These cute little fabric trays are a great beginner project. They stitch up quickly and are a very handy cute little item item to have dotted around your sewing room. Use them to catch threads or keep your little sewing notions tidy and easy to grab.
You will need:
An old pair of jeans
1 FQ Quilting cotton (We used fabrics from the Makower Summer Garden collection)
Heavy Iron-on Interfacing or a woven interfacing. We used this Woven Interfacing
Important notes for sewing 15 minute fabric trays:
3/8″/ 1cm seam allowance throughout, unless directed otherwise.
Pin me for later:
Step 1:
Decide which sized tray you are going to make. Cut your fabrics as per the from the table below.
| Tray Size | Fabric Size |
| Small | 6 inch square |
| Medium | 7 inch square |
| Large | 8.5 inch square |
Cut the following based on the table above:
1 x square Denim Outer Fabrics
1 x square Inner quilting cotton
2 x squares Interfacing Squares
Step 2: Iron on interfacing squares to the reverse side of both the denim outer & the quilt cotton fabric inner.
Step 3: With RST pin the outer and inner fabrics together
Step 4: Sew round the edge leaving a turning gap of approx 3-5 inches (depending on which sized tray you are making)
Step 5: Trim the fabric on each corner diagonally to reduce bulk, taking care not to snip through your stitches
Step 6: Turn to the right side making sure your corners are crisp (Use a sturdy pin to dig out the excess fabric in the corners helps here)
Pro Tip: The tool pictured above are Needle Grippers and they are SO helpful for turning out projects
Step 7: Press & pin the turning gap closed.
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Step 8: Top Stitch all the way around the edge using a 3mm stitch approximately 1/8″ from the fabric edge , closing the turning gap.
Step 9: On both sides of every corner make a mark with a temporary fabric marker the distance from the corner as listed in the table below
| Tray Size | Distance from corner point |
| Small | ¾ inch |
| Medium | 1 inch |
| Large | 1 ¼ inch |
Step 9: Match up the 2 marks on each corner so the lining fabric is touching. Over stitch catching both sides of the tray. Repeat for all 4 corners.
Congratulations! You’re done!
We hope you found this tutorial useful!
Let us know how you get along in the comments below 🙂
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Thank you for sharing this tutorial. These trays are so cute with denim and pretty cotton prints. Can you tell me what type of comparable fusible interfacing I would find in the US? Thank you.
Hi Kathleen
You could use the Pellon SF101 Shape-Flex. We’ve got a full range of interfacing options here with Pellon equivalents: https://plushaddict.co.uk/The_Ultimate_At_A_Glance_Vlieseline_Guide_EN_1.pdf
Thanks!