Custom Knife Storage – YT Makers Secret Santa 2025

Today, I’ll show you how I built a smart illuminated display case for showing off your finest wares. Specifically, I built this as a YouTube Makers Secret Santa gift for Nate From The Internet. I wanted this year’s gift to balance delight with practicality, so it has two parts: the LED display case with 3D printed logos, and a sturdy fabric knife roll.

The Smart Cabinet

I started with a locking steel and glass key storage cabinet, and customized it by adding NeoPixel LED strip and a 3D printed honeycomb storage wall (HCW), which is a great system of 3D printable parts that lets you swap in whatever hooks or shelves you need. I know Nate loves 3D printing, so while I printed a few generic mounts, I expect he’ll want to customize his to match the items he chooses to display. 

Head over to Nate’s channel to watch him open my gift.

I removed the stock logo from the glass using some acetone.

All the electronics for this build were provided by DigiKey, and you can shop the parts list:

You can also find this project on DigiKey’s maker.io. And if you’re looking to build up your skills enough to build a project like this one, check out my electronics teaching series on the DigiKey YouTube channel. We start with the absolute basics, like soldering up LED circuits and introducing critical tools, then build to more complex topics, including connecting microcontrollers to the internet, like I’m doing in this project with WLED. A big thank you to DigiKey for their continued support of my channel.

First, I had to flatten out the key hooks by smashing them down with a hammer. Then I used some five-minute epoxy to glue in some black foam core board and the 3D printed grid.

Next, I drilled a hole for the power cable to come through the bottom of the cabinet. I used a step drill. Ideally, you’d use a drill press for this, but a hand drill and some patience will suffice.

Then it was time to bring in the smart part. I used an Arduino Nano ESP32 wifi microcontroller, wired up to some NeoPixel addressable LED strip, and it’s running software called WLED.

So while I did set a default color, all Nate has to do to change or animate the LEDs is join the device’s wifi access point and fire up the WLED app. He can then also add in his own wifi details so the device can be controlled over his local network.

I’m using one meter of side-emitting NeoPixel strip, and at the end, I’ve added a NeoPixel stick. The idea is for the strip to run around the inside of the frame, and the stick to light up a 3D printed logo at the center front. Because they are all the same type of pixels, I can chain them together like this. I used hot glue to install the circuit, as well as Nate’s logos, which I 3D printed.

The Knife Roll

I already published a pattern for a waxed canvas tool roll, but this needed to be taller to hold long knives, and I wanted the pocket to be different too, more like my dopp kit bag. So, I’ve whipped this up as a new downloadable pattern that’s sort of the best of both worlds, and big and durable enough to tote knives.

How To Get The Pattern

I’ve published a free pattern for this project, which you can download and print out on regular-sized paper, then use the registration marks to tape it all together and cut out the individual pieces. The second file shows the ideal layout on fabric, but can also be used for projector sewing. I’ve also published the pattern source file, in case you’d like to make your own modifications and improvements.

If you have been following me for some time, you know I really love sharing information for free, and I never put my content exclusively behind a paywall. But I do need money to live, so I appreciate it when those of you who are able to show your support financially. If you enjoy this pattern and want to show your support, here are some ways you can do that:

If you’re not in the position to toss me a couple bucks for this pattern, that’s ok! Download the printable pattern for free:

becky-stern-knife-roll-pattern-v1Download
becky-stern-knife-roll-pattern-layout-v1Download

Pattern source file (Adobe Illustrator):

becky-stern-knife-roll-pattern-v1.aiDownload

Supplies

Here’s everything you’ll need to make your own knife roll:

Instructions

Like the rest of my patterns, this one prints out on regular-sized paper, and then you tape it together using the registration marks. I find a light mat to be extremely useful for the assembly process. But if you don’t have one, you can use a window during the day instead.

This knife roll has two trapezoidal pieces, one for the pockets and one for the protective flap, and also a rectangular piece for the main body, and a few pieces for the zipper pocket. The main body pattern piece is meant to be cut on the fold, so it’s actually twice as long as it appears in paper form.

I used heavy outdoor upholstery fabric and a contrasting canvas liner, plus some elastic to create more attachment points.

The interior pocket is made from the black canvas liner fabric, and the first thing to do is install the zipper. Just like my dopp kit bag, I’m using cut-your-own zipper material and adding my own zipper pulls after sewing them in. Then the tabs and end pieces can be sewn across the zipper ends. I ironed these seams and topstitched them as well. Then the corners fold together and get stitched up to give the bag some three-dimensionality.

Next up is the main body of the bag, composed of three lined pieces– the main body, the lower pocket, and the protective flap. Each trapezoidal piece is stitched around three sides with right sides together, then flipped right side out and top-stitched. Then these pieces are sandwiched between the right sides of the main body piece and stitched around most of the way, then turned right side out, pressed, and top-stitched.

Everything comes together fairly quickly at this point. It’s time to pin and mark the pockets, which can be any width you’d like. I also pinned on two elastic bands, which will be stitched in the same places as the pockets. I also pinned on the pocket and the exterior straps, which had to be sewn first because they sit behind some of the pocket features.

I used nylon webbing strap and some plastic buckles to make an adjustable, secure closure on the exterior of the bag.

Lastly, I stitched the pocket segments and attached the zipper pouch, carefully avoiding the straps that I had just sewn to the outside.

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