Fabric Boxes

Another small project I was able to try while I was at my in-laws was making fabric boxes.  I found directions on this website.  It's easy to make, useful, and a fun way to use leftover fabric.

To make a fabric box, you need two squares of material and a square of batting.  I made mine 10 1/2 inches by 10 1/2 inches, but you could make them bigger or smaller depending on what size you want the finished box to be.

Pin the fabric right sides together on top of the batting and sew around the sides 1/4 inch from the edge, leaving a gap on one side.  Trim the batting close to the seam all the way around, and cut the corners (so that it's not too bulky around the sides when you turn it right-side out.  But make sure you don't cut any of the stitching!). 

Then you turn it right-side out through the gap that you left in the seam, so that the batting is now on the inside and both fabrics are right-side out.  You can use an iron to press it flat if you are so inclined.  Then pin the gap closed so that it looks like the rest of the seam.  Sew all the way around the outside of the square, as close to the edge as you comfortably can.  This will close up the gap.

Then you need to do some "quilting".  But don't be intimidated - all that means is sewing on the square while it is flat so that the top, middle, and bottom layers stay close to each other.  One easy way to do that is sewing a bunch of squares, like I did.  But you could really make any sort of design you want.

Now we need to make our quilted square into a box!  To do that, you fold it in half, right sides in, and mark a 2 inch triangle on each of the folded corners.

Sew along the lines you marked.  Then unfold and fold it the other way, doing the same thing.  When all 4 corners are sewn, your box will look like this:

Turn the box right-side out.  If you want you can leave it like this, as a reversible box with pointy sides.  Or you can sew down the inside flaps and fold down the top flaps, using a needle and thread to hold them in place.  And that's it!  My finished boxes were 4x4x3 inches.