How To: Suede Crochet Hook Roll

As promised, here's the "how to" for the crochet hook roll I shared yesterday. This make is easily doable in 1 hour AND is adaptable to any number of uses. Knitting needles, make up brushes, artist pencils/brushes. All you'd need to change are the dimensions. So it's great as a last minute gift if you're pushed for time but want to give something handmade...

I made mine to fit this set of bamboo crochet hooks. I spaced them out roughly as I would envisage them in the finished roll; then measured the length of the hooks and took a rough width measurement across the bottom of the hooks...

I cut my lining piece as follows:
Fabric length = Length of hooks x 2 - 1"
Fabric Width = Rough width measurement + 2-3" extra (I only gave myself 1" extra and barely scraped it! You can trim any excess in a later step. So give yourself enough width to play with)
Fold fabric in half to create a kind of open sided envelope/pouch. (Top right pic) You want the back poking up by about a 1". If you're happy that it looks about the right size against your hooks, use bias to finish the top and bottom raw edges (bottom right pic)...

To sew the compartments:
Sew your first line about 1/2" from one side. Starting from the base of the "envelope", and using your first stitching line as a guide, backstitch at the start of your stitching line; then sew a straight line all the way up and onto your bias bound edge but NOT past it. Backstitch to finish (first pic). Repeat this process until you have enough compartments (To gauge the width of each compartment, I started with the smallest hook(s). I knew each consecutive compartment would need to be incrementally bigger as the size of the hooks increased. So using the previous stitching line as a guide, I just made each compartment slightly bigger than the last; until I had enough for every hook. Middle pic) Then trim any excess along the side to within 1/2" of your last stitching line.
Now bind the raw edges of the sides with bias (last pic)...

Cut your leather/suede to the desired size. You want it to be 2-3"  wider either side of your "envelope" for flaps; and about 1/4" wider top and bottom so the envelope fits neatly in the centre as pictured.
I rounded off the corners of mine (bottom 3 pics)...

Stitch the "envelope" to the wrong side of your suede/leather by cathcing the edge of the bias tape all the way around. If you don't want your stitches to be too obvious on the right side,  make sure your bobbin thread matches the colour of your sued and your top thread matches the colour of your bias tape.
Then cut yourself a tie from your suede/leather; and secure to the right side of one of the flaps with a yummy button...

And there you have it....

It's absolutely worth noting that the suede I used was clothing weight (harvested from a thrifted pair of suede trousers) and therefore buttery soft and easy to work with. When working with suede or leather makes sure you use the right  needles and that your machine can take the increased workload. If in doubt, test on scraps first. I had to adjust my tension to stop the bobbin thread from skipping and making ugly stitches on the right side of the suede. Even sewing the button on was trickier and required a leather needle plus the very rare use (on my part) of a thimble to encourage the needle through the suede. But apart from this, it's a super quick and satisfying make, and I'm super excited to see the recipients' reaction when she opens it!
So why not get thee to a charity shop, find an old leather/suede skirt/jacket/trousers (delete as appropriate) and have a go yourself? Be sure to let me know if you do. Id love to see the results!