Upcycled Diaper Boxes take very little time and hardly any expense. Learn How to reuse diaper boxes.
Upcycled Diaper Boxes
It is super easy to use old diaper boxes to create useful storage bins around the house. These DIY lined boxes can quickly be transformed into cute bins without spending much money.
Supplies needed:
- cardboard box
- Fabric. Just enough to cover your box (I needed about 1 yard)
- fabric scissors
- x-acto knife
- tape measure
- spray adhesive
How to reuse diaper boxes:
- Step 1. Cut the flaps off of the top of the box with the X-acto knife.
- Step 2. Measure around the box. Start with measuring down one side, the bottom and up the other side. Do this for the length and the width.
- Step 3. Cut your fabric to match the size of your box.
- Step 4. Place your box in the center of your cut fabric.
- Step 5. From one corner of the box, measure diagonally to the corner of the fabric. Mark 2″ out from the corner of the box.
- Step 6. Mark a straight line from your pin to each edge of the fabric. Make a rectangle.
- Step 7. Cut out the rectangle. This is extra fabric you don’t need.
- Step 8. You’ll need to cut 2″ of the fabric from your pin to the box for every corner.
- Step 9. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you have 4 rectangles cut out. It should look like a cross-shape.
- Step 10. Shake your spray adhesive and coat one long side of the box. Bring up the material and smooth it out. Make sure it adheres securely to the box.
Glue the tabs around the corner of the box as shown above. Then, repeat with the other long side.
- Step 11. On the short sides, fold the ends in and glue down. Then, spray glue the side of the box and glue the flap to the box.
Repeat with the other short side. Your box is now ready for you to make the liner!
Liner Materials:
- sewing machine
- straight pins
- fabric to line box
- fabric scissors
- tape measure
How to make a liner:
- Step 1. You’ll first need to cut your fabric. Determine how much you want the liner fabric to overhang on your box. Depending on the size of your box, 3-4″ looks good.
- Step 2. Once you decide how much overhang you want, double that number. Add that to the size of your outside fabric piece.
- Step 3. Once you have your full piece of fabric cut, follow the same process as #3 & 4 for the outside of the box. Place your box in the center of the fabric and measure out from the corner of the box to the corner of the fabric.
This time, mark the fabric at the 1″ mark (instead of the 2″ mark).
- Step 4. Just as in step #5, mark a straight line from your pin to each edge of the fabric. It should make a rectangle. This is extra fabric you don’t need.
Repeat with the other 3 corners. Do NOT clip the corner from the 1″ mark to the box (like you did from the 2″ mark with your other fabric).
- Step 5. Once you have all 4 corners cut out, your liner fabric will resemble a cross.
- Step 6. Fold side #2 on top of side #1, lining the edges up. Pin together.
- Step 7. Sew from the top to the bottom with a 1/2″ seam allowance (1/2″ from the pinned together edge). Sew together sides 3 & 4, sides 5 & 6 and sides 7 & 8 in the same way.
- Step 8. To finish the liner, hem the top edge (the only edge not yet sewn). I just folded mine over (wrong sides together) about 1/2″ and stitched all the way around. This will give you a finished look and make sure your fabric doesn’t unravel.
It’s easy to make Upcycled Diaper boxes.
Give this fun project a try. It is super easy and makes great storage. You can even use wrapping paper for a super fast solution.
Print instructions for Upcycled Diaper boxes:
Turn Old Diaper Boxes into Lined Canvas Baskets
Yield: 1
Equipment
- cardboard box
- enough fabric to cover your box (I needed about 1 yard)
- fabric scissors
- x-acto knife
- tape measure
- spray adhesive
Instructions
- You’ll first need to cut your fabric. To do this, first figure out how much you want the liner fabric to overhang your box. Since you can see that my outside fabric came up a little short (that was the biggest size scrap of fabric I had), I decided on a 5″ overhang. Depending on the size of your box, I think 3-4″ usually looks pretty good. Once you decide how much overhang you want, double that number and add that to the size of your outside fabric piece.
- For instance, my outside fabric (brown) measured 39″ x 48″. Since I wanted a 5″ overhang, I cut my liner fabric 49″ x 58″. That gives me an extra 5″ on each of the 4 sides.
- Once you have your full piece of fabric cut, follow the same process as #3 & 4 for the outside of the box. Place your box in the center of the fabric and measure out from the corner of the box to the corner of the fabric. This time, mark the fabric at the 1″ mark (instead of the 2″ mark). I just use a straight pin to mark my spot.
- Just as in step #5 (above), mark a straight line from your pin to each edge of the fabric, making a rectangle. I like to use a fabric chalk pencil to mark my fabric – its easy and the chalk just dusts right off. Cut out the rectangle. This is extra fabric you don’t need. Repeat with the other 3 corners. Do NOT clip the corner from the 1″ mark to the box (like you did from the 2″ mark with your other fabric).
- Once you have all 4 corners cut out, your liner fabric will resemble a cross. Now comes the sewing part. Trust me, even if you have never sewn before you can do it. I use a basic sewing machine (like this one) and it works great for all types of projects. Ready to sew? Let’s do it!
- You are going to fold side #2 on top of side #1, lining the edges up. Pin together. Notice that I am folding the right sides (the darker sides) of my fabric together. The wrong side of the fabric (the lighter side) is on the outside. Sew from the top (in the picture) to the bottom with a 1/2″ seam allowance (1/2″ from the pinned together edge). Sew together sides 3 & 4, sides 5 & 6 and sides 7 & 8 in the same way. When you are done you’ll have your liner.
- To finish off your liner, hem the top edge (the only edge not yet sewn). I just fold mine over (wrong sides together) about 1/2″ and stitch all the way around. This will give you a finished look and make sure your fabric doesn’t unravel. If you are worried about sewing a straight line, you can iron the edge down before you sew.
Notes
There you have it – a diaper box turned into beautiful storage box! You can make these for kids or for yourself. I have a friend that has several in her closet and she keeps various sized sheets inside. Now I just have to decide what I am going to store in mine
