Cut a piece of the exterior fabric large enough to fit the hoop size being used and that can also be trimmed down to a 10”x10” square after embroidering.

Spray the wrong side of your fabric with temporary spray adhesive and smooth over medium cutaway stabilizer.

Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together. Make sure everything is hooped tightly and there are no wrinkles or puckers in the fabric. Use a printed template if desired to help with placement. 

Load the embroidery file on the machine and attach the hoop onto the machine. Embroider the entire first design.

Unhoop the embroidery and then press design with an iron and pressing cloth.

Lay out the exterior fabric and cut four _­ 10”x10” squares. Mark or set aside one cut square to be the bottom of the bin. The previously trimmed embroidered panel will be the 5 ^th panel for the exterior.

Cut five pieces of medium to heavy weight fusible interfacing at 9”x9”. 

Place the interfacing squares in the middle of the wrong side of the 10”x10” pieces of the exterior fabric. There should be roughly a 1/2” gap all around. It is OK if it isn’t perfectly centered in the fabric, it just needs to have as little as possible in the seam allowance. 

Using a pressing cloth and an iron, iron on the interfacing according to manufacturer’s instructions to one of the panels. Repeat for all remaining exterior pieces, including the embroidered panel. 

Grab the two 10”x10” pieces of interior fabric that were set aside in an earlier step and cut one piece of the heavier double-sided interfacing at 9”x9”

Place the heavier interfacing in the middle of the wrong side of one of the 10”x10” pieces, then place the other piece on top. Make sure that the right side is facing upwards. It is OK if the interfacing isn’t exactly centered on the fabric, as long as the fabric is hanging over on all the sides. 

Using a pressing cloth and an iron, iron on the interfacing to both sides according to manufacturer’s instructions. Be sure to have both pieces of fabric sandwiching the interfacing, as both sides will fuse at the same time. 

Trim off the excess fabric around the interfacing, so it ends up being the final size of 9”x9”. 

To make a loop for the bottom piece, cut a piece of ½” bias tape 4” long. If desired, you can stitch down the edge to hold the bias tape shut.

Fold the bias tape in half to form a loop and place in center of one edge of the bottom piece. Stitch in place with either a straight stitch or zigzag stitch.

Zigzag stitch all around the edge of the heavy interfaced piece to keep the fabric from fraying, making sure to catch the loop to have it be extra secure. 

Cut out two pieces of the exterior fabric (or fabric of choosing) at 3.25” x 9.25” 

Fold each piece in half the long way and clip or pin together. 

Sew together with half inch seam allowance. 

Flip the straps right side out, then press flat with an iron. 

Fold the raw edges over 1” and press with an iron to create a clean edge. 

On the right side of an exterior fabric piece, place one edge of the handle piece 2” down from the top edge and 2” over from the side. Pin in place. Do the same thing with the other side of the handle, measuring and placing it 2” down and 2” over. The handle will be a little longer than the space where it’s placed. This is to allow room for hands when grabbing the handle. 

Stitch the handle in place on both edges, making sure to secure it with extra stitching. One way to do this is by sewing a box that then has a / or X sewn through it. 

Repeat to pin and sew the other handle on another side piece.

If you would like, you can fold two small pleats into the handle and press with an iron to help it lay flat.

On the wrong side of the bottom exterior piece, use a heat-resistant marking pen or marker to mark the seam allowance at the corners on all four sides. Repeat for the bottom interior piece. 

Clip or pin one of the exterior side pieces to the bottom piece with the sides together, so the interfacing and the marked seam allowance are facing out. 

Sew one exterior panel to the bottom panel, sewing between the marked seam allowance at the top and bottom. Leaving this gap will make sewing the side seams later on easier and have the seams be less bulky

Press the seam open with an iron and pressing cloth. 

Continue the process by stitching the other exterior pieces to the bottom, keeping the bottom panel facing up. This will allow you to easily see where you marked the seam allowances. Be sure to have the pieces with the handles on opposite sides. Don’t forget to press the other seams as well.

Match up two of the side seams and clip or pin them together. 

Sew from the top of the side seam down to the bottom to easily see where to stop sewing. You will see your prior stitch lines and ironing lines and can use those as an additional guide of where to stop sewing. The bottom can potentially be folded diagonally, depending on interfacing used, to make it easier to sew and have the side pieces lay flat. 

Trim the corners on both the exterior and interior cubes, as this will remove bulk and help them sit flatter when assembled. 

Flip the exterior cube right side out and push out the corners using a point tool or something similar. 

Clip or pin the exterior cube to the interior cube, being sure that the side seams stay lined up. 

Using a sewing machine, baste together the exterior cube and the interior cube. This will make applying and sewing bias tape easier as the exterior and interior are already held together.

Trim off any excess interior fabric at the top so it’s even or as close to even as you can get it. 

Congratulations, you’ve completed your own fabric cube! Use it to store works in progress, sewing supplies, and more.