Fabric Box Tutorial

 I hope you enjoy this little fabric box tutorial as much as I do. It is simple enough to complete in about an hour, which makes it perfect for a last minute hostess gift. Fill it with candy and you are ready to go! 

A friend gave me the pattern* a couple of years ago, but after I made the first sample, I lost the pattern! Luckily, I remembered what to do, and wrote up my own instructions. There was no indication of who had designed it, so if you know whose pattern this is, please do let me know. I haven't seen anything else like it online.

*The original was a one page, hand drawn pattern that looked like it had been photocopied a number of times. I interpreted the pattern in a completely different way from my friend.

Let's get started!

You will need:

 (2) squares of fabric, between 8" and 12". My sample was made with 10" squares. 

A piece of batting the same size as the fabric (or a little bigger).

(4) coordinating buttons, optional.

A walking foot, if you have one.

Step 1: Layer the fabric, right sides together, on top of the batting.

Step 2:  Stitch 1/4" seam around perimeter, leaving an opening of about 4" on one side.

Step 3: Trim away the batting from the seam allowances to reduce bulk. Trim as close to the stitching line as you can without clipping into it!

Step 4: Turn right side out and press.

Step 5: Top stitch close to the edge, closing the opening as you go.

Step 6: Quilt as desired. I just kept going around and stitched concentric squares...

... until my bobbin ran out!

Step 7: Fold the quilted square in half, right side in. Mark a 2" triangle in the corners.

(If you started with a different size square, you may want to alter this dimension.)

Stitch the 2 bottom corners, back-tacking at the beginning and end. Since I had used a Frixion pen for marking, I just needed to hit it with an iron to erase the line!

Step 8: Open it up and fold it in the other direction, marking and stitching the remaining 2 corners.

Step 9: Turn the box right side out.

 Step 10: I like mine with the points folded down...

 ... and the inside flaps tacked down.

If you would like to eliminate the inside flaps, try Connie's modification with French Seams!

Step 11: Stitch on some cute buttons, if desired.

(I bought these buttons at Walmart. I think I need to go back and get more in every color!)

Starting with 10" squares, the boxes finish at about 4" x 4" x 3" high.

My original sample was made with Meadowsweet leftovers. I still love that collection so much!

And this is the one I made last weekend for Barbara. This one started with a 12" square, so I made the sides a little higher (2.5" corners in step 7).

Have fun with the tutorial and let me know if you make one!

Edit 4/13/14: I am not affiliated in any way with the pattern being sold on Craftsy for $6.

Edit 5/22/14 for clarification: The pattern I was given did not include any authorship information, or I would have given credit from the start. There were just a few hand drawn diagrams and cryptic text open for interpretation. It was not a copy of the pattern being sold on Craftsy. I wish there was a name on the original drawing, but there was not. I struggled with offering it online, but I felt my finished product was more detailed and my instructions were much clearer. I added the quilting and the buttons that were not included in the original.

The pattern on Craftsy was not offered until after I had posted my free tutorial. I believe the designer used the ideas that I had fleshed out. If she used her own photos and text, there is no copyright infringement. I haven't purchased it, so I don't know that to be true. She claims there are design differences, but her sample in the Craftsy listing looks just like mine. It is even quilted the same way. I don't believe she is the designer of the pattern I was given many years ago.

Because the basis for this fabric box was not my original idea, I struggled with offering the tutorial at all. I did not feel it was right to profit from it by selling the pattern. Again, I wish the person who drew the original diagrams by hand had signed her work.

It is in the spirit of sharing that I offer this free tutorial. They look great filled with candy or a small potted plant. You may use it as a guild or sewing bee project. You may make them to sell for charity fundraisers. If you make them to sell for personal gain, please drop me an email.

Visit my Pinterst board to see how other sewists are interpreting this project.

Got Scraps?

If you quilt or sew, you've got scraps! Jodi is going to help us use them! Visit Pleasant Home and play along, won't you?!

Jodi asked us to find our scraps, so here you go.

These are just the ones that are not cut into usable pieces. Those are in photo boxes, neatly labeled and lined up on a shelf. These were here, there and everywhere! I just threw the Christmas scraps (see below) into the blue coiled bowl for the photo.


Oh, and then there are baskets with fold-able pieces less than 1/4 yard. Those bits were kind of messy on the stash shelves.

(ok. now that I can see them in a photo, most of them are not pretty. the baskets are not cute, either. giveaway?)

And a basket of selvedges. Do those count as scraps?


Oh, and several years ago, I sorted my scraps by color into paper bags. I've used some of them, but the bags are still crumpled up in a corner somewhere.

OK. I've got scraps!

I finally got all the strips cut for a tree skirt I was commissioned to make in January! She'll get it before Christmas! It is a pattern my mother used in the early 90's. The pattern has since disappeared, so I'm working from photos and long-distance measurements.

Two packages arrived yesterday!
Ten yards of Kona Snow from Jackie at CVQuiltworks
and
My first Spoonflower order!


My Girl Scouts decided to work on the Textile Arts badge, so we ordered a yard of troop number fabric. (My nephew designed our graffiti logo a few years ago.) I can't wait to see what they make from it!

We're all really excited about the badge. There will be some dying, painting, block printing, designing and piecing. Dare I say applique?

Corral your scraps and get ready to sew!

Box-O-Fabric

I was so excited when this box appeared on my porch yesterday!
I highly recommend the Fat Quarter Shop.

Wanna see what's in there?
Whoa. I haven't bought this much fabric at one time since we made 2 wedding quilts at the same time in 2004.

A pile of Fandango for a wedding ring star quilt.
The happy couple identified a few collections that they liked and I chose this one. At first, I thought I would mix and match, but I didn't want to risk buying this much fabric online and ending up with something I couldn't use.

Dr. Seuss fabric for a baby quilt.
Who doesn't love Dr. Seuss?

A few more prints for a commissioned Christmas tree skirt.

And some more Girl Scout fabric, some from the new collection, because we might need them some day. ; ) The first collection was really geared toward Brownies and Juniors, and some of the new prints are more appropriate for older girls and adult volunteers.

Ugh. Now it all needs to be washed and pressed. Yes, I pre-wash. The chemicals in new fabric make my allergies flare up. Well, I do get to fondle it all while I'm pressing and folding!

Girl Scout Fabric!

WOOOHOOO! I've been waiting 10 years for this! Check out the complete line of Girl Scouts fabric from Robert Kaufman. It's so cute! Julia & I can't wait to get our hands on some. Kaufman has some patterns for useful things like a sleeping bag tote, sit-upon and cookie sale organizer (how awesome is that?)!


eQuilter and Alderwood Quilts have most of them. Buy some today! Make them sell out faster than the Boy Scout fabric, so they'll have to print more & more.


Jumping for Joy!

Thank you, Robert Kaufman and GSUSA!