Getting Crafty with Kraft-Tex

I have been so excited about this new craft paper I finally got a chance to sit down and make up something. I did use some as an accent on a new purse I put together and have been SO pleased with how the colors turned out and can't wait to see how well it wears. I would like to put together a pattern for this style bag, as soon as I get a few extra hours (by few I mean I need at least a week for rough draft and sewing, then several more hours typing, working with Illustrator CS4 and then a few more hours to test and revise the pattern. I'll let you know when that happens) for now here is a sneak peek of what's in store.

Now for the fun part, a project I can share. I put together these 3 little bins out of a 13-1/2" x 20" piece of Kraft-Tex. I used the corner cutouts for decorative tabs, and plan to use the rest of the squares as accents on a book cover.

I cut my 13-1/2" x 20" piece of the Kraft-Tex into 3 pieces. 13-1/2" x 11", 9 x 8-1/2" and 9 x 5". This way I used the entire piece, and didn't waste anything. Next, I cut a square out of each of the 4 corners. First I used a quilting ruler to mark the corners with a pencil and cut each corner out with scissors.

Because each piece got smaller, I decreased the size of the square that was cut from the corner. For the largest- 2-1/2", next 1-3/4", and smallest 1-1/4".

 I scored a line from the inside corner of each cutout to help the piece have a sharper edge for the bottom. I don't have a fancy tool for this; so my small flathead screwdriver came in very handy. Then fold the edges up. Looks a little like a bin here doesn't it.

Here's the part where you can get creative. Because this textile is so versatile, you can paint, stitch, color any way you want on it. I went plain Jane, well let's say I went minimal chic. I stitched two rows of stitching along each outer edge 1/8" apart.

I increased my stitch length to 4.0, I didn't want it to look cramped. If you have a heavyweight topstitch thread, that would work nicely. Make sure to stay-stitch or back-tack at the beginning and end. Also, if you stitch a row and don't like how it turns out, even if you take the thread out, you are stuck with the needle holes. They won't undo, so be sure you have a scrap to test stitch before you begin.

Now to join these corners together. I took one of the square cutout from the corners and cut it into (4) 1/2" pieces. These will let me tack the edges, and give a decorative touch.

 Then I stitched around each one. Again, make sure to stay-stitch otherwise long stitches will come undone.

Fold one of the tabs in half and center it over one edge of the corner. Stitch through all layers to secure this half.

Now comes the fun part. This was not particularly enjoyable for me and it took a little practice. By the time I was done, it wasn't so bad getting the second half of the corner lined up between the tab. If I hadn't been on a deadline to get stuff done I would have hand tacked the corners up into a box shape and just glued the decorative tabs in place. I didn't have time to hand stitch and then get online to search and see if Elmer's would do the trick or if I need to get something heavier duty.

I pinched up the corner and folded it slightly. Make sure to have to top edges line up straight. I stitched the heck out of this once I had it in place. All the way across the tab and back. Then I stitched another row 1/8" above the first line of stitching.

Repeat this for all corners. I pinched the tab so that it would help the corner be a little sharper.

And voila! Fill your little bins with whatever you like or give as a gift to someone special.