A Toy Box Cover

Today I did a sewing project that has been on my list for a while. That always makes me happy. The reason it was on my list so long is because I had to figure out how exactly I wanted to do it. I wanted to cover the small toy box we keep in our living room. We use a small cardboard box. It was ugly since it was obviously a packing box. I had some leftover fabric from some curtains I made. I knew what I wanted to use just not how to do it. Then a couple of days ago the design hit me.

Healthy Simplicity - A Toy Box Cover - turn your toy box into something pretty AND practical!
 
I wanted to be able to take the cover off because cardboard boxes tend to fall apart and in case it needed to be washed. My problem was how to make it removable but still stay on the box. I’ll show you how I did it.

 
First I measured my box. I cut a piece for the bottom that was 1/2 inch larger on all sides. So my box was 8″ square – I made the fabric 9″ square. Then I cut the fabric for the sides 9 x 14″. The box is 11″ tall, but I needed extra length.
Healthy Simplicity - A Toy Box Cover - turn your toy box into something pretty AND practical!
Then I marked one-quarter inch from the edge on each side and sewed the sides to the bottom starting and stopping at the quarter inch mark.
Healthy Simplicity - A Toy Box Cover - turn your toy box into something pretty AND practical!
Healthy Simplicity - A Toy Box Cover - turn your toy box into something pretty AND practical!

Here’s the cover before I put the box in.

Healthy Simplicity - A Toy Box Cover - turn your toy box into something pretty AND practical!

Then I sewed a casing for elastic.

I put the elastic in and then put the box in. The elastic holds the cover around the box, but it gives so that I can put the cover on and off.
Healthy Simplicity - A Toy Box Cover - turn your toy box into something pretty AND practical!

The finished product – doesn’t look like a toy box, does it?

Healthy Simplicity - A Toy Box Cover - turn your toy box into something pretty AND practical!
 
And since I was in a sewing mode I decided to do another small project. I had a bath sheet that somehow got a hole in the middle of it. I didn’t want to throw it away because a big portion of the edges was still good. So I cut the useable parts into washcloth size squares and serged any raw edges. They’re not pretty, but they’ll do the job. Won’t be giving them to my guests so don’t worry if you come to visit, but my children won’t mind. ☺
  
Healthy Simplicity - homemade wash cloth from an old towel
 
What projects have you been able to cross off your list recently? It’s a good feeling, eh?
 

8 thoughts on “A Toy Box Cover

Leave a comment