For The Home: Toy Box Cushion

If you remember, one of my New Year's Sewing Resolutions is to sew for my home.  I have been so proud of myself for all that I have done.  I'm up to about four or five projects.  They are just little things, but they make me feel better about my home.

We have a nice little starter home that we are outgrowing, but we don't have any immediate plans for moving into anything larger.  So, I've been trying to maximize our storage space, and find different ways to make our small space work for our growing family.  Minimizing clutter is difficult.  Kids have so many toys, and they are inevitably hauled out to the living room where most of the playing happens. In our cozy home, our living room is also where we entertain, and the first thing someone sees when they come into our home.  So, being able to put toys away quickly (as soon as there is a knock at the door), is a plus.

I picked up this white chest a couple of years ago while out thrifting.  It was in decent shape, but nothing beautiful.  From the beginning I'd planned on making a cushion for the top.  It was a way to add a bit more seating to our small space, while hiding away toys.

It took me a long time to get around to making the seat cushion.  It's not the most exciting thing to sew, but I am so pleased with the way it cleans up the room.  I purchased the foam at a local craft store that was going out of business.  It was 3.5" thick, so a perfect little cushion for any behind.  The herringbone fabric is the same that I used to recover the glider.  It is nice and neutral with a really subtle sheen.

Velcro became my best friend on this project.  I chose to use it both to attach the cushion to the chest, and as a closure on the back of the cushion (no photo, sorry).  I attached the rough side of the  sew on velcro to the material, to avoid snagging if it wasn't perfectly aligned.  I used a sticky back velcro for the chest.  

 Now we can store all of those toys with their brightly colored packages.  It really does make a big difference in the space.