Fabric Box Tutorial

I thought it would be fair to make one more box and show you in pictures how to make it with me. It took me about three hours in total and that doesn't include the little hand-stitching around the border at the top (visible on the blue lining on the bottom box).

Materials needed:

1. two pieces of fabric size: 45 cm x 13 cm

2. heavy fusible interfacing

3. embroidery thread (optional)

I will show you how to create a basic box, without any appliqué designs, nor embroidery. You could choose to decorate it as you wish. Make sure you work the design on the fabric that is for the face, prior to assemble the box.

Size: L x W x H : 8 cm x 8 cm x 6.5 cm
Here is how to make the fabric boxes.

I.  Making the pattern:

Make your pattern on a squared paper: 1 square = 0.5 cm.The beauty of working with this type of paper is in the freedom that you have to make any size of pattern. 

For this fabric box, I am working with the smallest pattern on the paper, that is 16 squares wide, or 8 cm and 12 squares in height, which equals 6 cm. The sides of the triangle, forming the bottom of the box, have to be at exactly 45° angle which is formed by 8 squares from the base.

Copy the pattern on a separate piece of paper.

II. Cutting the fusible interfacing

Draw the pattern four times on a fusible interfacing. Cut out the shape,  2-3 mm away from the lines. Do not leave allowance on the top side of the interfacing.

III. Cutting the fabric:

Copy the pattern four times on the fabric, used for lining the box. Allow 7 mm around the sides of the triangles (bottom side of the box)  and both sides of the pattern. Allow 2 cm (I am allowing 22 mm, following the natural lines of the fabric) on the top line of the pattern. Cut the lining. In the same manner, draw the pattern for the face of the box, but allow only 7 mm on the top line (instead of 20 mm). 

IV. Fusing the lining:

With the iron at medium heat, without steam, fuse the interfacing to the lining, fitting it into the middle, making sure the top side is not fused. There are will be enough layers of fabric there, that will even the thickness just perfectly. Interfacing the whole pattern to the top line, will make the edge of the box too bulky and dull looking. 

V.  Evaluating the allowances:

Measure the two layers of fabric. Evaluate your allowances. Make sure that the two layers of fabric are identical, except for the top line. The facing fabric has to be half way shorter. This is only a visual evaluation. The process of making continues in the next step.

VI. Constructing the top edge of the box:

With right sides together, pin the top line, making sure that both sides seams match perfectly. As you could see on the picture above, the facing fabric stays shorter on the top of the triangles that form the bottom of the box. 

VII. Sewing the two fabrics together:

Sew the fabrics along the top line. Open the seam and press with an iron. Sew the side seem. It will form a cylindrical like shape. Open the seam and press (not shown in picture). 

VIII. Hand stitching the top edge: (optional)

I love a little accents around the top edge of the basket. I used two strings of embroidery thread and a running stitch. For this particular basket, I stitched with two different colours.

Before we close the side seam, it would be best if we do the stitching around the edge. You could do any kind of embroidery. I wanted the beautifully weaved pattern on the fabric to stand out, that is why, I did not do anything too charming, just a simple running stitch. I did not even use a contrasting embroidery thread, but the ones that matched the flower on the fabric face. 

IX. Sewing the box bottom side of the lining:

Starting from the  side seam, pin two sides of the neighbouring triangles together. Continue with the other two until one opening is left. For the last two sides, pin only at the top, where all the triangle tips meet. The rest will be left open for turning the box right side out. Sew all the seams, leaving two thirds of the last seam open. 

X.  Sewing the bottom side of the box facing:

Pin all the neighbouring sides, without leaving an opening. Stitch.

XI. Cleaning the seams:

There will be two spots that you have to check and clean the seams - the seams that meat for the bottom of the lining and for the face. Flatten the tips of the triangles, cutting them out in a straight line. This will avoid bulkiness on the bottom of the box and will make it more stable . There still be a little movement when the box is empty. It will not behave like a box with a flat bottom. But on this pattern, there are no side seams and seams around the bottom, which gives the box cleaner look . 

After cleaning the seams, turn the box right side out through the opening we have left in the lining. Press all the seams on the right side, starting with the one forming the bottom. 

XII. Finishing:

Slip stitch the seam at the opening. Press and form the box. 

Press all the edges of the cubes, despite the fact that there are no seams. This will give the box nice and sharp look. 

Please, share your experience of making these. I would love to hear from you!

♥ IN

Giveaway

In time for the Holidays, we would like you to be a part of the sharing experience. We would love to get you experience the excitement of working with these beautiful pieces of Haori yarn-dyed fabric, designed and made by Lina Yang.

Join us for this Giveaway party for a chance to win this elegant box of eight pieces (45cm x 27.5cm) yarn-dyed, 100% cotton fabric. It is really easy to participate. Just follow us on Instagram for the details and follow the steps.

I am so excited for you all!

Good luck!

Do not forget to share your ideas for these.

♥ IN

Boxes

Today is a very exciting day for me, because I would like to announce my first Giveaway that is coming with my next post in a couple of days, and how happy I am to be able to give one of you a chance to try the beautiful Haori fabric in 8 stunning colours and textures, for some amazing projects that you would have in mind. I hope you are excited as I am and keep an eye on the blog and also on my instagram space for more information.

Meanwhile, I would like to share another adventure of mine with the old-gold (as I love calling this collection) Haori fabric. It made these nice storage boxes and a drum looking pincushion. 

The little boxes that could hold small bobbins, buttons and all kind of notions come very handy for the busy and messy days when working with fabric. It is never easy to find the small appliqué needle, once you put it away to cut your next piece, and almost impossible to do so, when using more than one colour and kind of thread and small pieces of fabric. 

I found out that in this type of working, I tend to throw everything in the nearest container and when I need certain miniature tool, dig deep until I find it. The boxes that nest together are the best solution for organizing my working space - easy to store and carry notions.

To do the appliqué on the boxes, I needed the small appliqué pins. They are really very useful for this hand-sewing application, but very easy  to loose. Before I did the boxes, I made the little drum-pincushion.

I will have the "How-to" post for the boxes after the Giveaway, so you could try them too. 

The box above is bigger than the other one and has the logo backstitched on the back.

The measuring tape and the spool were almost fun to appliqué on this one. 

With these three (my drum-pincushion follows me everywhere) will be so much more fun to move around with my necessary stash in hands. 

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and the ideas of these. 

Please, stay tuned for more information on the Giveaway and for other ideas.

Thanks for visiting!

IN ♥

Bouquet of Stripes and Dots

Some of these beauties would take part in my next journey - a beautiful addition to my needle case.

More yarn dyed, dressed in stripes and dots, but I think I will reserve most of these pieces and will focus on the old gold, cream and brown.

Mon étui

It is ready, my needle-case for embroidery. It took a while, until I figure how to fit the pieces together and where would be the best place for all the elements I need. With it, I could carry all I need for my little embroidery projects. 

The fabric, I used, is the Haori fabric, I posted earlier in my blog. It is absolutely amazing to work with it.  

The method of making the needle case wasn't any complicated. I used a layer of basic print fabric from the old gold Haori collection for a background and builded the compartment for the miniature scissors, pockets for the embroidery floss, the thimble and some buttons, and the needle holder. 

There are two little belts that could hold some safety needles, a tube with extra sewing needles and extra card of buttons or another card of embroidery floss.

The needle holder is attached to the background fabric with a simple machine stitch. It is made out of two layers of fabric, sewn together in a book-like form and could accommodate needles and pins on  the front and on the back. 

I used a heavy fusible interfacing for the needle case to give it some body and stability. 

To attach the pocket for the scissors I enjoyed doing a herringbone stitch around, using two strings of blue embroidery thread for more texture.

The pockets with thimble were made, using double layers of the old gold coloured fabric, which stands out nicely on the more tinted in yellow background. I finished the edge with a strip of the main fabric. The embroidery stitches used there are two rows of simple running stitch in one string of brown embroidery thread, weaving straight stitch in blue thread. The little pockets are formed by simple running stitch, using two strings of brown and blue embroidery thread.

The little heart button, provided from Haori in the top left corner is just the back of heart button on the face of the needle case, that is a part of the closing mechanism. 

The embroidered flower on the bottom left corner is decorating the showing stitch, that holds the measuring tape decoration on the face of the needle case.

The small blue skein, attached on the left fold is just for decoration, showing two of the colours used for the embroidery. It could always come in handy when I run out of thread. It has been stitched to the fabric, so it is permanently attached.

The perfect 4 cm wide bias tape from Haori comes so handy and its corse weave is just perfect for embroidering.  I machine stitched it to the face and slip stitched it to the onside. 

Afterwords I embroidered it all around, using combination of a feather stitch and french knot for the bottom side of the inside and a running stitch with lazy daisy stitch in between for the other three sides.

For the closing "mechanism" I crocheted a string, that is weaving through a small flowered label, sewn in the bias the biased bottom. The strings travels all the way through the back of the needle case, meeting the charming heart button on the top right corner at the front, twisting around it and securely closing the needle case.

I got so inspired by the simplicity of this way of closing, so decide to crochet the scissors pull up string. 

When the closed scissors are kept in their house, the crocheted pull is very helpful.

'Mon étui' deserves a nice emblem. I wanted it to be in a fancy frame (reminds me of delicious,  formally decorated, sugar cookie cut outs) and stitched in the same fond I am using for my logo. 

I used a light batting as a lining, that makes it more textured. It stands out nicely.

I machine stitched it first, because I decided to leave the edges raw. Than I worked over the machine stitch with a backstitch in two strands of brown embroidery floss. 'Mon étui' sign was done with a backstitch.  The label was slightly quilted, following the printed lines of the fabric.

That is it - the story of mon étui. I had the best time working on it. It took the longest of all my projects, but I only got to spend time on it in my spare time, which was quite limited. 

With it, I am ready to travel. Where the life will take me next, is about to be decided. And I am the most excited about the things I am about to discover and that will inspire me for new projects. 

Until soon, my friends...

Thanks for being my guests. It has been a real pleasure! 

♥ IN

Gold Autumn

The old gold autumn this year is making me happy!!! The sun's face is so close to mine - I could read the protuberances. Every morning the sun spreads his pointy straight hair of beams, piercing through the trees' well maintained tall and big hairdos. It looks like harp's strings, stretched to maximum between the sky and the ground, only to create the most gentle music for the season, that will accompany the last dance of the leaves. I just can stand there, mesmerized by the graceful landing of the leaves in their last journey. It is so beautiful... 

The generous hand of the wind this year is old and wrinkled, tired and wise, carefully taking care of every single leaf to travel unhurt-fully safe to ground. There is some piece in the air - much more than the usual fall seasons. The lack of wind whistling and slapping, still keeps the robins around. The woodpeckers jump from tree to tree, untroubled, to do their cleaning healing job.

The long shades do not feel creepy at all this year - they are well dressed in this gold garments and attract my mind and eyes. I am feeling joy, not sadness. 

Early mornings charge the mood with their crisp and bright air. The trees are just standing there - looking still asleep, after a quiet night. The sun comes out pretty fast, briefly burning the sky with a sharp red light, and instantly pouring its bright beams over. It is time to wake up, time to start the day. My eyes hurt from all this beauty. The sun is so close, it fills my eyes with tears. I want to stop this moment to savour it more.

I love the warmth of the colours, the caresses of the sun, the playful game of the wind. I am feeling so alive and blessed to have experienced this beautiful autumn.

The quiet hours of the day is when we have time to listen to our thoughts. I usually have these moments very late at night, but not today.