Catch-All Fat Quarter Fabric Tray: Simple Sewing Tutorial

Make good use of fabric scraps and organize the odd and ends that seem to collect on the nightstand by sewing this fat quarter fabric tray.

Hello, it’s Keri from One Mama’s Daily Drama again. If you saw my fabric garland tutorial or my DIY iPad Cover, you might remember that I’m trying to use up my fabric stash. I’ve got a ton of fat quarters and they’re really handy for small projects like this easy beginner sewing tutorial.

A hand-sewn fat quarter fabric tray sitting on a nightstand with essential oils bottles inside.

You can use this as a desk tidy or a catch-all on your nightstand. I think I need one in every room to collect all the stuff that just seems to hang around. Does it count as a “junk drawer” if it’s really cute?

How to Make a Fat Quarter Fabric Tray

I use two fat quarters to make this fabric tray, but you can cut any size fabric into a square and follow the same instructions.

What you need:

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Craft/DIY Tools Needed:

scissors
iron
sewing machine or needle and thread

Supplies Needed:

2 fabric fat quarters
thread
starch (optional)

scissors, iron, fabric, thread, and starch on a craft table

Instructions:

1. Prepare the fabric

Iron the fabric to get out any wrinkles or creases.

ironing blue floral fabric to make a tray out of fat quarter fabric.

Cut both pieces into an equal sized square. Mine measures about 9×9-inches. I folded it on a diagonal to cut it.

2. Sew fabric squares

Line up the fabric with right sides together. Starting on a side (not a corner) sew around all four sides, leaving about 2 inches open.

3. Turn the fabric right side out

Trim the points off of each corner, careful not to cut through the thread. This makes it easier to get the corners nice and neat.

close up of fabric with the corner cut off

Turn the fabric right side out through the hole and smooth the corners.

Iron the fabric square flat again and sew a hem around the whole thing. If you add some starch at this point, the finished tray will hold its shape more easily.

4. Sew the corners

Fold the fabric square on the diagonal. Measure 2 inches in from each tip and sew a straight line from the “edge” of the bowl to the “center.” Fold the triangle the opposite direction and sew the opposite corners, again towards the “center.” This will make the bowl become square with a pinched triangle in each corner.

one half of the fat quarter tray corners sewn to create a triangle

The finished bowl is square. This one is pretty deep, but if you want to make a more shallow one just sew the corner triangles 1 inch instead of 2 inches.

A blue and brown fat quarter fabric tray with all four corners sewn to stand up

Fat Quarter Fabric Tray Catch-All

close up of one corner with the hem lines highlighted

I’m using the finished bowl to hold jewelry, essential oils, etc. on my nightstand. It also works to hold paperclips, rubber bands, and other small items on your desk. You could make one to match any home decor to make a pretty, decorative storage bowl for any room in the house.

finished fabric tray sitting on a nightstand with essential oils and jewelry inside

closer view of finished fabric tray sitting on a nightstand with essential oils and jewelry inside

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