Combining the love of sewing and make-up? What more could we ask for!

While there are often makeup brush holders in stores, they often come in black faux leather. I’m not a huge fan of those as the dark colors make it hard for me to see my brushes and the material disintegrates over time. Plus, they often don’t come in the exact specifications I want – I have a usual set of brushes that I tend to carry around for travel or touch-ups for others on set.

There have been some DIY tutorials I’ve come across, but they often feature ones made of cloth and require a lot more sewing than I’d bother to do for this (oops!). In addition, cloth brush holders can’t be wiped easily and you’d have to wash them frequently to ensure it’s hygienic enough.

So… in comes a custom PVC makeup brush holder!!

Customize this to hold your usual set of brushes (and even your sponges/ powder puffs). No need for hems since PVC doesn’t fray like most woven fabrics. Plus, see exactly what you’re carrying and clean it easily when it gets dirty! The list of benefits goes on and on… :)

Here’s how you can make your own:

Get hold of some PVC. I used a thickness of 0.5mm, but the thickness is really up to you (and your sewing machine if you’re using one).

Grab your longest makeup brush and measure it with a ruler. Alternatively, wrap it in tissue paper to keep it clean while placing it on the PVC for measurement. (I used some old brushes which I don’t use anymore for this tutorial.)

This will help you decide what the height of your overall makeup roll should be, and the height of the pockets and the flap that covers your brushes.

In this example, I used an overall height of 9.5″ for the brush holder, 4.5″ for the top flap, and 3.5″ for the pockets.

Do your measurements and draw lines using a marker or ballpoint pen. Often, the PVC will not be cut straight if you buy it in a roll, so be sure to draw and cut straight lines on all sides!

You’ll want to know the rough length of your makeup roll holder based on the number of brushes/ powder puffs you want to store. On the safe side, cut it longer than it needs to be at first as you can always shorten it later.

The top flap can just be an extension of the main body piece – all you’ll need to do it fold it over and sew a line down to keep it folded down all the time.

The bottom piece for the pockets has to be longer than your overall brush roll holder. This is because your brushes are round and you’ll need to cater for additional material to go around it.

[I realized towards the end of the tutorial that it’s best to sew the top flap down last in case you adjust the length, so ignore this part if you see the top sewn down already!]

Starting with the pocket holder portion, sew down the first side.

Stick your first brush in (with the brush portion wrapped in tissue), or a marker of a similar diameter.

Wrap the PVC around the brush and mark where it should be sewn down to the base layer of PVC. Use a clip or tape to hold the two pieces together for stability.

Sew the line down. For this, I used a thicker needle, thicker thread and a teflon foot.

[If your sewing machine was not made for something like this, do not force it through or you’ll be as sad as me! (read on to find out…)]

Repeat with your second brush – wrap the top PVC layer over and mark down and sew. I’d recommend just using your thickest brush for the large slots in case you decide to change brushes later on.

[This is when my machine kind of jammed and broke down. Sadface. It has yet to be fixed, but hopefully it’ll be up again at some point.]

So here’s the part where I show you that sewing by hand is totally possible too and that it won’t take too too long! :)

Keep going with your smaller brush widths. At the end, I included a wide pocket for a powder puff, make up sponges or cotton wool as well. Since you’re customizing your own holder, why not! Definitely makes it very convenient for travel.

Now to sew the line at the bottom to secure your brushes when inserted. If your sewing machine can take heavy duty material, you can sew a straight line over the gathers. If not, you can sew in the center of each pocket, similar to what I did by hand. Potentially, you could use a lighter weight fabric or PVC to create the pockets instead :)

Fold the top flap down, sew a line across, and you are DONE!

Give the holder a good clean and insert the brushes, powder puff or foam sponges you usually bring around. Fold it in half to pack and you’re a happy trooper! :)