A Ditty Bag and a Pencil Roll

I found a few free minutes recently to crank out two quick projects for myself.

Project 1: The Ditty Bag

I've been needing something to carry my personal effects in when I go away overnight, something classier than a ziploc bag. I have a big toiletries bag for longer trips, but when I just head out for a night or two, it would be nice to have something to just throw my toothbrush and toothpaste into, so I made this ditty bag.

The oblong shape was dictated by the dimensions of the scrap I used for the lining. I could have just trimmed it down to a more proportionate size, but it turns out that it works great for long things, like toothbrushes. I've already used it on one weekend trip and put it in service for toting my soap and lotion to the pool in the mornings.

Project 2: The Pencil Roll

I bought myself a big set of (38) colored pencils last summer for nature journaling, and I've been carrying them around ever since (and adding to the collection), ratting around in the tin box they came in.

They needed a better home.

Then I ran across two quarter-yards of fun fabric I bought with no particular project in mind last winter, and figured it would be exactly enough fabric to make a roll to keep them all padded and safe and nicely in rainbow order.

My old pencil roll (below), which is just big enough for a small selection of pencils and pens, has a flap that folds down all the way, which I like a lot, both for keeping everything safely inside and as a place to lay things when it's open, and I was afraid the short flap wouldn't cut it, but once I sewed down the edges and the whole thing sat rolled up for a while, pressing the fabric in place, it seems to work just fine.

I'm not super thrilled with my pink and brown ribbon choice for the outside. I've been meaning to replace it with a piece that's aqua and grey, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

I have just a bit of this crazy Dr. Seuss tree fabric left, and am thinking I'll need to do something Christmassey with it. Any ideas?