If you've got fabric scraps sitting in your stash — even small offcuts you weren't sure what to do with — this tutorial is probably going to make you very happy. I rolled up fabric into little tubes and turned them into pencil grips, journal closures, bag charms, tassels, necklaces, and oversized decorative beads. Thirty-three of them in total, all different, and honestly I loved every single one. The core idea is almost absurdly simple, but the range of things you can do with it once you understand the basic roll is what makes this worth its own full tutorial.
What we cover
This is a roundup tutorial — one core technique (rolling and securing fabric into tubes) and then a whole spread of ways to use and embellish them. We cover the roll itself (thick vs. flimsy fabric, with and without a straw, with and without hot glue), how to wrap and layer with thread, yarn, chain, lace, trim, and blingy stickers, and then how to finish them as charms, closures, necklaces, pencil grips, and tassels — including how to thread beads and hardware onto a finished roll.
What you'll learn
Why the first layer of fabric matters — and what to do if yours is too flimsy The outer roll needs enough body to hold its shape without collapsing. Upholstery fabric works well because of its weight. If all you have is flimsy fabric, there are fixes:
- Spray with cornstarch spray and iron — it adds real stiffness
- Paint with PVA glue and let it dry before rolling
How to roll and secure the tube, including:
- Rolling by hand without any tool (works best with weightier fabric)
- Using a straw as a rolling core — the straw can stay inside permanently, which makes threading things through later much easier
- Securing with hot glue — a small amount at the start of the roll to prevent unraveling, then a line along the final edge to close it
- Securing without any glue — wrapping with thread holds the roll together entirely on its own
How to wrap a roll with thread or yarn for both structure and decoration Starting in the middle, leaving a tail, going diagonal to one end, wrapping straight a couple of times, then returning on a diagonal to meet the tail in the middle — then tying off and repeating on the other half. Working from the middle outward means you can hide the knots under a second layer of fabric or trim, and two separate thread runs are more secure than one long one.
How to layer fabrics for contrast and texture After the base roll, any subsequent layers of fabric can be as flimsy as you like — they're just wrapping around something that already holds its shape. Contrasting colors show up far better than blending ones, so pairing, say, white underneath and brown or blue on top makes the layers actually readable.
How to use a finished roll as a journal closure Threading elastic straight through the tube — the roll acts as the stopper on one end, and you finish the other end with a bead. Simple, tactile, and a little bit whimsical.
How to make a bag charm or journal charm with beads and hardware Attaching string to a hardware finding, threading it through the roll, adding a bead at the top and at the bottom, and finishing the dangles with smaller beads and a knot that leaves a little movement rather than sitting stiff against the roll.
How to attach a tassel to the bottom of a roll Starting from the bottom instead of the top — threading string up through the roll, adding beads along the string above the roll, and finishing with a bulb pin or key ring at the top.
How to make a necklace from a roll Putting a roll on a chain. Layered, these look genuinely interesting to wear — earthy, textural, a little arty.
What you can wrap around the outside to embellish, including:
- Different colors and weights of thread and yarn
- Gold or sparkly thread
- Chain (repurposed from an old necklace)
- Decorative trim and lace
- Blingy sticker borders (with hot glue to keep them from peeling)
- Seed bead string and beaded plastic cord
- Small fabric flowers glued on with a hot glue gun
- Paper strips instead of fabric — if it wraps, it works
Tips & gotchas
Start the roll with a tiny drop of glue. Before you roll, add a little hot glue right at the beginning of the first layer. It stops the core from unraveling inward when you're trying to push something through the tube later — which is exactly when you don't want it giving way.
Don't apply hot glue all the way to the edge. Leave a gap before the edge when you glue the closing seam, or the glue seeps out the side and becomes visible. When you close the roll, lay it down and press rather than rolling forward into the glue bead — rolling pushes the glue out; pressing keeps it in.
Flimsy fabric needs help before it'll roll cleanly. A cornstarch spray and iron works well. PVA glue painted on and allowed to dry is another option. Either way, once the first layer is stiff, everything else can be as lightweight as you like.
Fishing wire or beading string is much easier than soft thread for threading through the roll. Soft thread bends and catches in the fabric. Anything with a little rigidity to it — fishing wire, stiff cord — slides through without snagging.
When thread-wrapping, don't overtighten the knots. You want the wrapping secure, but knots cinched too hard will squish the roll out of round. Tight enough to hold, not tight enough to distort — and you can always roll the tube back into shape between your palms.
Blingy stickers will peel off fabric if you leave them. The self-adhesive on decorative sticker borders doesn't bond permanently to fabric. A line of hot glue at each end of the strip keeps them from lifting overnight.
Leave some slack when finishing the bottom bead on a charm. If you knot right up against the bead, the whole thing sits stiff. Knot with a little space below the bead so the dangles have movement — it makes a real difference to how the finished piece hangs.
Protect your desk with book pages when using the hot glue gun. Especially useful here since many of these rolls have a hollow channel that can let glue drip straight through onto the surface below.
The basic tube pairs naturally with bookbinding work — as a closure on a handmade journal, as a decorative element on a fabric-covered notebook, or as a charm hanging off a junk journal's spine. Plain rolls kept in a few neutral colors are genuinely useful to have on hand, ready to embellish when a specific project calls for them. And if you've been looking for something handmade to sell at a craft fair, a set of fabric-roll pencil grips on wooden pencils — earthy, textural, completely original — is a very easy conversation starter.
