How to Make a Sewing Basket or Box

A sewing basket or box is a necessity for keeping the tools for your craft hobbies organized and accessible. Although sewing boxes or baskets may not be able to hold every spool of threat or roll of ribbon in your collection, they should be large enough to hold all the basic tools you need. By storing and organizing all the essential in one basket or box, you can keep supplies for all your sewing projects portable.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Basket or box
• Cardboard
• Scissors or craft knife
• Fabric
• Pinking shears
• Straight pins
• Batting
• Hot glue gun
• Needles
• Straight pins
• Threads
• Buttons
• Beads
• Ribbon
• Elastic
• Lace
• Fabric scraps
• Small craft scissors
• Empty film canisters

Making the Basket

1. Pick out a basket or box you want to use to store sewing supplies. Baskets may have a handle or not but should be at least 6 inches across. Suitable boxes include small shoeboxes, hat boxes or storage boxes for photographs.

2. Cut a lid out of cardboard to fit the basket (if you are using one). If you are using a box, that lid will be used. Use pinking shears to cut out a piece of fabric that is slightly larger than the lid of the basket or box, with enough overhang to wrap around the lid.

3. Line the top side of the lid of the basket or box with batting, then cover with the fabric. Pin the fabric and batting down while affixing the fabric to the underside of the lid using hot glue.

4. Wrap the rest of the box in fabric without batting underneath. Wrap the box like a gift, but with the lid off the box. Hot glue the fabric in place when finished.

5. Cut out cardboard strips sized to fit inside the box or basket to serve as dividers. Create cross dividers by cutting a slot that extends halfway down two cardboard strips, then fit the pieces together at the slots. Cover the dividers with fabric if desired.

Stock the Basket

6. Stick needles and straight pins into the lid of the sewing basket or box at an angle to store them.

7. Place extra needles and straight pins point down into an empty film canister. Place safety pins in a different empty film canister.

8. Select assorted buttons and beads to store in another empty film canister.

9. Place film canisters, spools of thread, ribbon, elastic and lace, as well as fabric scraps, in the compartments of your sewing basket or box.

10. Include small craft scissors and any other tools needed for sewing projects in the basket or box.

Tips & Warnings

• Personalize your sewing container. Add decorations of ribbons, buttons or other interesting objects to adorn the lid. Decorate the film canisters by gluing a band of ribbon around them and a button onto the lid.
• Avoid potential injury to small children by keeping needles and pins inside the sewing basket or box rather than sticking them into the lid.

References

• Craft Pudding
• Craftown.com
• Thrifty Fun