Quilted Fabric Trays - Benartex Blue, White and Yellow Layer Cake

My creative tribe and I never seem to have enough storage for all our crafting paraphernalia, so I knew this quilted fabric tray would be the perfect little Christmas gift to sew for my paper crafting besties.  I had a Benartex layer cake in my stash with cheerful designs and colors that look a lot like the designer paper we use on our cards. A quick "fabric tray" google came up with a few different options for making the tray, so I combined all my favorite instructions and came up with this fun and easy result.

An old tea napkin holder that  I bought years ago at a craft fair helped me determine the size for my trays.  I was excited when I realized these dimensions were the perfect size to use with a ten-inch layer cake.  I have actually used my napkin holder many times, so I bought packages of napkins to fill my trays for a cute gift presentation. The size of the bottom of your tray will depend on the depth you choose to sew the sides.  My sides are 1 1/2 inches high and the bottom is about 5 3/4 inches square. These portable, lightweight trays are very versatile for other uses (see above).  I think my friends will enjoy using them for little crafty embellishments like sequins,  rhinestones and charms, as well as small dies and die cuts and, well, anything they want to keep track of in the sea of creativity that usually ends up in their craft space.  I can't wait  to make a few red and white ones for my craft room when the Christmas craziness is over.  Here's how I made them:

Iron fusible fleece to the wrong side of
one square.

Start with  two ten-inch squares of fabric

Sew right sides together and trim corners.
Leave a small opening for turning.

Turn right side out and push out corners
with a skewer.

Mark for quilting.

Quilt as desired.

Mark corners with handmade template
 and sew. Size will depend on how deep
you want the tray to be.

  So easy for assembly line quilting.
.

One layer cake makes about 20, so make a bunch!

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and make something fabulous.
Nancy