I love to make little buckets, cubes and trays to store things in. When I saw Jennifer’s latest fabric focus project on Sew, Mama, Sew‘s site, I thought it looked like a fun, quick project to try.
I haven’t used any of the garden party fabrics in my stash for awhile, so I figured they would be good samples to try this pattern.
It was fun to fussy cut the large flower print for the center of each tray.
These trays work great to store loose little things, like bobbins, buttons, hairclips, paperclips, snippets, yarn, coins, or other small objects you collect.
Now comes the part where I reveal to you my obsession for lip balms! (I really hate wearing lipstick.) I have them scattered all over the house, two in my sewing room, two in the bathroom, one in the kitchen, one in my car, one in my purse. And I like a variety of flavors, from chocolate to cherry to pina colada.
Getting back to the pattern, it’s super easy to follow. It’s comes out to be a 4-inch box, but you could customize the size for your needs. You could make one of these gems in less than an hour. I think it took me longer to pick out which fabrics to use than it did to actually make one. I encourage you to look for some fun little objects in your house that you collect and find some accompanying fabric to build a tray to store them in. It’s very satisfying!
Terri's Notebook 
I have the same obsession Terri – for pots and baskets, not for lip-balms lol (they make my lips feel sticky!) I’ve got a couple on my to-do list for the coming year – there’s a really sweet one in the doodle stitchery book which I have marked as a must do!
Yours are gorgeous – fabulous fabrics and love the fussy cut flower – how ever am I going to fit all of these projects in? There is so much I wanna do!
They are beautiful I love the fabric you chose. I may have to try that tutorial out this weekend it would make great gifts for people. 🙂
I just saw these somewhere else…I can’t believe you’ve already made some!! So cute! I can’t wait to make some for myself! 🙂
~Teresa
Thanks for sharing! I am looking for trays like these for my new shelves! BTW, you and my daugther would get along great; she has a similar addiction to flavored lip balm.
Jennifer 🙂
These are great Terri! Love the flowers in the center of the tray…good eye 🙂 The fabric you chose is perfectly bright and funky, well suited to this project!
Happy New year Terri! Love your fabric selection and the baskets you made… thank you for sharing. I have been wanting to make some of these (hmmmm Christmas gifts for 2011?)
I do struggle when I shop for interfacing (ok one area I need to improve in…Ha!). I look through the racks of different interfacing at my local Joann’s, and I have a tough time desifering from the many different bolt labels etc. I ask for help and most time I get the “lost look eyes” from the young gals that work there!
Any suggestions to help this “want to face my fears in shopping for interfacing” quilting gal from Central Oregon!
Thanks Pattiann! Just wanted to reply to let you know and anyone else who is curious that I always use Pellon 809 Decor Bond firm iron-on backing for my interfacing. I keep a piece of the label and instructions tucked into my purse so that whenever I go to the fabric store, I know exactly what I need. I have tried other weights of interfacing and found this one to work best in the types of projects I make. I just walk up to the cutting counter, hand the label to the clerk, and request as many yards as I can afford that day. The trick to making this interfacing work is pressing the iron in one place for about 20 seconds, yes, literally count to 20. It’s hard not to move the iron around, but the adhesive won’t fuse unless you patiently hold the iron still. If I need an interfacing that is thicker or stronger, I put this 809 Decor Bond on both the outside and lining fabrics, or I use batting and interfacing if the outside is going to be quilted.
Hope that helps! ~Terri
I am thinking right now what to use these for—your racking my brain, but I am loving you for it girl!
The prints you used are simply gorgeous!!!
Super cute! And I, too, have an unhealthy obsession with lip gloss 🙂
i love the little boxes! they are cute with the fussy cut flower in the center. love that detail!
little miss A and I also share your lip balm obsession. the skittles flavors are yummy. (although it is quite useless beyond the flavor.)
They’re precious! I have a problem with organizers too. As in, I’m obsessed. I love it when everything has its own little home! ::sigh:: AND you’re not alone in the lip balm area. If you open my purse RIGHT now you’d find at least 4 different kinds of Burt’s Bees. (It’s from NC, you know!)
Ooooo I LOVE these!! They are beautiful! I want them for my “crafty closet”… which has now gone from just a closet to half of the office 🙂 I’m winning the battle for more space to be crafty!
Great job 🙂
That is the interfacing I use also. Good choice, and as always a good choice of fabric. Good timming on those little baskets for I’m trying to make room for more stuff that I brought from our house to this apt. were in yet. I just did some more moving around of big things and I need some baskets to put in these cubbies I have in the closet. I’m out of room that is for sure.
I to love lip balm. To bad we did not come up with it for we all would be rich. he he
Lip balm, huh? Filing that piece of information away in my memory bank. Wait a minute…I better write it down instead…
Anyway, also thanks for the info on the interfacing. As you know, I’m also “interfacing challenged.”
Very sweet Terri!! Love the fussy cut flowers . I have never seen lip balm is such fun flavours:)
oh cute! those would be great for so many things!
Hello Terri! What a lovely idea! and with your colourful happy fabrics they look wonderful! Nice to have around the house those quties! Thank you for the idea!
xxx Teje
Love these…they’re so colorful and bright…makes one want to organize with such cute bins!
They’re so adorable! I love the bright colors! I am in much need of reorganizing my entire craft area, these in different sizes would be so cute!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
hugs, margie
I love the fabrics that you chose to use! They work wonderfully for the fussy cuts! Cute idea, just in time to start that beginning of the year organizing.
Thanks for sharing Terri!
PS Love the wonky house block you did. Isn’t it fun to try things in patterns and fabrics that others choose? I think it really challenges us to think outside of our comfort zone.
Your classes sound fun and challenging at the same time. I know they’re a lot of work, but you’ll do wonderfully!
Take care,
Cheryl
oh i really want one of these~so cute and functiional!
I have nothing by my machine~that sits on my kitchen table, and would love to have one of these to hold snippets of thread and pins. i’ll have to check out that website. maybe in my ‘free’ time I’ll make one LOL. free time? what’s that?