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CANVAS BIN TUTORIAL: a small space friendly way to maximize wall space and add storage

We've often shared how when living in small spaces, one must learn to see space differently. Floor space is the most common way we see space as usable and valuable but wall space is just as valuable and usable! When utilized correctly, walls can provide the solution you've been needing to store crucial items and that was the case in our 50 sq ft nursery.

Since this room was going to store all of our clothing AND baby's, it was important to give function to every wall of this room but in a way that did not feel overwhelming. That's where these canvas bins came in. Made out of painter's drop cloth, the texture and material of these bins is neutral enough to stay exposed but durable enough to store lots of items without them falling apart.

Add floating shelves and add a rod to the bottom and you've got yourself an exposed little closet and an entire wall that is now maximized for all storing needs!

So excited to share exactly how each bin was made! We have used these in all sorts of projects and spaces since they're so versatile and they're pretty enough to be exposed.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

9x12 Painter’s Drop cloth* (we bought ours here) * yields 6 bins

Matching thread (find some here)

TOOLS:

Scissors

Pins

Iron

MACHINES:

Sewing machine

Serger (optional)

FINISHED BIN DIMENSIONS:

10”H x 10” diameter

COST-

$2 per bin

SEWING TERMS:

Right sides together-

Means the right sides of the fabric will be laying together. This is the way most seams are sewn so the seam is on the wrong side of the fabric. Assume that the fabrics will always be right-side-together unless otherwise specified.

Finish Seam- A seam finish is a treatment that secures and neatens the raw edges of a plain seam to prevent raveling, by sewing over the raw edges or enclosing them in some sort of binding. Using a serger over a seam finishes the seam, as well as stitching a seam using a zig zag stitch.

Backstitch- a stitch sewn one stitch length backward on the front side and two stitch lengths forward on the reverse side to form a solid line of stitching on both sides.

STEP 1:

Take your drop cloth and trace (2) 10” circles

(you can use a compass to make your circle. I happened to have a 10" round plate

in our kitchen so I just traced the circles out of that)

STEP 2:

Cut circles out

Step 3:

Cut (2) 32” wide x 10” tall rectangles

STEP 4:

Place rectangles on top of each other and serge seam along longest side

*(If you don’t have a serger, sew with a 1/2" allowance and then zig zag to prevent sides from fraying)

STEP 5:

Turn rectangles right side up, folding wrong sides together

(zig zagged seams will be on the inside)

and iron folded seam

STEP 6:

Take your folded seam and using a straight stitch on your sewing machine, topstitch fabrics together (this will finish the edge of the bin and help stabilize the two pieces together)