
Our #31DaysofDIY is coming to a close, but we’re still so excited to share our new projects with you! Our most recent DIY is these DIY Fabric Buckets. We made thems in a set of three — small, medium and large. The best part? They can hold almost anything and make any type of clutter look super cute and clean.
No idea what #31DaysofDIY is? It’s a brand new tradition here at Brit + Co that’s all about kicking off the new year right. We’ve challenged ourselves to make or learn something new every single day for the month of January, and we’re inviting all of you along for the ride. From DIY basics like Sewing 101 to learning to design and laser cut our own stencils, we hope this month of making inspires you to get creative all year long.
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– leather
– cardboard
– string
– Heatbond
– wooden dowels
Tools:
– pins
– ruler
– hot glue gun
– scissors
– pen
– sewing machine
Instructions:
1. Grab a dinner plate, then trace and cut it out of a piece of cardboard.
2. Fold the canvas fabric in half and use the cardboard circle to measure out a larger circle. It doesn’t have to be perfect — just about 1 inch wider than the cardboard circle. Hot glue the cardboard circle between the two canvas circles.
3. Hack alert — use a piece of string to measure the circumference of the circle. Next, use that string to measure a rectangle on the canvas. Make it 20 inches tall and the length of your circumference + 10 inches. Ours was 48 in x 20 in.
4. Next, cut four 4 in x 20 in rectangles out of your canvas. These will be used to hold the dowels.
5. Divide your large rectangle into four sections. Since ours was 48 inches, long we divided it into 12-inch sections. Pin your long rectangles onto the three dividing lines you just marked, and then sew them on. Mark sure you leave a opening on the top to slide the dowel inside.
6. Fold the large rectangle in half and sew the seam. This will turn your rectangle into a cylinder. Pin the last large rectangle onto the seam you just created and then sew.
7. Cut a rectangle from your piece of leather and Heatbond that measures 10 in x 48 in, or measurements based on your bag.
8. Iron the Heatbond to the leather first, then to the canvas cylinder. Iron it onto the inside of the bag. Be careful when ironing faux leather — you might want a thin layer of scrap fabric between the leather and canvas.
9. Pin and sew the canvas cylinder onto the circle cardboard base.
10. Turn the bag right side out and slide the dowels into the compartments.
11. Roll down the top of the bag to reveal the leather.
*Pro tip: Make sure you choose a very sturdy canvas. We found out that not all canvases are strong enough to stand up. Ask someone who works at your local fabric store which canvas they would recommend. If you have your heart set on a patterned canvas that isn’t the sturdiest, don’t fret too much. When using it for laundry or throw blankets it will perk to life.
Grab a dinner plate from your cupboard a trace a circle onto your cardboard. Guess what’s next? Cut it out!
Use your cardboard circle to trace a larger circle onto your canvas. The circle doesn’t have to be perfect, just about a one inch border larger than your cardboard circle. Hot glue the cardboard circle in between the canvas. Then place glue around the perimeter of the cardboard circle to seal the pieces together.
By placing the glue on the perimeter of the cardboard, you’ll create a rim for yourself to use later when sewing the bucket together.
We’re cutting out as much math as possible with this next step by using a piece of string to measure the circumference of our circle. Use this string to create the length of the rectangle for the sides of your bucket. Add 10 more inches to the length of your string, for breathing room and seams. Our length measured 48 inches. Create a height for your rectangle based off the length. We created a 20 in x 48 in rectangle.
Cut four long rectangles that will be used to encase dowels that will help our bag stand upright. Our strips measured 4 x 20 inches.
Divide your long rectangle into four sections. Ours divided into four 12-inch sections. Pin the long rectangles on top of the 12-inch marks. Sew the rectangles onto the large canvas rectangle, but make sure to leave the top open so you can slide in the dowels.
Make sure all the rectangles open on the same side! Believe me — you do not want to get to the dowel step and realize the opening to the dowel is sewed into the bottom of your new laundry bucket. We may or may not have done that before…
Fold the rectangle in half, nice sides facing in, and sew to create a seam. This will turn your rectangle into a cylinder. Pin your last long rectangle onto of the seam. Make sure you leave an opening for the dowel!
Cylinder sewed and fabric bucket almost completed.
Leather always gives everything a nice finished touch. We decided to embellish our fabric bucket with faux leather cuff. Cut a rectangle of leather and Heatbond that match the dimensions of your bucket. Ours measured 10 x 48 inches.
Iron the Heatbond onto the faux leather first and then onto the canvas. Some faux leathers can ruin your iron, so you may want to place a thin scrap piece of fabric between your iron and leather when adhering it to your canvas cylinder.
Pin your cylinder onto your canvas circle and then sew together. Take your time! This part can get tricky.
Turn your bag right-side out and slide in your dowels. Our dowels measured 12 inches long.
Roll down the top of your bag to reveal the touch of leather.
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We love the slouchy look of these fabric buckets.
We created buckets in three different sizes — small, medium and large. To create different sizes we just used different sized plates! What’s super handy about these buckets is when you are not using them you can stack them inside one another and store them all in one place.
Two things will happen once you make this fabric bucket: 1. You will want to display your dirty clothes in your living room instead of hidden in your closet, and 2. You’ll need to keep an eye on your bucket if you are bringing it to the laundromat. Consider yourself warned — it’s super cute!
This large bucket is great for throw pillows and spare blankets.
It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Want to feel motivated to take the next step for your business? Let Office Depot OfficeMax give you the confidence you need with a suite of business services & solutions to help you put your best foot forward. Make a good first impression with business cards & build the business pitch of your dreams with custom presentations. With Office Depot OfficeMax you'll find the tools to reach new customers with confidence.
Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.