30. Kids Storage using Artwork

My three year old son drew some great pictures of robots yesterday and I loved them so much that I had to use them in a project.

Ben is a really good artist for his age and he's passionate about drawing. We have lots and lots of his pictures and paintings stashed away and I'm always trying to come up with new ways to use and enjoy his art.

Like most little kids he loves to hide his collections and treasures and he's a huge fan of pockets. This fabric wall hanging has compartments for his important things - you know, his favourite Hot Wheels car, the best bedtime stories, the rock he picked up on a bushwalk, his lego helicopter, and his solar powered torch.

By incorporating his drawings into this project we'll get to see his robots every day, and Ben is so chuffed that mummy turned his drawings into something special for him.

Here's how to make something like this yourself:

Materials:


Drawings or images scanned into your computer.
Printable fabric sheets (cotton).
Light weight fusible white interfacing.
Inkjet printer - this doesn't work on a laser printer so if you don't own an inkjet try a copy shop to see if they can print them for you.
Fabric - use what you have. I used a scrap of cotton that I had left over plus some calico
2 Buttons.

Here we go...

Scan your images into your computer and resize them to the size and shape you want. You may also want to have a play with the brightness and colours.

Print them out on paper first to make sure they look exactly how you want them.

Grab your printable fabric sheets. I used these premium cotton sheets from www.accrafts.com.au:

This is how mine came out:

Make sure you read the directions on your fabric sheets. Most of them require some drying time and for you to rinse them in cold water. These were reasonably expensive at $34.95 for 10 sheets but I only used 2 sheets for this project. I'm not sure if a cheaper brand would be as good but I found these ones to be excellent.

While they're drying make your fabric panel.  I used two rectangles of fabric which I sewed together and then turned right side out. I made two tabs from an old tea towel by sewing two rectangles together then turning them out and pressing them.  After they were fixed in place I sewed the buttons on top.

I ironed on some fusible interfacing onto the back of my robot pictures before cutting them out. This helps to keep their shape, strengthens the images, and stops fraying.

For the pockets I cut out two pieces of fabric (double thickness) then pressed down the side seams before sewing on the robots with zigzag stitch. Once the robots were attached I sewed the seam along the top then I stitched the piece onto the fabric panel around the bottom and sides.

I measured where I wanted the pockets then sewed vertical lines to create them.

That's it! All ready to hang in his room.