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

My Cozy Craft Room Retreat

One of my life's greatest blessings is this little place of my own that is lovingly referred to as my "cave."   We built this room over our dining room over fifteen years ago and it's still one of my favorite places to hide. Except everyone always knows where to find me!

The red and white color scheme just sort of evolved from my red obsession. I like how bright and cheery it makes my room and the Martha Stewart-ish appearance makes my hoard look kind of  legit. I don't like a lot of clutter because it messes with my creative mojo, but I keep the things I use most at my finger tips. 

A lot of my storage comes from Ikea because it's not expensive and works great for my purposes...and it comes in red.

The pretty stained glass tulip in the window was made by a dear friend for my daughter when she was born 37 years ago.  I kept (stole) it when she left home and I love how it catches the light in this little window.

These Ikea narrow drawer units fit perfectly under my desk and make fabulous storage.

After all these years of organizing and reorganizing, I think I have some great tips on storing my stash.  I'd love to share some of these with you and I plan to do just that in future blogs.  Say tuned.

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and be fabulous.
Nancy