my super powers, so I did this with iron-on fuseable webbing and then tacked a few hand sewn spots with embroidery thread. You could run this through a sewing machine in minutes. A few how-to details are at the end of the post. My DIY knife roll bag has been in use for a while so I don’t have a set-by-step tutorial, but it’s so easy you’ll get it from the photos. This  project idea would totally work for anything you want to have in a tidy roll ~ from knitting needles to make-up brushes.

The general idea is to lay the pillow case out flat, open end at the bottom, and fold up to create an open pocket.

Fold the open end up about 1/3 of the total length, which will create double layer pockets when sewn in place. Decide how many pockets you want and how to space them. Pin in place, and either sew seams between the pockets or pin fuseable webbing in place between the fabric layers and iron to fuse. I used 2 layers of fuseable webbing ~ 1 layer of webbing between each layer of fabric. I also tacked down each pocket in a few places by hand sewing with some embroidery thread.

Folding down the top 1/3 of the pillow case from the closed end covers over the items in the pockets, and you are ready to roll up!

I used seam binding tape left over from another project for the wrap-tie. You could use ribbon or any sort of flat strip for the wrap-tie. Flip the pillow case over to the back side and pin your ribbon or seam tape in place, slightly above the top of the pockets. You want to have the wrap tie completely attached to the back of the roll for at least 6 inches. You can see in this photo that the wrap tie is attached across the back at the top of the pockets, and then the loose ends wrap around the roll a couple of times to secure. I used a D-ring to pull through, but it works just as well to tie in a knot or bow.

All wrapped up and ready to travel!

Here’s a link to the DIY knife roll bag, the bartender box and a “few” other things in use on one of our Seaside FL trips. When I see the photos in that Seaside vacation post, I am so happy to have my new camera now! Try not to judge the old photos too harshly, ok? 🙂

Here are a few how-to shots to show some materials I used and help explain the bottom fold pockets ~~~

See how the open end of the pillow case creates a double layer pocket, and the top end folds down to cover and close the other end of the roll? Super simple, even for those of us with no sewing skills!

My DIY knife roll bag has traveled around a lot. No matter how nice the rental place, the knives are never sharp. I hate to buy fresh produce or just-baked bread and then hack it up trying to chop or slice ~ so I bring my own knives. They’re not expensive but they get the job done, and make kitchen chores easier. So it’s a MacGyver For The Win project!

Hopefully you’ll be able to do this at your leisure, and not on the night before you leave for vacation. But hey, when frustration peaks and inspiration strikes, go for your own MGFTW project!