$15 Craft Cabinet

 

This is an odd post for one reason: I actually made this back in the early 90's when my children were tiny, project time was at a premium, money was at a minimum, and the need to hand make things was at a maximum. I needed someplace to stash my supplies so that I could whip things up on the fly on the off chance that all three toddlers were engrossed in Bananas in Pajamas at the same time. When else do you applique' 25 personalized T-shirts for a 3rd birthday party?

I picked this up at Walmart, for around $8 then. I used three coordinating fabrics for this, all left over from other pillow and drape projects. 

Measure the top of your shelves and add 2" to each dimension.  Measure AROUND the unit, then the length.

 

Now, determine what your storage needs are. I included pockets for patterns, small skinny pockets for markers, and even a wrapping paper center on the back with two long horizontal pockets for ribbon with openings in the bottom to feed the ribbon through. My pockets were simple assembly; Once I had the size, I cut two pieces of fabric, pinned them with right sides together, machine stitched all but a tiny opening at the bottom edge, then turned and pressed them. That little opening would get stitched shut when the pocket was sewn to the main cover.

The fabric (garden floral) for the sides of the unit was exactly wide enough to reach top to bottom, so I skipped the hem. I cut the length of it 2” shorter than the circumference of the shelves. Then I cut two 6” strips of a contrasting fabric (green check) the height of the cabinet, folded them in half lengthwise and pressed them with an iron, then folded hems inward and pressed again. These were pinned and stitched to the raw edges of the body and would be the front opening. I took the rectangle I had cut for the top and starting in the front middle pinned the body to it, adjusting for the corners, and stitched it together.

Draping the slipcover over the shelves, I decided where my pockets needed to be, pinned them, and then finished by sewing them to the main body and adding ribbon ties to the front.

The reason this is an odd post is I just took those photos before adding the slipcover to the scrap bag and hauling the shelves out to my workshop. I have a big armoire now for craft storage; but as I was about to dismantle the whole thing, I remembered stuffed animals, tree skirts, and Easter outfits all shoved hastily out of sight in mid-production when finger painting or pool time was more important. And the little, plump people who inspired my creativity.

They still do.