Easy Fabric Tray – Sewing Project
Designed by Debbie von Grabler-Crozier
Are you looking for some quick DIY organizational projects? Here’s one! Perfect for an expert or beginner sewist to make fabric trays of all sizes!
Gather these supplies
Tools
- Water Erasable Marker (Art No. 515/516)
- Eraser Pen (Art No. 518)
- Wonder Clips (Assortment) (Art No. 3185)
- Hold It Precision Stiletto (Art No. 7807)
- Protect and Grip Thimble (Art No. 6025-6027)
- Mini Patchwork Scissors (Art No. 493/CW)
- Ruler (12″)
Materials
Fabric:
- Fat Quarter pretty outer fabric
- Fat Quarter pretty lining fabric
Tip: You actually see more of the actual lining than the outer so pick your prettiest print to go inside.
Interfacing: Fat Quarter H630 fusible wadding (Vlieseline)
Everything Else
- Perle coton #8 to compliment or contrast with your fabric
Note: Seam allowances are all 1/4” unless otherwise stated.
Please read all instructions through and assemble the equipment before beginning.
Here’s How:
Cutting
Cut a 11″ (28cm) square from both fabrics and one from the interfacing.
Preparation
Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric that will be the most visible (the lining in this case)
Making
With the right sides together, sew the interfaced fabric to the outer fabric leaving a turning gap.
Clip across the corners and turn out through the gap.
Press.
Tip: Do make sure that you get the corners of the tray as perfect as possible when you turn them out. Nothing looks worse than sloppy!
My favorite tool for this is the Hold It Precision Stiletto.
Topstitch narrowly around the edge with coordinating thread.This will also close the gap.
Measure in 1 1/4″ (3cm) and mark a square (or a rectangle on the smaller tray) with the water erasable marker and graph ruler.
Tip: this is where the tray will be folded to make its shape. It is neater and more precise with the line there to follow. Take the time to draw the line with water erasable marker and remove it with the eraser pen when you have finished.
Topstitch around the square that you have drawn being very careful to keep all layers nice and even.
Remove the Water Erasable Marker lines.
Finish the tray by pinching the corners so that a crease appears on the inner topstitch line and clip the corners with Wonder Clips.
Sew the corner on the top only with perle coton forming an ‘ear’. Repeat for the other corners.
Tip: My choice of light red perle coton in a project where there is so much pink may seem a bit odd at first but it works really well because this same light red appears in the flowers of my fabric. This is a design trick: pick a color which occurs only a bit in the fabric and echo it in the details.
Variation:
You can make these versatile trays in other shapes too. Here are the instructions for a rectangular one. The smaller tray is made exactly the same way as the larger square.
Begin by cutting the pieces 8 1/4″ wide x 10 3/4″ long (21cm wide x 27.5 long) and measure in 1 1/4″ (3cm) to mark the topstitching rectangle.
Tip: You can actually get both of these trays from 2 fat eighths. The reason that I have suggested Fat Quarters in the original instructions is that sometimes the F8ths are not cut accurately and sometimes they include the selvedge which means that you have potentially less fabric with which to work.
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