All the artist needs are simple sewing skills, an hour and a few inexpensive supplies to make a handy storage for fine art brushes. If the artist has no sewing skills, a needle and thread can easily be replaced with a hot glue gun or fabric glue. Either way, the holder is easy enough for novice or beginning crafters to make.
Supplies
To make one brush holder the artist will need:
- 1’x1’ of cloth (canvas or heavy linen will work best, but upholstery or any thick cloth will work)
- Matching sewing thread (or hot glue or fabric glue)
- Needle or sewing machine
- Scissors
- 1’ of ribbon, thread or rope
- Straight pins
These supplies can be purchased at any sewing or craft supply store.
Construction
Once the supplies are gathered, the brush holder can be made with these steps:
- Hem all four edges of the cloth. The can be done by folding the edge of the cloth over ¼” and folding that fold over by a ¼” and sewing it down.
- Lay the fabric down with the hem facing toward you. Fold the bottom of the fabric so that it makes a pocket that is 4” deep. See Illustration One at the bottom of the article.
- Pin the edges of the fold and sew the left and right sides. See Illustration Two.
- Make the large pocket have separate compartments for each brush by sewing a straight line down the pocket every inch or so. You can widen the length between seams to accommodate larger brushes. See Illustration Three.
Tip: If you are using a sewing machine, make sure to "lock" the seams by putting the machine in reverse and sewing a few stitches before cutting the thread.
How to Use Brush Holder
To use the brush holder, slip each brush handle into one of the small pockets with the bristles facing up. Once the holder is full, roll it up and tie the roll with a ribbon or string.
It is important to make sure that the brushes are not longer than the fabric. If a brush sticks out of the end of the roll then it is too long. Making a bigger brush holder to accommodate bigger brushes would be a good idea. Instead of using 1’ of fabric, the artist could use 15” or more.
This holder is perfect for traveling with paint supplies or outdoor painting. It keeps the bristles from being banged around or splayed and keeps them all in one convenient place.
To learn more about brush care see: How to Take Care of, Protect and Restore Brushes
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