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Fabric buckets are an easy, inexpensive way to add a little organizational flair to your home decor. Follow our lead and use them to hold fruits and veggies, craft supplies or socks – you could also make a teeny-tiny bucket to contain desktop bits and bobs, or one big enough to corral your laundry. Why not let every family member choose his or her favourite fabric and make one per person – they're the perfect receptacle for gym shoes, homework and permission slips. Getting organized has never been prettier.

Take a look at a larger image of the finished fabric bucket.

Easy fabric bucket
This pattern makes a bucket that is about 20 cm (7-7/8 inches) in diameter and 25 cm (9-7/8 inches) high, with fabric to spare. But it's easy to customize this pattern to fit your needs – just dust off your grade school math skills and you're all set (see Designer's notes, page 2).

You need:
• 0.5 m (193/4 inches) medium-, heavy- or home-dec weight fabric, at least 1.15 m (45 inches) wide, for feature fabric
• 0.5 m (193/4 inches) light-, medium-, heavy- or home-dec weight fabric, at least 1.15 m (45 inches) wide, for lining
• 1 m (39-3/4 inches) medium-weight interfacing (use fusible interfacing if desired)*
• Matching thread
• Kraft or pattern paper, pencil, ruler and compass
• Ruler, fabric marker and scissors, or rotary cutter, acrylic ruler and self-healing cutting mat
*Available at fabric stores; optional.


To make:
Note: A 6 mm (1/4-inch) seam allowance is used throughout, unless otherwise noted.

1. To create pattern templates: Using pencil and compass, draw 20 cm (7-7/8-inch) diameter circle, for base, on Kraft paper; cut out. With pencil and ruler, draw 22.5 x 62.5 cm (8-7/8- x 24-5/8 -inch) rectangle, for side, on Kraft paper; cut out.

2. Pin and trace pattern templates onto wrong sides of outside and liner fabrics; carefully cut out. Repeat with interfacing (if using).

3. Using scant 6 mm (1/4-inch) seam and basting stitch, baste interfacing to liner fabric pieces, wrong sides facing. Interfacing is now considered "wrong side" of liner fabric pieces.

Take a look at a larger image of the finished fabric bucket.

4. Fold outside side piece in half, matching short ends, with wrong sides together; sew along short end (opposite fold) to create tube. Repeat with liner side piece. Press seam allowances open.

5. With wrong sides facing out, pin one base to bottom of matching tube, pinning generously and easing over the curve. Sew pieces together; press seam allowances toward bottom. Repeat with second base and tube.

6. Fit buckets together with right sides facing and side seams aligned. Pin, then sew together around top edges, leaving 7.5 cm (3-inch) gap in stitching. Turn right side out and press, making sure raw edges are turned in. Edgestitch around top of bucket. If desired, fold top over.

Designer's notes:
• To make handles: Cut two strips of fabric. Fold each in half lengthwise, wrong sides together; press. Open up; fold edges to meet in middle and press again. Refold along original crease to enclose raw edges; edgestitch. Add handles in Step 6.

• To change sizes: To calculate size of rectangle, determine desired height of bucket; calculate length by multiplying diameter of base by 3.14. Add 1.2 cm (1/2 inch) seam allowance to each measurement.

Looking for more great handmade totes?  Browse our online collection of totebag patterns!

For more great sewing patterns and sewn craft ideas, visit our dedicated Sewing page.