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How to Make Fabric Storage Cubes

Are the kids toys and other belongings taking over every space in your home? These handy DIY storage cubes made with canvas fabric are a great way to hide all the clutter.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Canvas Etc. All opinions are our own. You can read our full disclosure here.

Blue handmade canvas fabric storage cubes filled with kids' toys.

DIY Storage Cubes with Free Pattern

As you can spot in this post about my craft room/studio we have one of those huge IKEA cube storage units in my basement. For the longest time this unit was used in an effort to organize all the kid’s toys and belongings.

With four little ones at home it didn’t take long to fill them up. When we first bought the unit I also picked up four of the IKEA canvas storage cubes to go along with them. I find them to be so helpful because they’re a generous size to throw all the toys into and then slide them into the cube and clean up the clutter.

We don’t however have an IKEA close to us anymore and I wanted to add a few more canvas storage cubes for the unit. Instead we’ve DIY’ed them using 100% cotton canvas from Canvas Etc.

Set of three fabric storage cubes filled with kid's toys.

If this is your first time here you may also enjoy some of the other projects we’ve made with this versatile canvas. From a hanging toy organizer, hand-painted rug, storage ottoman, utility apron (which I’m wearing in the picture above) and more, canvas fabric is so useful for all sorts of DIY projects.

Child filling a DIY cloth storage bin with toys.

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Materials Needed:

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Materials needed to make diy fabric storage cubes

How to make Fabric Storage Cubes:

Cutting Fabric

Print off the fabric storage cube pattern on 8.5×11 sheets of paper. Tape all the edges of the papers together to form a complete pattern.

Taping together the printable sewing template to make the cloth storage cubes.

Lay fabric out on a flat and smooth surface (preferably not a carpet). Place the paper pattern on top of the fabric, aligning the grain lines and cut along the solid lines. Remember to clip all the notches as well.

Cutting the canvas fabric using the printable template.

Sewing

Fold the handle pieces in half lengthwise and press with an iron. Next, fold and press in the long outer edges by ½” as shown leaving the short ends unpressed.

Pressing the canvas for the handle.

At the sewing machine, stitch the edges of the handles together.

Sewing the straps for the handles of the DIY storage cubes.

Position the ends of the fabric storage cube handle with the side piece aligning the notches. Baste stitch the handles in place.

Positioning the handles of the fabric storage cubes in place and securing with a basting stitch.

With right sides together, sew the upper side piece with the lower side pieces aligning notches and sandwiching the handle in between.

True one side of the seam allowance to reduce the thickness, then fold the seam allowance up and topstitch along the seam.

Zig zag or serge all of the remaining cut edges to prevent them from fraying.

Close up image of the zig zag stitch on the blue canvas fabric.

With right sides together, position the bottom of the side pieces with the center of the long rectangular piece as shown.

The cut out canvas fabric pieces arracnged side-by-side before sewing.

Sew the pieces together with a ½” seam allowance, starting ½” from the edge and ending ½” from the edge.

Close of image of blue canvas fabric with a 1/2" seam allowance.

Form a corner by sewing the adjacent sides together and sewing with a ½” seam allowance. Repeat for remaining 3 corners until a cube is formed.

Fold over the top edge of the cube by 1” and press. Then fold over again and topstitch in place.

Did you know that CanvasEtc. offers their fabric remnants for free! Just pay a nominal shipping fee for a 5lb box of remnants for your DIY and crafting projects!

Turn the fabric storage cubes right side out and fill them with loose items, blankets or in our case, kid’s toys!

A small girl drawing pictures in front of three fabric storage cubes filled with toys.

And if you have a not-so-good-looking cubby, check out these tips for how to repaint a cubby storage unit the easy way.

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Girl holding toys to place them into blue fabric storage cubes.

DIY Storage Cubes with Free Pattern

Jane and Sonja
Create a set of DIY storage cubes for adding organization to your space with this simple tutorial and free printable pattern.
5 from 1 vote

Materials
  

Instructions
 

Cutting Fabric

  • Lay fabric out on a flat and smooth surface and place the paper pattern on top of the fabric, aligning the grain lines and cut along the solid lines.

Sewing

  • Fold the handle pieces in half lengthwise and press with an iron. Next, fold and press in the long outer edges by ½” as shown leaving the short ends unpressed. Stitch then edges together.
  • Position the ends of the handle with the side piece aligning the notches. Baste stitch the handles in place and then sew the upper side piece with the lower side pieces aligning notches and sandwiching the handle in between.
  • With right sides together, position the bottom of the side pieces with the center of the long rectangular piece. Sew the pieces together with a ½” seam allowance.
  • Form a corner by sewing the adjacent sides together and sewing with a ½" seam allowance. Repeat for remaining 3 corners until a cube is formed.
  • Fold over the top edge of the cube by 1” and press. Then fold over again and topstitch in place.
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Tutorial Rating




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Mary

Wednesday 1st of July 2020

These look super sturdy and I know I always need more storage cubs, I'll definitely be trying these.

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