School is right away the corner. Lockers will be filling up with paper and books and perhaps a few weeks’ worth of lunch bags. It’s probably time to force a little organization on the chaos with this super cute locker caddy. This is a great ScrapBusters project. There’s just a little bit of sewing and a whole lot of glueing.

We used some very specific sizes and items (our caddy finishes at approximately 8″ x 13″), and we’ve linked directly to products wherever possible. But not to worry, it would be very easy to revise the shapes and sizes to best fit your locker and whatever dry erase board you find. Some schools have full lockers, some have half lockers. The actual locking mechanisms and hinges are also likely be in different places on different types of doors, so if at all possible, it’s best to measure the actual locker this caddy will be helping to organize.

No students in the household? The caddy would also be a great way to organize notes and more on your kitchen fridge.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Sewing Machine and standard presser foot

Fabric and Other Supplies

• Scrap or ½ yard of 44″+ wide quilting weight fabric
• 2 yards of ½” wide double fold bias binding tape; Wrights packaged binding works great – or make your own binding
• 1 yard of 15″ fusible paper-backed web: we used Pellon Wonder Under
• ¼” foam board or similar, enough for an 8″ x 13″ cut
• Sturdy but thin cardboard or similar (⅛” would be plenty), enough for an 8″ x 13″ cut
• One 6″ x 8″ dry erase board with attached marker
• Two 5″ x 8″ adhesive magnetic sheets
  NOTE: If you want extra sticking power, we suggest adding a small block magnet in each corner. These can be attached with hot glue or epoxy.
• Craft glue: we used Aleene’s Quick Dry Tacky Glue
• Craft knife
• Fabric pen or pencil
• All purpose thread to match printed fabric
• Rotary cutter and mat
• See-through ruler
• Ironing board and iron

Getting Started

1. Using the cutting mat and craft knife, cut the following:
   ONE 8″ x 13″ piece of foam board
   ONE 8″ x 13″ piece of cardboard
2. Using a cutting mat and rotary cutter, cut the following from the fabric:
   TWO 10″ x 15″ rectangles
   ONE 4½” x 10″ rectangle for the pocket
3. Using a cutting mat and rotary cutter, cut TWO 10″ x 15″ pieces of fusible web
4. The bias binding will be cut during the construction steps below.
5. Use the craft knife to round the corners of the foam board and cardboard to match the rounded corners of your dry erase board.
   

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

1. Cut an 11″ length of bias binding.
2. Slip the binding over the top edge of the 4½” x 10″ pocket piece with the binding. It will extend about ½” on either end. Pin in place.
3. Edgestitch the binding in place along the upper edge of the pocket. Go slowly and carefully, making sure you are catching both the front and back of the binding in this one seam.
   
4. With both pieces facing right side up, place the bound pocket piece on the lower edge of one 10″ x 15″ piece, matching the side and bottom raw edges. Pin in place
   NOTE: If you choose a directional print as we did, make sure both pieces are running in the correct direction.
5. Machine baste the two pieces together ¼” along both sides and across the bottom.
6. With a fabric pen or pencil, draw a vertical line, dividing the pocket exactly in half.
   
7. Topstitch along the drawn line to create two pockets. Use a substantial back tack at the beginning and end of the seam to insure the division can withstand the stress of inserting items in and out of the pockets.
   
8. Apply a 10″ x 15″ piece of fusible web to the wrong side of each 10″ x 15″ rectangle of print fabric (the plain piece – the back, and the piece that now has the pockets attached – the front). Following manufacturer’s instructions, fuse in place.
   
9. Carefully remove the paper backing from the 10″ x 15″ back piece (the plain piece without the pockets).
   
10. Center the cardboard on the fusible web. Finger press to adhere the cardboard in place on the fusible web.
11. Wrap the raw edges of the fabric panel around the cardboard and iron in place, clipping the corners of the fabric as needed to easy the fabric and create a smooth edge. Iron again from the front (the covered side) to secure the fabric to the finished side of the cardboard.
    NOTE: It goes without saying that your iron should be on a low setting. But I’m sayin’ it anyway!
    
12. Apply the two 5″ x 8″ adhesive magnetic sheets to the fabric covered side of the back piece (the piece you just wrapped around the cardboard). Position one sheet 1″ below the upper edge, and the second sheet 1″ above the lower edge. Press in place firmly (with your hands – NOT the iron) to ensure both pieces are completely adhered. Set aside.
    NOTE: While you’re working on the front piece, you could put a heavy book on top of the magnets as further help to adhere.
    
13. Remove the paper backing from the pocket unit piece. Cover the foam board with the front fabric panel using the same technique you just did to cover the cardboard with the back fabric panel.
    NOTE: Because this piece is two layers instead of one, at the pocket corners you can use dots of craft glue if necessary to cover the corners smoothly.
    
14. Remove the marking pen holder from the dry erase board.
    
15. Run a bead of craft glue along the rim of each side of the board, and wrap the edge with the bias tape trim. Overlap the ends and trim the bias tape at the point where the pen holder was removed so the overlap will be hidden. Use a wet cloth to remove any excess glue from the front of board.
16. Allow to fully dry, then replace the marking pen holder.
    
17. Place the front and back layers together, matching all the edges. Glue the foam board to the cardboard. Remember, the magnet side should be facing out on the back, the pockets facing out on the front.
18. Glue the dry erase board above the pocket, keeping it centered.
    

Project Concept: Liz Johnson
Sample Creation, Pattern Design and Instructional Editing: Michele Mishler