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Writer's pictureCraft Cotton Co

Nautical Tidy Tub


This Nautical Tidy Tub is the perfect chic way to keep a tidy home. Fill it with toys or craft bits and bobs.


Materials required:

  • 1 pack of Nautical Rose Fat Quarters

  • 1 extra fat quarter of your choice for the large squares

  • 1/2m Plain cotton fabric for the lining

  • 1 packet of single side fusible Bosal In-R-Foam wadding available from Crafty Sew&So

  • 1 fat quarter of Denim, canvas or another heavyweight fabric for the base

  • Prym 14mm metal eyelets with washers available from www.craftysewandso.com

  • _cm rope, ribbon or other trim for handles

  • 1m bias binding

  • Coordinating thread

  • Sewing machine

Cutting guide:

5 x 4 5/8" squares (large square)

10 x 3 1/2" squares (small square)

8 x 3 1/2"wide by _ long strips in 4 coordinating fabrics (_ strips of each)

33cm x 65cm plain cotton fabric for lining

33cm x 65cm Bosal foam wadding

A circular base with a diameter of 19.5cm

All seam allowances for patchwork are ¼ inch or 7mm. Take care to stitch small

seam allowances so all the pieces fit together neatly.

We are using a patchwork design called flying geese to create an optional patchwork panel for the top of the basket. You can skip this step if you prefer a simple make and just make a panelled tub instead.

Patchwork panel:

Take a large square and place it right side up. With right sides together align

one small square with the top left hand corner of the large square. Align

another small square right sides together with the bottom right hand corner of

the large square.


Pin the small squares in place.

Using an erasable pen draw a line diagonally from one corner to the other.



Stitch 1/4 inch away from the marked line along one side then along the other.



Cut along the marked line. Fold out the 2 smaller triangles away from the larger

square and press the seam flat to one side.

Place another small square over one of the joined panels and mark diagonally

through the centre as before.


Stitch either side of the marked line as before and cut through the central line


Press the small triangle away from the large triangle to complete your flying

geese module



Place 2 modules with right sides together matching one point with one straight

edge and join with a 1/4” seam. Press flat with the seam toward one side and

add another until 9 of the modules are joined in a long strip. You will have a

spare module which you can discard or use in other project.

Making the tub:

Place your lining fabric over the fusible side of the foam wadding and iron to

adhere them together. The lining will be slightly bigger than the foam wadding

to allow for slippage and the foam spreading as you sew.

On the other side align your first strip right side up with the edge of the foam

then place your second strip right side down over the fist strip.



Stitch a ¼ inch from the edge of the 2 layered fabrics. Use a longer stitch length of around 3.5 to prevent puckering. Using a walking foot on your machine will also help with this and stop the layers of fabric slipping helping you to achieve nice even stitches through all the layers.



Press the second strip flat away from the first strip


Place a third strip over the second strip and join as before along the loose

edge


Continue until all the strips are attached to the foam. Trim the excess fabric

to the size of the foam.


If you have made the flying geese patchwork panel now is the time to attach it.

Measure down 13cm from the top of the foam panel and mark with a drawn line.

Place the patchwork panel right side down over underneath this line as shown in

the photo below. Stitch the panel in place with a ¼ inch seam allowance.


Flip the patchwork panel up and press flat. You can add quilting stitching at

this point if you wish.

Next with right sides together, join the foam panel to make a round tub – use a

scant 1cm seam for this as a ¼ inch seam is hard to achieve on thick layers.

Apply binding to cover the raw edges of the seam. Quilting clips are very handy

when working with thick layers


match up the bottom edge of the tub with the circular base. Clip in place a tack

in place then stitch using the machine. This is fiddly so tacking is very helpful for this stage. Finish the raw edges with over-casting or a zig zag stitch.


Now apply binding to the top edge of the tub – I find using a zig zag stitch to

attach the binding easier and it creates a fun decorative finish,


Insert the eyelets evenly approx. 10cm from the top of the tub following the

instructions on the pack.

And insert your handles securing with a knot on the inside

TA-DA! Your tidy tub is complete!


Made by Crafty Sew and So for the Craft Cotton Co.

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