After sampling some of our scrumptious Quilter’s Chocolates, I was left with a little round tin to recycle. I thought, why not reuse it instead? It’s a perfect size for holding pins or rotary blades. Or small buttons, or needles—the list could be nearly endless.

Then I thought, wouldn’t it be fun if the tin was decorative as well as useful? And what could be more decorative then a mini-quilt?  I tried two different versions.

First, I traced around the lid rim to make a paper pattern. I used it to cut out a piece of fabric that would be about 1/4 inch larger all around than the tin top. I cut out teensy pieces of fabric to make my mini-quilts. For the 1930s style quilt, I cut 4 wedges with a decorative rotary blade. For the Amish style quilt, I used a regular blade to cut out squares in 3 sizes of contrasting fabrics.

I used Wonder Under to fuse the pieces to the fabric circle bases, and then I “quilted” them by hand. The ’30s version has big stitches done in perle cotton; for the Amish version I used regular black thread.  Finally, I sewed a button in the center of each one.

Next, I cut out a circle of thin batting the size of the tin top and glued it on the tin. Then I laid a bead of glue around the rim of the top, centered the “quilt” on top, and carefully secured the edges around the rim, trimming any areas that stuck out beyond the edge.

To finish, I glued on an edging—baby rick rack for the 30s version, and blue seam binding for the Amish one.

I haven’t figured out a graceful way to cover the bottom of the tin yet, although I think it could be sanded and painted. For storing rotary blades, I plan to line the bottom of the inside with a circle of felt.

Related posts:

1. Junk to Jewel: Heirloom tomato pincushions
2. Staff Pick: Crazy with Cotton by Diana Leone