Summer of Sewing: Hold Everything Fabric Boxes

During our Summer of Sewing series, we'll be featuring weekly tutorials using our new fabric collections (and giveaways, too!). Join us each week, sit back, relax, and then start sewing! 

Some may say that women can never have enough shoes, or enough chocolate, or enough jewelry...but as quilters, we say we can never have enough storage space! 

Our Summer of Sewing tutorial for this week features three different sizes of fabric boxes, perfect for holding notions and other sewing room supplies (or anything else that needs to be contained in a pretty box!). 

We've used the Goanna Walkabout collection--bright, dynamic Aboriginal-inspired prints. Look for Goanna Walkabout and Walkabout 2 (we'll be featuring it here soon!) fabrics at your local quilt shop. 

What else makes these fabric boxes special? A layer of Pellon's® Flex-Foam™ provides body so they stand up, but it's still soft enough and flexible enough to be stitched, folded, and adjusted.  

Let's get started!

You'll Need:

(per box)

2 fat quarters 

1/8 yard coordinating Painter's Palette Solid for binding

Pellon® Flex-Foam™ 1-Sided Fusible (20", 12-1/2" or 9" square, depending on box size)

Cutting:

Note: Directions are for the largest box. Find measurements for the smaller boxes at the end of the tutorial and follow the steps using your preferred size of squares.

From each fat quarter: 

(1) 18" square

From the solid:

(1) 2-3/4" x 42" strip

From the Flex-Foam™:

(1) 18" square

Make the Box:

Step 1: Decide which 18" square will be the lining and which will be the outside.

Step 2: Following manufacturer's directions, fuse the Flex-Foam™ to the wrong side of the outer fabric. Fold in half right sides of fabric together and sew along the short sides using a generous 1/4" seam. 

Step 3: Cut a 4-1/4" square from each bottom corner (along the folded edge).

Step 4: To create a boxed corner, fold so the raw edges you cut match up and pin. The side seam should align with the crease from the folded bottom edge in step 2.

Step 5: Stitch along the pinned edge using a 1/4" seam allowance. Backstitch at beginning and end.
Step 6: In the same way, fold the 18" square lining piece right sides together, stitch along short edges, and cut 4-1/4" squares out of the bottom corners.  

Step 7: Fold and stitch to box out the corners of the lining just like in step 4. 

Step 8: Turn the outer box right side out and insert the lining piece. Pin along raw edges, matching side seams. 

Step 9: Press the 2-3/4" x 42" binding strip lengthwise in half wrong sides together. Align raw edges and sew to the lining side of the box, joining ends as you would for a quilt. Note: The binding can be stitched on with the lining on the inside, or you can turn the pinned box lining side out, as shown below, and stitch the binding in place. Whichever is easier for you works fine, as long as the binding is stitched onto the lining side!

Step 10: With the box right side out, fold the binding over the raw top edges, secure in place with binding clips, and topstitch to secure. 

Your finished large box!

To make the medium sized box, use 12-1/2" squares of fabric and Flex-Foam, and cut 2" squares from the corners. 

To make the small sized box, use 9" squares of fabric and Flex-Foam, and cut 2" squares from the corners. 

All three boxes upside down so you can see the fun fabrics! 

Would you like to win a bundle of Walkabout fabrics? Leave a comment below (or on IG) telling us what you'd fill these boxes with. Giveaway is open through Sunday, July 9th at 11:59 PM CDT. 

Follow along with our Summer of Sewing Series! 
Click here to see all the tutorials.

Patriotic Star quilt bundle winner:

Janarama

psst...we're still collecting winners' names from our Patriotic Palette Blog Hop! We'll announce the names soon here on the blog.