Storage Cube TUTORIAL part one -- Assembly!

I tried to squeeze all my photos and instructions into one post, but since I like to be extremely thorough with my photos and instructions, I think it will be easier to handle if it's split in two!

So, here we go!

Finished storage cube = approx. 6 1/2" inside measurement
Use 1/4" seam allowances throughout

NOTE: I tried to come up with a version that didn't involve binding, since I know that is scary to some people, BUT -- trust me when I say it's actually EASIER to do it with a binding! My non-binding attempt was very tricky to put together, and was a HUGE pain to finish. Don't give up on me, though -- read all the instructions. I really think you can do it!


Here's what you need to cut:

from main fabric:
2 - 7 1/4" squares
1 - 7 1/4" x 20 3/4" rectangle
(NOTE: If your fabric has a definite "right side up" pattern like mine, instead of the rectangle you will cut two more 7 1/4" squares plus another 7 1/4" square that will be the bottom. I used my lining fabric for the bottom of my cube, since it's not going to be seen much anyway! You will then piece these three squares together with 1/4" seam allowances to create a rectangle, with the "top" edges on the ends.)

from lining fabric:
2 - 7 1/4" squares
1 - 7 1/4" x 20 3/4" rectangle
2 - 3" x 7" squares for handles
2 - 2" x 44" strips for binding

stiff inserts:
(I used plastic canvas for my inserts, but you could certainly use cardboard, super stiff interfacing, or whatever else you think might work!)
2 - 6 5/8" squares
4 - 6 5/8" x 3 1/4"

STEP ONE: Create your handles! Lay a rectangle wrong side up on your ironing board. Turn the two short ends in 3/4" and press. Fold with long edges together, press. Open and press two long edges in to touch center fold, press. Fold center line again, press. You will then topstitch the two long sides.

STEP TWO: Prepare your binding. Fold your fabric strip wrong sides together as shown and press.

Here's what you should have!

STEP TWO: On your main fabric rectangle, mark where your handles will go. I placed the top edge of my handles 2" down from the raw edge, and the sides 1 5/8" from the sides of the rectangle.

STEP THREE: Attach your handles! Start with one end and sew a square with an X in the middle. Repeat on the other end.
(If you wanted to add a clear pocket for a label, you would do it at this point as well. I would recycle a small square of that clear plastic packaging from a sheet set or comforter!. Just sew a little pocket to slip a square of paper or cardstock into!)

STEP FOUR: You now need to create the "pockets" for your stiff inserts. Layer your rectangles wrong sides together. If yours looks like mine, you will be sewing a line directly between your squares. If not, you will mark 7" from either end with a disappearing ink marker and sew on your line. (I pinned mine to prevent shifting.) This line of sewing will prevent your stiff inserts from sliding down into the bottom of your cube.

STEP FIVE: Mark a line down the center of your two squares. Layer each square with a lining square, wrong sides together, and sew along your line. (I pinned again to help prevent shifting.)

STEP SIX: Look at your layered rectangles: There are four spots you need to clip just barely under 1/4", as shown -- at the ends of each line of stitching you sewed in Step Four.

All your prep work is now done -- You're ready to assemble your cube!

STEP SEVEN: Layer one of your squares lining sides together on top of one end of your rectangle. Pin.

Remember to backstitch! Sew, using 1/4" seam allowances, stopping 1/4" before the end of your square. Backstitch. (Yes, I sew right over my pins!)

STEP EIGHT: Rotate your square so that the bottom edge lines up with the edge of your rectangle.

Here is a view of the back, showing why you clipped that seam allowance in Step Six. It's a little bit hard to see, but you have a 1/4" square missing there on the corner.

Be sure to pull the excess fabric out of the way, as shown, so it doesn't end up sewn into your seam. Pin and sew, stopping 1/4" before the end of your square again. Repeat Step Eight for the third side of your square.

You will then repeat Steps Seven and Eight with your other square until you have a floppy little cube! Hooray, you're almost done!

(Find Part Two of this tutorial HERE!)

Storage Cube TUTORIAL, part two -- Binding!

(find Part One of this tutorial HERE!)

The method for binding the raw edges of your storage cube is basically the same as binding a quilt. I've actually tried a couple ways of binding these cubes, and this one seems to work the best.


STEP ONE: Start with a SQUARE side up. Lay your binding along the edge of the square with the raw edges lined up. (I moved mine over so you could see how I layered it.)

STEP TWO: Sew with 1/4" seam allowance, stopping 1/4" before the end of your cube. Backstitch. (Make sure all the excess fabric is out of the way so you don't end up sewing the bottom of your cube into the seam allowance!)

STEP THREE: Rotate your cube one turn counter-clockwise. Pull the excess fabric up and out of the way. Fold your binding upwards so the raw edges of the binding create a straight line with the raw edges of your cube, as shown.

STEP FOUR: You will now fold your binding down, once again lining up the raw edges with your square. (You can't see it yet, but this is creating a fancy-schmancy mitered corner!)

STEP FIVE: Backstitch until you are 1/4" from the edge, then sew forward again 1/4" shy of the next corner. Repeat Steps Three and Four for this corner, then sew all the way to the final edge.

Your cube should look like this!
Now, repeat Steps One through Five on the other side!

STEP SIX: Lay your cube so the binding is behind the raw edge of your cube, as shown. Fold the binding over the raw edge, encasing the raw edges inside. You will now finish attaching your binding!

STEP SEVEN: Sew along the folded edge of your binding. Try to match the seam allowance inside, if possible. When you get to the corner, stop (once AGAIN!) 1/4" from the end.

STEP EIGHT: Fold the bottom edge up, creating a pretty little mitered corner, as shown. I use a pin as a stiletto to guide that little fold into the machine. Once your needle pricks down into the edge of the corner, stop with the needle down and turn your cube. Then continue sewing to the next corner, mitering it the same way.

Repeat Steps Six through Eight for the other side!

STEP NINE: The exciting part! Grab your stack o' inserts and start stuffing them into the "pockets!" If you find that it's too tight a squeeze to get them in there, just trim them down a little.

Your cube is taking shape!! All that's left is binding that top edge!

STEP TEN: The top edge binding is a little bit tricky because your cube is now stiff, making it a little more fiddly to get through your machine. You are actually going to carefully pin the binding to the OUTSIDE edge of your cube, lining up all those raw edges, because you will be sewing it from the inside. On one of your foldy sides, leave your binding dangling in the middle, as shown. Leave a little excess hanging there! :o)

STEP ELEVEN: Starting close to the corner of your "dangly ends" side, SEW! using a 1/4" seam allowance. Look how I had to put my cube around my sewing machine! Ha ha!

STEP TWELVE: Gently pull your cube out flat in front of your machine. Stop near the corner once you get back to your "dangly side."

STEP THIRTEEN: Overlap your two edges and trim so there is 1/2" overlap.

STEP FOURTEEN: You will then pull the two ends away from the cube (it's handy that it folds here!) and face the ends right sides together. Sew them together with 1/4" seam allowance.

Press the seam allowance open with your fingernail, then re-fold your binding. You will then finish attaching the binding at your machine.

The final step is to pull the folded edge of your binding around the raw edges (like you did in Step Six), and finish attaching your binding.


DONE!! Just a bit tricky here and there, but definitely doable -- and trust me, it gets easier as you go along! :o)

I love how they fold up --

-- so nice and flat! I've made about half a dozen of these already, and it gets easier and easier every time. They are addicting to make, and so cute!

You could adapt these instructions to make cubes of other sizes as well. I made this size first because it worked out economically with my plastic canvas, and because it is a perfect fit for eight I-Spy Blocks -- which is what I made my original storage cube for in the first place! :o)

Tent Week, Day Five -- PVC Frame and Mini Tents!

Today I want to give instructions and measurements for making a rooftop frame for a standard 34" square card table. Can't you picture the most ADORABLE little cottage with this roofline? When I make mine, I will include a round window that opens into the "attic" for toys to hide and "play" in!

You will need:

two 10 ft lengths of PVC pipe

fittings:
4 x 90 elbow
2 x side outlet 90s (mine had one threaded outlet)
2 x adapter from threads to pvc pipe

(This is what my side outlet 90s and adapters look like.)

Cut the following pieces:

4 x 21"
2 x 31"
1 x 29" -- ?
I would cut the final pipe's length a little longer at first. Not all side outlet 90s are the same, so there is potential for this measurement being wrong for your particular fittings.

Now all that's left is fitting your pipes together! The two 31" lengths lay on the table, the four 21" lengths create the gables, and the final length is the roofline. Ta-Da! You're ready to strap the frame to your table and create your tent/house!


Now I have to share a few mini tents -- because at MY house, having ANYTHING in miniature is The Coolest Thing EVER!


Susan made these mini teepees from the top pieces leftover from her teepee tent tutorial.


They are the perfect size for her daughters' princesses -- and her girls are just THRILLED with them!


This is the G.I. Joe tent my brothers used to play with. We had three little dome tents, and this was the smallest. There was a slightly larger tan one for He-Man, and an even bigger red one for my sisters' and my Barbies. These are replacement poles -- swamp cooler tubing. It's not quite stiff enough to do the job. Ideas, anyone? I was thinking maybe glow stick necklaces, but the length is a problem... you can't cut glow sticks down! The original poles were some kind of sturdy plastic that came from a home goods store, but after research we can't figure out what on earth it is!


And finally, this little guy I found at a thrift store. It's about 8" tall, and so stinking cute! I am wondering if a very heavy weedwhacker wire would be stiff enough to duplicate poles for a really small tent like this?


I really hope you've enjoyed Tent Week! It has been tons of fun, and tons of work...

...and I am definitely ready to sew something else now! :o)

Tent Week, Day Four -- Twin-sheet Teepee Tent!

Allow me to introduce my sister-in-law Susan. She has been my partner in crime for dozens of sewing projects, and is quite the sewing genius! Today she is sharing her FABULOUS tutorial for How to Make a Teepee. Here's Susan:

~~~~~~

You can't beat this tent for a great project. It looks great, fits more than one kid at a time, is easy enough for beginning sewers, it doesn't take all day to sew, requires no hemming (and has no raw edges!), it folds for storage, it is washable, and it only costs about $10 (maybe less!).

Oh Yeah, it's a good one.

Printable PDF instructions can be found here:
Page 1
Page 2

Follow along if you want the play by play tent making action!

To make one of these terrific Twin-sheet Tee pee Tents, all you need is:

~1- Twin sized flat sheet (must be the same on the front and the back as the wrong side faces out on the door flap)

~5- 6' pieces of 3/4" PVC, Dowels or Bamboo

~1- 25" piece of Rope, Twine, or a Shoelace

~Fabric, ribbon, etc for additional details (such as the door trim or flags on mine)

Definitely a great green project if you recycle an old sheet and use bamboo. Fabulous.

Start by laying out your Twin sheet. (Walmart's are my favorite and cost $4. They are wide and a little stiffer. Use cotton or cotton blends-microfiber sheets are not so friendly. This pink one was thrifted for $2.) Cut out according to the measurements found in the PDF instructions. They are long lines, so have a good marking tool (I love Dritz chalk rollers-the ones that look like lipstick tubes) and something long and straight handy (I had a skinny 6' Ikea box on hand. My husband mocked me for not using the PVC poles as my straightedge. They looked bendy to me. Whatever works for you.)

I added my door trim here-I cut it 3' long and about 5" wide and wrapped it around the back a little bit. You don't have to add anything to the door, but I like how it looks.

Overlap your two smaller triangle pieces (the smaller will be facing wrong-side up), matching the top points and keeping it even down the center seam (mine overlapped 5"). Either piece can be on the top. Your preference. I did the smaller piece on top here. The PDF instructions show the larger piece on top. Pin it together and mark a line 3' up from the bottom (this will be the top of the door). My trim kindly marked the 3' line for me. Cut off the top overlap using the bottom layer as your guide.

Baste the layers together along the out edge, then secure the two layers together by stitching down the middle, then across once you reach your 3' mark. (I zig-zag stitched this and added some reinforcing stitches on the edges as this gets pulled on a lot).

On all 5 triangle pieces (including your door piece that we have been working on), measure down 9" from the point on each side and cut off the top.

Along the top of your pieces, finish the edge by folding under 1/4" and then again 1/4" and stitching it down. (No, my pieces are not perfect. I can not be your role model) You are now finished with the only hemming/edge finishing you have to do on the entire project!!! Aren't you excited!!!!

With right sides together, connect all 5 of your triangle side pieces by sewing a 1/4" seam down each side. Since this is on the diagonal, it is a little stretchy and you can use this stretch to tweak the seams to match up nicely as you reach the end (the top of the tent). Iron this seam open. Yes, they are looooong seams. This is the only reason this tent takes any time at all to sew!

Turn your tent right side out. (pause to admire how well you are doing) Now you are going to make the pocket for your poles. With wrong sides now together (and your previous seam sandwiched inside), stitch all the way down the sides again, this time 1 1/2" away from the edge (this is for the 3/4 PVC I used. If you are using something different, you will need to measure to see how wide your pocket needs to be). You can mark this, or cheat and put a nice piece of painters tape on your sewing machine to use as your guide as I did. You will also need to stitch across the bottom of the pocket to keep your poles from popping out-I did it here at the beginning before I started up the side. Keep your large pieces as flat as possible on your table and pin a lot so the fabric doesn't start to bunch up. This is the hardest part.

When you are done the top of your tent will look something like this. Guess what? You are done sewing! Yeah!

Your poles should be about 6' long. My local Lowe's only sells 5' or 10' lengths (they came in two different thicknesses-I chose the thicker for about $.10 more) I used our pipe cutter to cut it down to size. Lowe's will cut it for you, or you can use just about any saw. You will also make a mark 12" down and drill a hole through the middle of each pipe that is wide enough to accommodate whatever rope you are using.

Insert your poles into the tent. Do not tie the poles together first. You will regret it. After the poles are in, tie them together, leaving some slack. If they tied together too tight your tent will not spread out all the way. I tied a nice little bow until I knew it was working well (This is rope I picked up at the dollar store for another project. It works great). You can finish off your PVC by buying a cap to put on top (about $.25 each), painting the poles, sewing sleeves, or you could sew flags like I did (it's my favorite part and takes about a yard of material).

And Voila!!! You are done! Wasn't that easy!

It's great for one kid to have a special place.

And there is room for a party!

And of course it is easy to fold up and store.

In fact, this project was so easy, you should make another! They are fabulous gifts and just think of how you will look when you come in carrying a giant present that will be the hit of the party. Yeah, you are just that cool.

Add your own ideas to the mix with great fabrics, pockets (its hard to see but the green tent has two pockets in the back), windows, mail slots, giant logos (my husband wants an obnoxiously BYU tent for our house), or whatever else your child needs or wants. I would love to see pictures of what you create! I hope you enjoy!