I was cleaning out the garage, and I stumbled upon this:
And having found the perfect excuse to stop cleaning, I turned it into this:
Want to make one?
Here's what you'll need:
Large hat box (mine was free, but they're cheap at Michael's if you needed to buy one)
2" foam to cover the top (I had enough left over from my headboard)
vinyl or oil cloth (I used clearance vinyl from Joann's, already in my stash from the ipad case)
duct tape
hot glue gun or spray adhesive
sewing machine
1. Using heavy duty scissors cut down your box so that it's about 3" tall.
2. Trace the lid of your box on the wrong side of your fabric. Then cover the lid in hot glue or spray adhesive and slap the foam on there, I actually used a few random pieces. Once the foam is stuck you can cut it flush to the box with a serrated knife. Note: it doesn't have to look good, the vinyl will hide all flaws.
3. Place the lid on the box, and duct tape around the seam to hold it in place.
4. Cut out your circle of fabric, cutting 1/2" outside the line your drew to allow for seam allowance. Cut a rectangle of fabric 8" by the circumference of your box plus 2" (mine was 46"). Depending on your fabric, you might have to join two pieces to get it long enough.
5. With right sides facing, sew the long side of your rectangle to the edge of your circle. Trick: vinyl is too hard to pin, just sew slowly, stopping often to line up a small section at a time.
6. Clip along the edge of your seam, turn it right side out, and fit it over your box. Flip your box over and duct tape like crazy, pleating the vinyl as needed.
7. Set it in your kid's new spot at the kitchen table and enjoy!
Here's to a fresh face at the family table.
