I love my single-serve coffee machine. Yes, it is more expensive than traditional drip coffee makers; however, I justify the cost of the required
K-Cups by purchasing in bulk at a warehouse club. I also love organization, and use lots of baskets in my pursuit of a clutter-free, stylish home. Like my K-Cups, storage baskets and bins can be expensive, so I often re-purpose baskets found around the house or spruce up containers that I find in thrift shops, garage sales, etc.
I began making basket liners when I took up sewing last summer. I learned to make my very first basket liner via a
video tutorial explaining how to make basket liners without a pattern. Running low on orphaned baskets, I attempted making an
all-fabric storage bin, based on a
tutorial for creating oil cloth storage bins. I also tried a project that
created collapsible storage baskets. Then I came across a blog that explained
how to make storage bins using diaper boxes. I no longer buy diapers. But I do buy K-Cups! I decided to apply the blogger's diaper box methodology to my K-Cup boxes.
It worked beautifully. I love my K-Cup box storage bins, and have created several of them over the past six months. Once I got the hang of it, I began to also re-purpose shoe boxes and snack boxes. I make my fabric liners using yardage from the fabric store, remnants, recycled bedding, clothing, etc. Heck, I may never pay retail for fabric storage containers again.
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Lined storage bins I've created |
If you want to create your own storage bin, keep reading to learn how:
How to Create a Storage Bin using a K-Cup box
Materials:
- One K-Cup box
- Fabric to cover the box
- Fabric to make the liner
- Spray Adhesive and Tacky Glue
- Tape measure, quilting ruler, scissors, pencil or pen
- Sewing machine
- Thread, pins, seam ripper, etc.
- Ironing board and iron
General How-to:
Part One: Cover the box with fabric:
- Cut the top flaps off the box:
- Measure the box: Use a tape measure to measure down one side, across the narrow bottom, and up the other side. Write this down. Now, rotate the box and measure down a side, across the wide bottom and up the other side.
- Cut your fabric to the dimensions you just measured.
Note: My K-Cup box measured 24.5" by 26.5".
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Cut fabric to dimensions of the box. |
- Iron the fabric to remove any wrinkles.
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Ironing ensures a smooth finish. |
- Place the box in the center of your fabric. Using a tape measure and pencil, mark a diagonal line that runs 2-inches out from each box corner.
- Use a ruler to mark a perpendicular line from the bottom of each diagonal line to the edge of your fabric.
Note: This creates a box in each corner of the fabric.
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Mark and cut the fabric and remove bulk. |
- Cut along each line (straight and angled). Remove the fabric from each corner.
- Use spray adhesive to adhere the fabric to the bottom and long sides of the box.
Note: Smooth any bubbles as you go. Once done, flaps will hang off each long side of the fabric.
- Position the box so that a short side is facing up. Apply a line of tacky glue to a short side of the box and fold a fabric flap over to adhere, smoothing as you go. Repeat with each flap on each short side.
- Working with the short side of the fabric, apply a line of glue to the fabric and fold the short-side flap over to crate a flap that is exactly the same size as the short side of the box.
- Glue the short side of fabric to the box and smooth any bubbles.
Result: The box is now covered in fabric and ready for a liner.
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Fold and glue the flaps, smoothing as you go, to create crisp edges on box. |
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K-Cup box covered in fabric and ready for liner. |
Part 2: Create a Liner for the Box
The first time I completed this project, I used a
tutorial recommended by the blogger. It worked well enough, but I now create my basket liners based on a combination of a few different tutorials. Here is how I do it:
- Use a tape measure to measure the bottom, one long side and one short side of the box. Write down these measurements, denoting the length and width, on a sheet of paper.
Note: The measurement for the width of each side should match up with the measurements of the box bottom. The length of each side should be the same.
Example: My K-Cup measurements are: Short-10" x 7.5" ; Long- 12" x 7.5" ; Bottom-10" x 12"
- Determine how far down you want the liner to hang over the sdie of the finished bin and add this amount to length.Note: I usually add 2".
- Add an additional 1" to each of your measurements to account for a 1/2 inch seam allowance on each side.
Example: My final measurements are: Short-11" x 10.5" ; Long-13" x 10.5" ; Bottom-11" x 13"
- Use ruler and scissors (or rotary cutter) to cut your fabric. You will need enough fabric for two short-sides, two long sides and one bottom.
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Cut fabric for liner sides and bottom. |
- Match the edges of one short-side piece and one long-side piece. Measure 1/2 inch from the bottom and pin.
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The 1/2" will be used to attach the bottom piece of fabric. |
- Sew the sides together with a 1/2 inch seam. Stop 1/2" from the bottom, at the pin. Repeat this with all sides.
Result: You have a tube of fabric, with the bottom 1/2" left unsewn.
- At the ironing board, leave the tube wrong-side out and iron the seam allowances smooth.
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Sew the seam allowances flat before creating hems. |
- With the tube still wrong-side out, fold the edge of the completely sewn side over 1/4" or so and iron. Fold over an additional 1/2" and pin.
Note: This will become the hem, so keep the edge as consistent as possible.
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Use a six-inch sewing gauge to measure consistent hems. |
- Sew the hem along the edge, removing pins as you go.
- Match one side of the bottom piece to one side of the fabric tube, aligning the corners. Pin in place. Repeat with each of the four sides.
Note: You may need to fold the unsewn flap of the adjoining piece over as you near each corner.
Here are storage bins I've made over the past several months:
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I'm using black/white storage bins to contain craft room clutter. |
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Old shoe box and remnant fabric |
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K-Cup box, re-purposed window panel and quilt remnants. |
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Re-purposed a snack box and scrap fabric from a pillow project. |
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Remnant fabric and old shoe boxes |
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A fat quarter, scraps of fabric and a snack box |
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Bin Boxes