Reversible Fabric Storage Bin

I needed a bin of specific dimensions to fit on the shelf above my workstation. The shelf is 7.5" deep, with a bit of a lip all around. I wanted a bin that would look nice since it will be very visible, and ideally fill the space. So I decided to make my own fabric storage bin instead of trying to find one to purchase that would fit my criteria.

The dimensions for this fabric bin as I have done it are 7.5” by 6” by 5”, but you can change these to whatever size you need.

For the body of this project you will need:

Fabric:

I used quilting cotton fabric, which I have had in my stash for a little while now. Any fabric should work, though something without stretch will be better.

The amount of fabric you need will change depending on the size you want your bin to be, but you don't need a lot.

I used two different fabrics, meaning you can flip the bin inside out to quickly refresh the look, though you can use only one fabric.

Sewing Machine:

I am using a sewing machine for this project, however, you could sew by hand or even use fabric glue if you do not have access to a sewing machine, though the finished project will likely be less durable.

Fusible Fleece Interfacing:

I am using Iron-on Fusible Fleece Interfacing since I have a bunch left over from another project. I originally purchased a 10-foot roll of this from Amazon for $25. Any interfacing will work to some extent but you want something that is fairly stiff or the sides will lack the support to properly stand up.

Scissors or Rotary Tool for Cutting Fabric:

Tip: It is always best to cut fabric with a pair of scissors or a rotary tool that is only used for fabric.

Basic sewing accessories, ie. thread, machine needles, marking chalk or pens, etc.

For making a template before cutting the fabric you will need:

Paper, I used a roll of paper since it worked best for my dimensions, but you could tape a couple of pieces of any other paper together to get the size you need.

The paper roll I used was brown wrapping paper from the dollar store.

Pencil or Pen

Scissors

NOTE: As I have done, this project would be machine washable if ever you needed to wash it, but changing up the materials could change that, so be mindful of that.

This is the time to decide how big you want your bin to be.

As mentioned in the introduction, the size of the bin I am going for is 7.5” by 6.5” by 5”, so I will be making my template based on those dimensions.

Depending on the size you are going for you will likely need to tape multiple sheets of printer paper together, or use a roll of paper as I have done.

First, start with one edge of the paper and mark the center.

Then, mark the width of your bin, in my case 7.5" so I marked 3.75 inches to both sides of the center mark.

Next, you will need to mark the height of your bin to the side of both of those marks, in my case 5".

Fourth, 90 degrees from the end of the mark you just made, mark the height again.

Then, mark the length of your bin, in my case 6.5".

Lastly, you essentially need to mirror what you did in the previous steps.

Once all of the lines are drawn, it is a good idea to use your ruler to double-check that the measurements are accurate. Once you are happy with the template, you can cut it out.

Now it is time to cut the fabric and interfacing based on the template we made in the previous step.

For the interfacing you want to cut exactly to the template, or slightly within. Since my template was wider than the fusible fleece, I cut it in two pieces. If you need to do this I recommend putting the 'seam' along the sides so that the front stays nicer.

For the fabric you are going to want to add a seam allowance to the template, I used 1/2". It’s easiest to add the seam allowance by using a ruler and making the fabric 1/2” away from the template. I used Tailor’s Chalk for this but you could use any kind of chalk, a fabric pen or fabric marker, or really anything that shows up on the fabric.

Remember to cut both the main and lining fabrics, you can use whichever piece you cut first to mark where to cut the second piece.

Your final result after cutting the pieces should look something like picture 7 when layered on top of each other.

Now if you are using Iron-on Interfacing we need to iron it to our main fabric. It is important to determine which side of the interfacing has the iron-on material, generally, you can determine this by looking for little bumps in the material, this is the glue substance.

Place the iron-on side towards the wrong side of your main fabric. Next, take your iron and applying pressure press the interfacing. It is best to iron from the fabric side as the heat will transfer better through the thinner material. Press for about 15-20 seconds, then lift the iron and move it to an adjacent and slightly overlapping spot on the material. This helps prevent the interfacing from shifting.

Work in this manner until the whole area is fused. You may find that corners and edges need to be re-pressed and that is okay.

Let the material cool before moving on to step 4.

Now it is time to sew!

Start by pinning the edges of a corner good sides together, and sewing that corner 1/2" away from the edge. (or whatever you made the seam allowance)

Repeat, for all corners of both pieces.

Once all the corners are sewn, it is time to sew the lining to the base.

Make sure that the good sides are together and pin around the edge.

Sew the whole edge except for a small section to allow you to flip the bin inside out. I recommend leaving about 3" or a bit more. The larger the hole you leave the easier it will be to flip, but the harder it will be to get the edge super crisp in the next step.

Once, the whole edge is sewn and the bin is flipped right side out, you can topstitch the edge to finish it off and close the hole left from the previous step. I sewed about 1/8" from the edge but mostly this is personal preference, sew as close to the edge as you are comfortable doing without risking the needle slipping off the edge of the fabric.

That's it!

You now have your very own fabric storage bin.

You can choose to fold the edge over for a bit more stability if you choose to.

It is super easy to adjust the template to any size you need, so you can customize them to meet your specific needs.

For further customization, you could choose to add handles if you wanted to.

NOTE: The longer the side the more it will tend to be floppy, you could experiment with different stabilizing materials, or add stabilizer to both fabrics to try to mitigate this. Just something to keep in mind.