Making A Knife Case

Keeping chef's knives together and organized can be challenging and even dangerous if they are scattered in a drawer. Here is a simple way to keep your knives safely portable, protected and organized.

What You'll Need
1 to 2 yards sturdy cloth (100 percent cotton)
Thread
Ruler or tape measure
Sewing chalk or pen
Sewing machine (with strong needle)
Embroidered initials or decal (optional)

Choose a sturdy cotton fabric for your knife set. Pick out something that will not be too quickly worn out by the blades of the knives, yet thin enough to run through the sewing machine. White and off white are the most common colors; however, any color will work.

Keep the size of your knife collection in mind when choosing the amount of material you will need. Generally, you will need fabric two and a half times the length of your longest knife, plus 4 extra inches for the seam allowance and for cutting out the tie strap. If you are unable to find a sturdy-enough fabric, you can double over the cloth when sewing, and that will require double the fabric. However, keep in mind the thickness of the fabric and the capacity of your sewing machine. If you are unable to sew the thicker folded areas of the case with the machine, you can sew them by hand (though it will take some extra time). Also, keep the width of the fabric in mind. Try to choose a fabric that has a width that will be compatible with the amount of knives in your set and not too wide.

Pick up a strong thread for sewing and check out your sewing machine needles. You may need to purchase a stronger needle than the standard needle on your machine.

Purchase an embroidered initial, decal or logo if desired. It can be a nice added touch for a gift or a good way to keep track of your knife set if you are around other chefs.

Marking Out Your Case
Cut out a strap for your case. Make it about an inch or two wide, depending on how thick you would like the strap. The strap must be long enough to wrap around the roll of knives at least two or three times and be knotted onto itself.

Take your prepared fabric and fold over one side of the narrower length of the fabric over until it has about a 6- to 8-inch fold (the fold for the pouch can be whatever length is suitable for your purposes). Make sure you add an extra 1 inch to fold over at the top of the pocket for a nice finished seam.

Set each of your knives in their desired potential spot along the fold. Consider how the case will roll, and generally keep the larger knives in the middle of the roll for safety and balance. (If necessary, you can lengthen or shorten the fold by looking at your knife set and making adjustments.)

Mark out where you will sew a line for each knife pocket, making sure there is enough room for the associated knife. You will need to leave enough on the side for a seam allowance as well (usually about an extra inch).

Iron the fold and make sure the remaining fabric is the right amount to fold over the knives as a covering flap. Iron the seams around the sides of the fabric as well at the top, remembering to fold the fabric over twice around the sides with the flap so the cloth does not come undone.

Iron the strap by folding it in half first and then pressing it. Then, fold the side edges towards the ironed center and press them, making sure to not iron along the ironed middle (otherwise you will lose that ironed crease). Make sure to tuck in one side of the end of the strap so that you do not have a loose fringe. The other end does not need to be tucked and sewn since it will be sewn into the case.

Sewing and Assembling Your Case
Sew on any decal to the fabric before sewing the case together. Be sure to fold and roll the fabric up as it will be once sewn to determine what areas of the fabric will be visible once rolled. Once you secure an exterior area for the decal to be placed, make sure that it is not a spot where there will be any further stitching. If you would like, you can skip this step and hand-stitch the decal on at the end. However, it can be a little more difficult once the case is assembled.

Topstitch the strap, making sure that the folded edge is also sewn and backstitched. Tack the rough edge of the strap to the upper side seam of one of the pocket sides. Whichever side you choose will be the outer portion of the rolled case.

Sew together the outer seams of the pocket of the case inside out. The strap, if properly tacked, should be actually inside out as well. Make sure that the seams of the pocket are properly lined up before sewing.

Fold the large pocket back right-side out and topstitch around the entire side seams of the case. Be sure to backstitch at the end.

Topstitch the previously marked pockets next. Be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of the stitching.

Iron the finished case. Then place in your knives, fold the flap and wrap the strap around the case, making sure to tie the strap to itself.

My Outcome
It seemed to come out in the shape and size I intended it to. But, I still found the material I used to be lacking in "strength". Considering, that portability was the main issue, I'd need to try again with much thicker fabric.