Sewing room tour - Covering pizza boxes

Covering Pizza Boxes with Fabric
by Serena Smith
www.embtreasures.com

Pizza boxes are quick and easy to cover with fabric and offer great little storage containers to keep in your sewing room. Watch the video for step-by-step directions as well.

Supplies
large pizza box
piece of fabric 38" long x 20-22" wide
1/4 yd Ultra Heat’n’Bond wonderunder or 1 pkg 5/8" roll (needs to be the “no-sew” kind)
8" length of 1/8" or 1/4" ribbon
scissors
Olfa knife to cut slits in box

Let’s get started!
If the pizza box is folded into a box, unfold it so it is laying out flat. You will be fusing the fabric to the outside of the box and then folding the fabric raw edge to the inside.

Starting at the box lid, fuse a piece of wonderunder to the cardboard flap. Peel off the paper backing and lay the fabric on top of the box so the fabric width is centered over the box and there is about 3/4"-1" extension of fabric past the lid flap. The fabric will not quite reach the end of the other side of the box. That is ok; this end will be tucked inside.

Using your iron, fuse wonderunder strips as show below and then fuse the fabric to the box, smoothing the fabric out as you are pressing.

After the fabric is fused to the outside of the box, flip it over and cut out the corners near the flap and cut slits in the fabric in the center and at the bottom of the box where the flaps will turn to the inside to create box. Follow the cardboard slits to cut the fabric.

Fuse the fabric flaps with wonderunder to the cardboard flaps on the sides and end of the box. Then on the sides, fold the fabric to the inside of the box and fuse down. The raw edge of fabric will be inside the box.

Fold the sides and top of the flap fabric to the inside of the box to cover the flap and fuse down in place. Using the Olfa knife, cut slits in the fabric in the bottom of the box so the flaps can fit inside to hold up the box sides. Follow the cardboard cutouts.

Fold the ribbon in half and lay the ends in the center of the flap. Fuse a piece of wonderunder on the ribbon ends to hold in place. Then cut a 1" scrap of fabric and fuse over the ribbon ends.

Fold in the flaps of the box and put the box together. The ribbon should form a little loop to open the box.

Enjoy storing fabrics, notions or other things in your newly decorated pizza box!

For printable directions, click here.


Copyright © 2008 Serena Smith No portion of these directions may be copied or reproduced in any form other than one copy printed for personal use.

Take a peek into my sewing room: Storing projects

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Click the video player to view the tour of my sewing room. It may take a few minutes to load. For those of you with a dial-up connection, you can "view" the tour by reading my description below.
This is a series on sewing room organization and storage, complete with videos! Over the next few weeks, I'll share ideas for fabric stash organizing, thread storage and cataloging embroidery designs. Be sure to visit my blog every week or sign up for my newsletter for the latest issue!
I'd love to hear the many ways you organize and store things in your sewing room, so leave a comment with your favorite sewing room ideas!
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Unfinished projects and finished projects: how do you store all of them? There are many ways to store all these projects, but let me give you some ideas as to what I do.

Unfinished projects: Most of my unfinished projects I don't store in my sewing room because I have so many, but I do keep a few things I am working on or continually working on in my sewing room.

Remember those pizza boxes? They make great storage boxes for project! Large pizza boxes are 15" square and 2" deep. They are great for storing 10", 12", 14", 15" quilt blocks with the threads you are using and instructions. You can also store fabric sashing pieces, binding and other smaller pieces of fabric.

Label the ends with mailing labels and you know what is inside. I keep smaller projects in these and store the boxes above my bookcases of fabric. Many of them contain projects that I am always making more of such as potato bags.

You can go to your local Pizza Hut and ask for a couple large pizza boxes. Medium and small boxes also work well, but don't give you as much room. Cover the boxes with cotton fabric and your box is ready to be filled up. These boxes work great for keeping blocks flat as well as carrying projects back and forth to class.

The majority of my projects I keep in 6" deep totes. They are just the right size to store everything project related inside: fabric, batting, threads, embellishments and instructions. The easiest thing to do is keep everything related to that project inside so that I can grab that tote and start working on what's inside. That way I don't have to go looking for the instructions, threads or other parts and pieces to finish it.

The totes are easy to stack and easy to carry around. Label the end of the tote with what is inside and you'll be able to see at a glance where your projects are.

Finished projects: Granted, I have many more unfinished projects than finished ones. But, I do have finished projects as well. They definitely need to be stored in such a way that will preserve them for years to come!

Store your finished projects in pillow cases instead of plastic bags. If at all possible with smaller wall hangings and projects, store them flat. For larger wall hangings and quilts that can't be stored flat, roll them instead of folding them. This will keep delicate areas such as printed photos, embroidery and embellishments from being folded in the wrong place. Roll it so the embellished areas are to the inside, keeping the top of your project clean and protected.

For more info on storing finished projects, see here.

Stay tuned next week for a quick and easy way to cover pizza boxes using your iron!

How do you store your projects, unfinished or finished? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Journal it & don't forget it!

One of the best things I have learned to do is keep a record or journal of what I am stitching. I am stitching and creating so many projects that it is impossible for me to remember every little detail and there are always things I want to hold onto for future use. Whether I am creating my own projects or taking a class from someone else, I always have a notebook and pen available. I will often include fabric samples, stitched stitches or photos with my notebook.

As I am designing and stitching projects, I write down what I have done, what special techniques I used and stitches and feet that were helpful for what I am doing. I will often list the foot I use, the stitch number and best width and length for the technique. When I use that technique again, I can easily refer back to that information instead of figuring out all the details again.

My notebook also holds fabric samples that I have stitched various decorative stitches on and have written down the best stitch setting for that stitch. It's also important to write down the date you are working on the project. That way you can look back at it years from now and see the vast variety of work you have done and see how your work has improved over the years!

Keep photos of your work! I have not done a very good job of this until the past couple of years and so wish I had pictures of some of my projects years ago. File the photo in your notebook with a few notes and details on the project. Perhaps even list why you made it or if you gave it as a gift for someone.

I also carry a notebook with me to any lectures or classes I take, even if there is a handout or instruction sheet provided. There are always little bits of information or added notes discussed in class that are not included in the handout and usually impossible to recall everything by the time you get home. Write it down and move on to the next topic in class; you can review over the extra information later.

I keep a notebook with all my information instead of writing it down on pieces of paper. Little pieces of paper tend to get scattered and lost. When my notes, fabric samples, stitch settings and photos are all together, I know exactly where they are located and can easily retrieve the information! Give it a try and you'll be glad you did!

Roll that quilt!

If you are like me, you have many quilts, but only a few beds on which to put them. Or perhaps you have many wall hangings and change them frequently according to the season or holiday. The extra quilts or wall hangings have to be stored or put away for a time until you are ready to use them again. How do you store them? There are many ways the experts say to store your quilt or wall hangings for temporary or permanent storage, but here is what I do!

My quilts and wall hangings are stored temporary; I am getting into my collection of finished projects every few months. With my wall hangings I do one of two things, depending how often I use the project and what it is. If it's something I change frequently and is lightweight and small, I will use straight pins to hang it on a hanger. Then I will store it in an extra closet and drape muslin over it to keep it clean. The finished project needs to be lightweight and small, so there is no stress on the pins as it is held to the hanger. Also, these wall hangings are on and off the hanger 4-5 times a year, so there are frequently being pinned and unpinned, so it will not leave permanent pin marks.

With wall hangings that I do not use as frequently or larger and heavier pieces, I will roll up the wall hanging. I lay the wall hanging out flat on the floor and then roll it instead of folding it multiple times. Then I will put it and multiple other rolled up hangings in a clean pillow case. Loosely pack them together and store the full pillow case in a closet or dry, dark area.

For my quilts, I will do the same rolling technique. Lay the quilt out flat, roll it up and then fold in half or thirds depending on the size. Then I will insert the rolled quilt into a clean pillow case and store. Be sure to roll before folding as this will help to eliminate the folds in the quilt.

Many of my quilts and wall hangings are embellished with printed photos, machine embroidery, ribbon, buttons and other trims, so the method of rolling instead of folding works much better and reduces the folds in the fabric that can harm the embellished areas.

New Photos in Gallery

I finally have all the photos uploaded of the Camp Memory Quilt I made in 2005. I had taken photos months ago and tried several times to edit the photos to upload the way I wanted, but came up with glitch after glitch. But now everything is uploaded and working great!

This quilt was so fun to design and stitch! I completed three quilts in a little over a month - not something I want to ever do again! I really enjoyed designing each block, printing photos on fabric paper sheets and stitching the over 300 designs.

Putting the Quilt Top, Batting & Backing Together

There are many ways that you can sandwich the batting between the quilt top and backing to prepare for machine quilting. Whether it is thread basting or pinning the layers together with safety pins, there is more than one way to get the job accomplished!

My favorite place to spread out my quilt top, batting and backing is the floor. I know everyone may not have the space to do this or may be unable to crawl around on the floor, but it works very well for me. You will need to work on carpet that does not contain loops where the carpet fibers could get pinned to the quilt.

My first goal is to spread out the backing, wrong side up on the floor. I want the backing to be as smooth and wrinkle free as possible.

Using t-pins, I will pin the backing edges into the carpet every 12 - 15". I usually pin two sides and then pin the other two sides, carefully pulling the wrinkles out of the backing. As I am pinning the other two sides, I stretch the backing a little to keep it taunt. You will not want to pull it tight, it just needs a little tension to keep it smooth as layers are being added.

After the backing is smooth and wrinkle free, I start smoothing out the batting on top of the backing. The batting just needs to be laid over the backing. You do not want to stretch it out of shape or it could cause problems later. I start in a corner, leaving a couple inches of the backing showing. I work on one side at a time, carefully smoothing and gently pulling the batting to cover the backing.

I take several t-pins out of the backing edge and pin through both the backing and batting to hold the layers together. This will prevent the batting from scooting or bunching as the top is laid on it. I also make sure that I can see the backing all around. This way I know where the edge of the backing is located and I can easily tell if I lay the quilt outside of that area.

It's time for the quilt top! Again, I start in one corner, leaving a few inches of batting from the edge of the quilt top. I smooth out the top, working on one side at a time. If needed I can gently pull the quilt top up, down or sideways to get it in position. Because the backing and batting is tacked to the carpet, the quilt top will move without creating wrinkles or ripples in either the backing or batting. Using my hands, I slide across the quilt, feeling for any bubbles, wrinkles or tucks.

I dump my safety pins in the middle of the quilt and am ready to start pinning. Usually I start in the center, although I have started on one side and pinned to the opposite side. Either way works great! I like to use medium sized (#2) curved safety pins. They are large enough to handle easily, yet small enough not to make holes in the fabric as the pins are inserted. The curved edge is a lifesaver as you are inserting and pulling the pin back through the fabric to close it. I put my safety pins about 4 - 5" apart. If I am stitching in the ditch, I will be sure to place my pins about 3/4 - 1" away from the seam, so they will not catch on the walking foot as I am stitching.

Working from the center, I keep pinning, rotating on all four sides and continue to pin until I reach the edge of the quilt top. As I am pinning, I am keeping the quilt top smooth, carefully pulling and stretching a little if needed. I also look at my sashing and borders to be sure they are lying flat and straight. If a strip of sashing is pinned with a wave or curve, it will be quilted the same way. Be sure everything lays flat and straight. Now is the time to change it before you start quilting.

After I have pinned the entire quilt with safety pins, I will cut off any extra backing or batting that extends 3 - 5" beyond the quilt top. The quilt is heavy and bulky enough without the extra that I don't need. Starting on one side, I tightly roll the quilt toward the center. On the opposite side I will again roll tightly toward the center. The quilt is ready for stitching. I will start quilting in the center and continue to stitch toward the edges.

Hearts & more hearts

This is my finished heart wall hanging project. I created several applique hearts I needed and instead of just tossing the blocks into a pile of unfinished projects, I created something with them. The stippling around the hearts really makes the hearts puff up, giving them a raised, 3D look to them.

The binding was fun and something new I tried. It is the piped binding method that Ricky Tims shows in his latest DVD, Grand Finale. It is very easy to cut and stitch the binding and apply it to the quilt. And the great thing for those of you who dislike handwork, is that the bindng is finished by stitching in the ditch instead of tacking on by hand. Since I love handwork, I don't mind stitching on the binding by hand, but it is quicker with this method by stitching in the ditch.