fabric bucket

I’m already focusing on getting my new year organized, so I thought I would slip in another tutorial that should help do it.

Organize your home with little buckets made from fabric. This bucket can be made with novelty prints, or fabric that coordinates with the room it will be placed in. The flat bottom and the stiff sides create a small box for corralling your what-nots. Place next to a chair to hold your latest craft project, in a bathroom for washcloths and soaps, or on your desk to organize all your small work tools.

Things You Will Need:

1/3 yard outer fabric
1/3 yard heavyweight lining fabric
1/3 yard fusible interfacing
Measuring tape
Scissors
Iron
Straight pins
Sewing machine
hand sewing needle and thread

Step 1
Cut two 9 1/2-inch-wide by 13-inch-long rectangles from your outer fabric, heavyweight lining fabric and fusible interfacing. Cut two 4 1/2-inch-wide by 6-inch-long rectangles from your heavyweight lining fabric for the handles.

Step 2
Lay an outer fabric rectangle on your ironing surface with the wrong side facing up. Place a fusible interfacing rectangle on the fabric with the glue side facing down. Iron the interfacing to fuse it to the fabric. Repeat with the remaining outer fabric and interfacing rectangles. Stack the fused fabric rectangles and the lining rectangles and trim so they are exactly the same size.

Step 3
Place the interfaced rectangles together with the right sides facing each other. Pin the short edges and one long edge together. If your fabric has a directional design, make sure the long edge that you pin is the bottom of the design. Sew along the three pinned edges using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Do not turn right side out.

Step 4
Place the two lining rectangles together with the right sides facing. Pin the two short edges and one long edge. Sew the pinned edges, but leave a 3-inch opening in the center of the long edge. Do not turn right side out.

Step 5
Open the outer bag and place your fingers in one bottom corner. Fold the side seam down to match the bottom seam at the corner. Squeeze out the corner and flatten to form a triangle. Measure 3 inches down from the tip of the triangle. At this measurement, sew across the triangle. The stitch line will look like the bottom of the triangle. Cut off the triangle, 1/4 inch from the stitched line. This creates a boxed-bottom for your bucket. Repeat on the other bottom corner, and the two bottom corners of the lining bag.

Step 6
Fold one handle in half, matching the two long edges. Pin the long edges together. Sew the pinned edge using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Turn the handle right side out and press. Top stitch each long edge 1/4 inch from the edge. Repeat with the remaining handle.

Step 7
Turn the outer fabric bucket right side out. Along the top edge, measure 1-inch on each side of both seams and mark. You will have four marks. Hold one handle in your hands and form it into a “U” shape with the ends facing up. At one side seam, place one handle end at one mark and one end at the other mark. Pin the ends in place. Repeat at the other seam with the remaining handle.

Step 8
Insert the right-side-out outer bucket inside the the wrong-side-out lining bucket. Match the seams and pin around the top edge. The handles will be sandwiched in between. Sew all the way around the pinned edge using a 1/4-inch seam.

Step 9
Turn the bucket right side out through the opening in the bottom seam of the lining. Press the top edge. Top stitch around the top of the bucket, 1/4-inch from the edge. Hand sew the opening in the lining closed.

Heavyweight fabric for the lining will provide a stiffness to the bucket, helping it to hold its shape. If using lighter fabric for the lining, attach fusible interfacing to it in the same way as the outer fabric.

Have a happy and organized new year! 🙂

For 2013 I am embracing the phrase “You never know if you don’t ask.”…So, if you enjoyed this post and this blog, would you consider following this blog?

Thank you!

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