tin can cover
May 12th, 2008
This project is from an old issue of Cotton Friend, a japanese magazine that my husband brought back for me from Singapore. These are incredibly handy and I have many more in the works: for all the crap little things in my studio and all the markers, crayons and glue sticks that are under the couch. I thought you would like to make some too, so I whipped up a tutorial. Here you go:
Materials:
28 oz. tin can (if you have a different size can, just measure the height and circumference, add seam allowances, and the rest is the same)
linen, or other fabric
lining fabric
embroidery floss
glue (I used rubber cement, but plain white glue should do just fine)
Directions:
Wash your tin can and take off the paper. Cut two 13″ X 4.75″ rectangles–one from linen and one from the lining fabric–and one 13″ X 1.5″ strip of linen. Embroider the design of your choice on the fabric or leave it plain if you like. Place the two large rectangles together right sides facing, and sew around using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Leave a 2 inch opening in the middle of one of the short sides for turning out. Clip the corners, turn and press (I like to press it so a little of the lining shows). Sew the opening closed. Fold the strip of fabric in half the long way and press. All the way along one side clip almost up to the fold. Glue the unclipped side to the inside of the tin can, then glue the outside. Wrap the finished piece around the can and sew shut (I like my stitches to show, but you could of course use an invisible stitch).
I was planning on having a pdf file with embroidery designs you could download, but I’m not having much luck with that at the moment. Until I figure it out here are pictures of the designs you can print out and use (you will probably have to resize them a bit). If you want to see these or any of the instructional photos more clearly, click over to my flickr site.
Edited to add: please click here and you can download both sets of designs for your own stylish, embroidered tin can cover.
drop me a line if you make one!
May 12th, 2008 at 11:52 am
I love those! Wonderful
May 12th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
wow, meg! very cute, thanks for sharing!
May 12th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Cool! I love the embroidery designs so much. I’m sure they’ll be making an appearance on a piece of linen near me somethime soon!
May 12th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
That. Is. So. Cool.
Seriously, Meg, I absolutely love this.
May 12th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Hello there,
I’ve been lurking here for s bit and have to say how much I love you little embroidery designs. I’m so inspired!
Kelly
May 12th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
OOOh, absolutely love these! I am completely smitten with those adorable drawings! very cool - thanks!
May 12th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Awe.Some.
Very nice idea and a great tutorial and GREAT little drawings. This post is making me very, very happy.
And helping me procrastinate, too. So thanks. : )
May 12th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Thanks for the idea & tutorial…I love it!
I only have one whisk.
I know, it’s sad. :)
May 13th, 2008 at 4:51 am
oh. i love it. so perfect. for covering so many things. which cotton friend issue is it in?
May 13th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Meg - you are so clever! I love that everytime I pop by I leave feeling so inspired. Thanks :)
May 13th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Great, great, great! So simple, so delightful, so functional. I assume they are washable also. I have got to get some of those Japanese craft books.
May 13th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I don’t have much extra room in the kitchen, but I want to make some the pencil and the scissor ones for my sewing room! Those are lovely!
May 13th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
I have been wanting to do this for two months now. The cans are on my kitchen counter full of pencils but I haven’t had time to sew the coverings for them yet. Your can turned out great!
May 13th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Oh wow. That is way cool! And here I’ve been recycling my cans….. not anymore. Thanks!
May 13th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
this is wonderful! I wish I had all the whisks to go with it.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:44 am
so beautiful. and simple. and useful. and gorgeous. and lovely.
Sigh.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Oh I just love these! so cute!
May 14th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Fantastic! I love your illustrations. Those whisks would be great embroidered or printed onto fabric for aprons.
May 14th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I love LOVE your whisk drawings! Darn cute.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
thanks for the tutorial. what a great idea!
May 15th, 2008 at 6:04 am
Wow, what a great idea. I’ve got a few tin cans that could use lovely covers like this! Thank you so much for sharing. -kb
May 15th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Love it - and I adore your little whisk embroidery.
May 16th, 2008 at 4:57 am
How darling is this project? I love it! ^_^
May 17th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I love that!
May 20th, 2008 at 4:58 am
these are great and look so good when applied to fabric. good luck with the file attachment thingy!
May 20th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Nifty!
May 20th, 2008 at 10:39 am
super, it’s cool i would like to make one. Can i use your picture and the link to your blog to put on my blog for french girl???? sorry for my english !! Thank’s
emma’sfamily
May 20th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
lovely!!!!!!
May 20th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
adorable. love the whisks
May 20th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
So gorgeous! I definitely need to make one of these to hold pencils. Don’t really understand why you’d line it though… all that beautiful fabric is never seen. Wouldn’t it be enough to just press the edges under?
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Very cute and so handy! Okay, next on my list of projects. Thanks!
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:29 am
I love this idea in using up what I might otherwise throw away. I may make some for presents.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:01 am
[...] tin can cover at elsie marley Such a cute idea and great for recycling - I love the little kitchen utensil and office embroidery patterns! [...]
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:50 am
this is such a great idea, love your designs, TFS
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
What a great idea! I love it.
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:35 pm
wow - i love this!!
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Wow, so very cute! I LOVE Japanese craft mags and books, am in fact obsessed with them; I’m going to Japan in a month–could be big trouble! Anyway, thanks for sharing. Cute wedding gift idea or hostess gift, no?
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:27 pm
This is so cute what a clever idea i have to make one.
Also going to post this on my web site so others can get this idea.Thank you so much for sharing it with us all. hugs & big smiles
May 24th, 2008 at 8:19 am
[...] Fabric Covered Tin Can: Use this as utensil holders or for desktop organizing…great way to recycle cans as well as use up some fabric scraps. Add a little hand embroidery if you like for some extra pizazz. [...]
May 25th, 2008 at 1:27 am
[...] by Sarah Craft: had a link to a great tutorial from Elsie Marley the other day - how to make a tin can cover - that I just couldn’t [...]
May 25th, 2008 at 7:29 am
Thanks for sharing, I have so much need for this!! Your tin looks so pretty!
May 27th, 2008 at 3:08 am
I used cans for decorating the table a few weeks ago too: I had written the menu on a thick paper, cutted out the words and sewed them on some felt together with all kinds of buttons and little figures representing the menu (for ex.: a bee for the honey sauce,..) And inside the can there were a few flowers, it looked very nice too!
May 27th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
[...] My contribution to the Functional Felt Swap. These were made with hand-dyed wool felt. The material was bought at a yarn and fiber store, it’s so beautiful and textural. I was inspired by Meg’s tutorial here. [...]
May 28th, 2008 at 10:49 am
I *knew* there was a reason I was hanging on to all those coffee cans. This is great!
May 29th, 2008 at 10:01 am
just loved the idea. I’m always collecting the cans but never had the perfect idea to reuse them. I have now =D
May 29th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
me too…been hanging on to coffee cans…this is so great!!
May 30th, 2008 at 11:29 am
[...] ♥ Not into making clothes? Try this adorable Tin Can Cover. [...]
June 7th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
I love those illustrations! They are right up my alley.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
What a terrific project! Your blog is so fun… great ideas and lovely photography!
June 18th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Dear Elsie:
I made this tin can cover using your tutorial and it turned out great! You can see it here:
http://juliealvarez.blogspot.com/2008/06/semana-hecha-mano-handmade-week.html
Thanks a lot!
July 1st, 2008 at 8:46 am
Meg, let me just say that this project was incredibly easy to make. I used a smaller can to hold all of the kiddlings colored pencils. They love it! I love it! I’ve already packed the materials to make the scissor and paintbrush holders in my bag to take camping with me this weekend. Thank you.