It Begins With a Box

Actually, it began with a need.  Not a want, but a need. 

I needed a container in my car to keep my extra water bottles from rolling around in the back seat. I thought I had the perfect solution - a really pretty Vera Bradly tote that I recently purchased....after all, I am a "bag lady"....but my husband said that having a tote bag visible in my car was just an invitation for someone to be tempted...they'd think it was a purse with valuables or something, not a tote bag holding my water bottles.  He suggested a simple box.

So it began with a box. Not just any box, but one that would fit in my designated space (grin). And it couldn't just be a simple shipping box, no, it needed to be pretty.

So it began with a box - and an idea....

As a quilter I have a wealth of  varied supplies at my beck and call...hum...fabric covered box seemed like a good idea...even better, why not make it more than just fabric glued on to a box...why not indeed? After all, I do have bolts of fusible batting that would give a little body to my beauty....almost like a quilt, but not quilted.

Construction was simple, not even a pattern, just a rough drawing around the outside of the box for size...I wasn't going for perfection here, just beauty - oh and function!

Rough cut fusible batting, .then cut a length of fabric that would work...this is where the good ole investment of the iron press came in handy (that and a fan - gee, that iron puts off a lot of heat!)

  Trim with a square up ruler, then sew up the four sides and wall-la - I have a slip cover for the outside of my box!

Next I needed to line the inside - who wants to look down into a beautiful box only to find boring brown cardboard!  Same process, rough cut the fusible batting - this time I made the sides a little longer so I'd have more options in trimming, iron on the fabric, trim making the edges straight to better sew up the four corners, tuck it in to test for fit...

Okay, so now what? Was I going to try to put a binding on the raw edges? How would I fit it together? Sewing and turning didn't seem like an option.  Hum....KISS - Keep It Simple Silly!

Ah yes, tuck the raw edges inside and make use of that handy dandy purple stapler.  Next I took the lining back to my sewing machine and turned the raw edges under (only one turn, not a double like a hem) and sewed it into a neat submission. 

Tucking it back into the box and turning the edges to the outside I figured I might as well play school girl and pull out the Elmer's...

Ta-da!  All done!  And it fits beautifully within reach of the driver's seat in the middle of the back seat floorboard - Now I'm prepared with extra water, paper towels in case of a spill, and my Spark energy packets for those days when the running of errands needs a kick start or my driving needs a tad more focus...

And to think it all began with a simple need - to be organized, functional - AND pretty...it began with a box!