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.