Pencil Case From Milk Carton

This is a very simple pencil case. It has one compartment and a simple drawstring closure. You can make it in a little to no time, and it’s quite durable—as long as you don’t expose it to water or fire. It also makes a unique gift for anyone who enjoys recycling projects.

1. milk carton, whether it has a square or rectangular base
2. ruler
3. pencil
4. scissors
5. needle
6. thick thread, such as denim thread
7. 3 m/9.8 ft of string
8. hole punch
9. grommet (I use 4 mm/0,16 in, but a wider one will work too)

The carton must be clean and dry on the inside. Flatten it and cut off the top (so that the entire opening through which the milk is poured is cut away) and the bottom.

Cut a square measuring approximately 3 x 3 cm/1.2 x 1.2 in from the top piece you cut off and set it aside for later. Now you can throw away the two pieces you cut off.

Cut the carton open lengthwise as well so that it can be fully opened. Wipe away any remaining dirt inside.

Now crumple the wrapper thoroughly. The more, the better. Then unfold it again.

Once you've crumpled it, you can peel off the top printed layer of the carton. Start at the corner.

Lay out the carton without the top layer in front of you. Measure and mark the lines along which the carton will be folded (you can fold it now). Section A will be the narrowest and will form the flap of the case (6 cm/2.4 in in my case). Sections B and C will be similar in width, with section B being just slightly wider than section C (in my case, section B is 11.5 cm/4.5 in and section C is 10 cm/4 in).

Mark the center of the short side of section C.

Peel off the top layer of the square you set aside as well.

Place the square about 2 cm from the edge of section C on the back of the carton so that it is aligned with the center. Thread the needle and thread, and pass it through one corner of the square from the back to the front.

You need to sew on the square. It doesn't matter what stitch you choose—you can use a decorative stitch or even a simple backstitch. In these two pictures, you can see how I did it; the photos show the view from both the wrong side and the right side.

From the right side, punch a hole in the center of the sewn square.

Insert the appropriate grommet.

Place the carton with the back side facing you and fold section C inward.

Insert the needle along the edge of the seam, from the wrong side to the right side.

Sew the folded sections B and C together using a blanket stitch. Continue by stitching around the flap and all the way around the case to the other side, where you’ll sew sections B and C together again.

The case is completely stitched; you can use scissors to round off the corners of the flap slightly.

When you fold down the flap, you can see how the case closes.

Prepare three strings, each 1 m/3.2 ft long. Tie a knot in the middle; it doesn't have to be too tight, since you'll untie it in a moment.

On one side, braid a small plait that, when folded over, will fit between the grommet and the edge of the flap (see below). For me, it was a little less than 10 cm/4 in.

Thread the unbraided edges and half of the braid through the grommet; the ends of the braid must meet at the edge of the flap.

Untie the knot and divide the 6 strings of the string into pairs, which you will then use to braid a single plait. The continuing braid will, of course, be thicker.

Tie a tight knot at the end of the braid and trim the ends. You can wrap the braid around the case.

Now all that's left is to decorate the case.