Diy storage cube bins

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Turn boring cardboard boxes into beautiful fabric storage boxes with this easy tutorial. 

As I was designing the console for our super awesome coffee bar, storage was a must! I try really hard to declutter, I throw away stuff all the time. I even got caught throwing out my kids artwork. Yikes! Luckily I was able to talk myself out of that one.

But even though I do not feel like I am anywhere close to being a pack rat, I also feel like there is always a pile of stuff I cannot find a home for. That is why I had to make sure I made our coffee bar with lots of storage.

The two drawers were a good starting point, but then I got crazy and added 4 of these easy DIY fabric storage boxes. Now I have lots of storage space for all those little piles.

I knew I wanted to put storage boxes on our coffee bar. We need the space to store extra K-cups (we love our coffee so we buy in bulk), random tea and coffee stuff that isn’t pretty enough to be displayed.

One of the boxes hides our wireless router, and the other is perfect for me to stash anything that accumulates on the edge of the kitchen island when company is coming over (always a good idea to have an empty place ready for this exact reason)!

The problem was I couldn’t find boxes that worked with the dimensions I wanted. I know, when you build it yourself you can make it fit anything, but most boxes are 12x12x12 and that dimension just didn’t work. It was too big for the console.

I didn’t want to change the size or height of the console, so I made the only change I could. I made the space for the boxes smaller. I knew I could come up with the perfect solution, hey that’s why I DIY 🙂

I found this amazing tutorial from Craft Passion and knew I wanted to make my own DIY fabric storage boxes for our coffee console. So I started trying to find some boxes that would fit the space I made for them.

Apparently, that was too much to ask for too! I needed boxes that were 10″ wide x 10″ tall and about 13″ deep. I figured it wouldn’t be to hard to find a 10x10x12 box, but I was wrong! I couldn’t find anything but 12x12x12.

I eventually came across some boxes that were 9″ tall x 13″ wide x 13″ deep. So close to perfection. I figured I could work with that so I grabbed 5 (always good to have an extra).

How to Resize Cardboard Boxes:

You can make any cardboard box smaller before covering them in fabric. And it is easy with some glue and scissors. 

1. Cut apart the tape at the bottom of box.
2. Cut the box apart at opposite corners.
3. Cut the front/back panels of the box to the desired size, plus a couple inches for a tab.
4. Trim the sides of box also if needed.
5. Fold over the tab so the front of the box is the size needed.
6. Glue the tabs the inside of the sides with hot glue.
7. Re-tape the bottom of the box closed.

For the side panels I cut them to size plus 2 inches. Then I folded the sides at the 2 inch mark. Using hot glue, I glued the 2 inch tabs to the back side of the front panels. Then I glued the bottom panels together and was ready to go! I ended up with a box that was 9 3/4″ x 9″ x 13″. Perfect.

Sadly I got the boxes resized then left them uncovered for way too long! I do that way too often. I filled the uncovered boxes and put them to use, but if I’d have known how easy they were to finish, I would have done it earlier (I think).

How to Make DIY Fabric Storage Boxes

Supplies:

Start by cutting out the fabric. For each box:

• cut one piece that is the length of the front, bottom, and back combined plus 2-3″ by the width of the box front plus 1″;
• cut two pieces that are the height of your box plus 2-3″ and the depth of your box plus 2-3″

For each box I cut 1 piece at 10 3/4″ x 34″ for the front/bottom/back and 2 pieces at 15″ x 11 1/2″ for the sides.

Fold over 1/2″ on each side of the front/bottom/back piece and press (this is where the seam gauge comes in really handy).

Stitched a line 1/4 inch from the edge with a contrasting color for some added detail. I used a stitch on my machine that does a duplicate stitch (forward three, back one, forward three, back one, etc.) so it looks like a thick line of stitching.

If you don’t have this stitch on your sewing machine you can always use a thicker thread to get a similar look.

Now it’s time to glue. Add spray glue to the side pieces of the fabric. Be careful not to get it on the front of the fabric because it is permanent. 

Wrap the extra around the sides of the box and make sure they are glued down (use the fabric glue if you need extra glue, don’t try to spray it again or you will get it all over). The corners on the bottom of the box will need to be cut to lay flat.

Spray glue the front/bottom/back piece and center it on the box. Smooth it over the whole thing and wrap the edge inside the box. 

Originally I did not use extra glue on the edges of the boxes like the original tutorial called for. But my sweet children quickly made it necessary to use a stronger glue on the edges. I wouldn’t recommend skipping this step unless you don’t have kids 🙂

Next, secure the handles. I didn’t take pictures since Joanne’s tutorial is so great. Make sure to check it out to see how to attach the handles. They look so great and I just love the decorative brads!

To really make the boxes look fabulous and not homemade, don’t skip the step where you cover the unfinished inside edge with a fun ribbon. I couldn’t believe the difference it made.

The uneven, unfinished edge was instantly hidden and made to look even. I used a 3/8 inch wide ribbon so it was super forgiving. And it makes me smile every time I open a box.

I was able to knock out all 4 boxes in about 4 hours, including the extra sewing! You can whip them up faster than you can binge watch a season of your favorite show on Netflix! And then you can quickly stash all of your unsightly piles and fake a perfectly clean house 🙂

If you like this project, don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter where I will continue to share my love of DIY and all the projects in our home.

And the colors I chose work with our dining room bench perfectly! The dining room remodel is looking so good (only a couple more things on my to do list).

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DIY Bins Boxes Baskets under five dollars that look impressive

DIY bins boxes baskets under five dollars

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Now that we’ve moved into our super cute new little farmhouse – I am doing tons of research into creative DIY fabric storage ideas! While this house is just about the cutest thing ever, I don’t have as much closet space, especially for crafting materials. So of course I had to research creative storage ideas – I want cute little bags and boxes that would be fun items to set out, as well as being useful!

Since it seems like you can never have enough storage ideas, I thought I’d share some of the sweet projects I’ve found! So today I have for you 12 Creative DIY Fabric Storage Bins. I can’t wait to sew some of these up!

Here are links to all the tutorials!

Fabric Storage Boxes

DIY Reversible Fabric Storage Bins

DIY Fabric Boxes

Round Bottom Storage Bucket

Patchwork Bucket

Spring Form Bucket

Fabric Basket with Cut Out Handles

Fabric Bin Tutorial

Fabric Storage Basket with Handles

Fabric Trays

DIY Collapsible Storage Bins

Nested Fabric Buckets

Aren’t they great?! Which DIY fabric storage bins do you want to make up first?

Are the kids toys and other belongings taking over every space in your home? These handy DIY storage cubes made with canvas fabric are a great way to hide all the clutter.

DIY Storage Cubes with Free Pattern

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Canvas Etc. All opinions are our own. You can read our full disclosure here.

As you can spot in this post about my craft room/studio we have one of those huge IKEA cube storage units in my basement. For the longest time this unit was used in an effort to organize all the kid’s toys and belongings.

With four little ones at home it didn’t take long to fill them up. When we first bought the unit I also picked up four of the IKEA canvas storage cubes to go along with them. I find them to be so helpful because they’re a generous size to throw all the toys into and then slide them into the cube and clean up the clutter.

We don’t however have an IKEA close to us anymore and I wanted to add a few more canvas storage cubes for the unit. Instead we’ve DIY’ed them using 100% cotton canvas from Canvas Etc.

If this is your first time here you may also enjoy some of the other projects we’ve made with this versatile canvas. From a hanging toy organizer, hand-painted rug, storage ottoman, utility apron (which I’m wearing in the picture above) and more, canvas fabric is so useful for all sorts of DIY projects.

Materials Needed:

How to make Fabric Storage Cubes:

Cutting Fabric

Print off the fabric storage cube pattern on 8.5×11 sheets of paper. Tape all the edges of the papers together to form a complete pattern.

Lay fabric out on a flat and smooth surface (preferably not a carpet). Place the paper pattern on top of the fabric, aligning the grain lines and cut along the solid lines. Remember to clip all the notches as well.

Sewing

Fold the handle pieces in half lengthwise and press with an iron. Next, fold and press in the long outer edges by ½” as shown leaving the short ends unpressed.

At the sewing machine, stitch the edges of the handles together.

Position the ends of the fabric storage cube handle with the side piece aligning the notches. Baste stitch the handles in place.

With right sides together, sew the upper side piece with the lower side pieces aligning notches and sandwiching the handle in between.

True one side of the seam allowance to reduce the thickness, then fold the seam allowance up and topstitch along the seam.

Zig zag or serge all of the remaining cut edges to prevent them from fraying.

With right sides together, position the bottom of the side pieces with the center of the long rectangular piece as shown.

Sew the pieces together with a ½” seam allowance, starting ½” from the edge and ending ½” from the edge.

Form a corner by sewing the adjacent sides together and sewing with a ½” seam allowance. Repeat for remaining 3 corners until a cube is formed.

Fold over the top edge of the cube by 1” and press. Then fold over again and topstitch in place.

Did you know that CanvasEtc. offers their fabric remnants for free! Just pay a nominal shipping fee for a 5lb box of remnants for your DIY and crafting projects!

Turn the fabric storage cubes right side out and fill them with loose items, blankets or in our case, kid’s toys!

And if you have a not-so-good-looking cubby, check out these tips for how to repaint a cubby storage unit the easy way.

Like it? Pin it for later!

DIY Storage Cubes with Free Pattern

Jane and Sonja

Create a set of DIY storage cubes for adding organization to your space with this simple tutorial and free printable pattern.

Print Instructions Pin Craft

• 1.5yards100% cotton canvas, heavyweightany color
• printable storage cube pattern
• fabric scissors
• sewing machinewith matching thread
• iron and ironing board

Cutting Fabric

• Lay fabric out on a flat and smooth surface and place the paper pattern on top of the fabric, aligning the grain lines and cut along the solid lines.

Sewing

• Fold the handle pieces in half lengthwise and press with an iron. Next, fold and press in the long outer edges by ½” as shown leaving the short ends unpressed. Stitch then edges together.

• Position the ends of the handle with the side piece aligning the notches. Baste stitch the handles in place and then sew the upper side piece with the lower side pieces aligning notches and sandwiching the handle in between.

• With right sides together, position the bottom of the side pieces with the center of the long rectangular piece. Sew the pieces together with a ½” seam allowance.

• Form a corner by sewing the adjacent sides together and sewing with a ½" seam allowance. Repeat for remaining 3 corners until a cube is formed.

• Fold over the top edge of the cube by 1” and press. Then fold over again and topstitch in place.

& mention @SustainMyCraftHabit or tag #sustainmycrafthabit on Instagram!

Well, my boys’ room makeover is rolling right along!   As I shared last week, I’ve taken on the challenge of transforming my older son’s bedroom into a shared room for both of my boys as part of the One Room Challenge.  The challenge part?  I only have six weeks to finish the whole room makeover! 

This week has been all about building DIY closet shelves to create as much storage space as possible in their one small closet.  The whole closet system isn’t finished yet, but I do have one fun project to share today: custom DIY fabric storage cubes.

A major part of the closet plan is a section of built-in cubbies to hold clothes and shoes and those cubbies were in need of some stylish storage bins.  After doing a bit of online shopping, I realized that there were plenty of inexpensive fabric storage bins out there.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any that would work in the boys’ room.  Everything was either too small, too expensive, or too ugly.  I’m putting a lot of work into this closet and I want it to look good by golly!  So I did what I always do when I can’t find what I want – I decided to make it myself!

And I am so glad I did, because these turned out gorgeous!  They are absolutely perfect and I can’t wait to see them in the closet. Plus they were inexpensive and you can make absolutely any size fabric cube using any fabric you want!

This post contains affiliate links; see my full disclosure here.

Supplies for DIY fabric cubes

How to make DIY fabric cubes

Ok, so the easiest thing to do would be to simply cover some cardboard boxes with your fabric (much like I did here), but that doesn’t always work as well when you need a specific size box.  I couldn’t find any boxes the right size, so I started from scratch. 

You need to cut five pieces of foam board for each box.  My boxes are exactly 13” x 13”.  In order for your cubes to perfectly square, you need to take into account the overlap of the foam board at the corners.  To make a 13” x 13” box you need two 13” x 13” squares (for the front and back), two 12.5” x 13” squares (for the sides), and one 12.5” x 12.5” square (for the bottom).

You can easily cut the foam board using a craft knife and cutting mat.  If you have a square ruler, it makes it much easier to keep all of the edges nice and straight.

I also chose to cut out a hand hold to make it easier to use.  I simply cut a pattern from card stock and then traced it onto the front piece, centered, one inch from the top. 

Then I carefully cut it out with the craft knife. This way, I can trace the same shape quickly onto each box I make.

Once all of the pieces are cut, simply use duct tape to attach each of the pieces at the seams.  The front and back pieces will slightly overlap the side pieces. 

You could possibly use a hot glue gun for this instead of duct tape, but I prefer to avoid hot glue whenever possible.  (I’m not the only one who manages to always burn myself and ends up with a million glue strings everywhere am I?) 

I also used some duct tape to reinforce the handhold.  Just make sure to keep your duct tape as smooth as possible – big wrinkles can show through the fabric.

Ok so it may not look like much yet, but adding beautiful fabric is like magic.

I chose this fun shibori print which I got for a steal at Joann Fabrics with a 40% off coupon.  I was able to make two large cubes using just a yard and a half of fabric.  I cut my fabric in half lengthwise so I had two strips of fabric that were 22” x 54”. 

Then I wrapped each piece of fabric around one of my DIY boxes.  I used spray adhesive to attach the fabric and it worked perfectly.  The last step was to use my craft knife to carefully cut several flaps in the hole for the handhold and then wrap the fabric flaps around the hole.

How gorgeous is that!  You would absolutely never guess that this high-end storage cube was actually made out of foam board and duct tape.

 These boxes are very sturdy – sturdy enough I feel comfortable letting my kids use them and that’s saying something.  And I love that you can make them the exact size you need with your absolute favorite fabric for a custom look.

How to make fabric storage cubes

Make inexpensive fabric storage cubes using any size fabric cube with absolutely any fabric you want!

Materials

• Foam board 
• Fabric of your choice
• Duct tape
• Spray Adhesive

Tools

• Square ruler 
• Craft Knife and cutting mat

Instructions

1. Cut five pieces of foam board for each box using a craft knife and cutting mat: two 13” x 13” for the front and back, two 12.5” x 13” for the sides, and one 12.5” x 12.5” for the bottom.
2. Cut out a hand hold pattern on card stock.
3. Trace it on the front piece, centered, one inch from the top.
4. Cut it out with a craft knife.  
5. Use duct tape to attach each of the pieces at the seams. 
6. Add duct tape to reinforce the handhold, keeping it as smooth as possible.
7. Cut your fabric in half lengthwise, so you have two strips of fabric 22” x 54”. 
8. Wrap each piece of fabric around one of the DIY boxes and adhere with spray adhesive.
9. Use the craft knife to cut several flaps in the hole for the handhold and wrap the fabric flaps around the hole.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  DAFA Professional 36" x 24" Self-Healing, Double-Sided Cutting Mat, Rotary Blade Compatible, (36x24), (24x18), (18x12), (12x9) Sizes, for Sewing, Quilting, Arts & Crafts
• 
  X-Acto #1 Precision Knife | Z-Series, Craft Knife, with Safety Cap, #11 Fine Point Blade, Easy-Change Blade System
• 
  3M Multi-Use Duct Tape, 2930-C, 1.88 Inches by 30 Yards
• 
  Gorilla Heavy Duty Spray Adhesive, Multipurpose and Repositionable, 11 ounce, Clear
• 
  Indian Batik Wind Cave Tie-Dye Stripe Navy/White

Did you make this project?

I'd love for you to leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest!

And here are all of the other posts about this makeover in case you missed something!

SHARED BOYS’ ROOM MAKEOVER

The Big Room Reveal! Boys’ Shared Modern Farmhouse Bedroom

Boys Room Makeover plans

How to Make Fabric Storage Bins (you are here)

Boys Room Progress

Inexpensive DIY Closet Shelves

Painting Furniture White: Secrets to the Perfect Finish

How to Make a Bed Skirt from a Flat Sheet

How to Make Gorgeous Farmhouse Window Awnings

To boost storage you can make DIY fabric storage bins and organizers. They will not only be practical but will look lovely thanks to their rich patterns and colors. Think about how cool these should be! You can create many types of storage bins by sewing fabrics and use them to store clothes, toys, towels and basically pretty much anything else.

In order to make fabric bins, you may need the following tools and materials:

• Fabric
• Fiberfill
• Cardboard Box or Plastic Canvas
• Needle & Thread
• Rope (for the handles) [optional]
• Plastic Grommets [optional]
• Craft Bond [optional]
• Fabric Measuring Tape
• Scissors
• Ruler

The pro of DIY fabric storage bins is that you can give each one a different design including shape, pattern and size, or you can use different types of fabric for each piece to create a diverse set. All you have to do is to follow your design, cut the fabric, then combine the pieces together.

Each of the following projects all has detailed tutorial link. Visit them and check out the list of supplies needed and then start following the instructions.

15. Hanging Storage Baskets for Storing Kid’s Toys | Tutorial: u-createcrafts.com

14. Fabric Storage Basket with Handles | Tutorial: makeit-loveit.com

13. Bedside Book Storage Organizer | Tutorial: sewcanshe.com

12. DIY BELT STRAP BIN | Tutorial: thehandmadehome.net

11. Fabric Organizer for Ironing Board | Tutorial: flamingotoes.com

10. Round Fabric Bin | Tutorial: thisbigoaktree.com

9. Owl Remote Control or Sewing Tool Storage Caddies | Tutorial: themoderntomato.com

Image Source: amazinginteriordesign.com

8. Fabric Storage Boxes | Tutorial: makeit-loveit.com

7. Fabric Pocket Organizers for the Kitchen Cupboard | Tutorial: littleadelaidekate.blogspot.com & roulersavie.com

6. Reversible Fabric Storage Bin | Tutorial: haberdasheryfun.com

5. Fabric Diaper Bag | Tutorial: gluesticksblog.com

4. Round Bottom Fabric Storage Bins | Tutorial: filminthefridge.com

3. A Fabric Covered Milk Crate Bin | Tutorial: mypatchwork.wordpress.com

2. Fabric Bins with Handle Openings | Tutorial: makeit-loveit.com

1. Contrasting Color Mixed Fabric Bins | Tutorial: iheartorganizing.com