How to Make a Montessori Magic Tissue Box Yourself
This project is very straight forward. It involves sewing some square fabric together and making a small button hole to connect the squares before stuffing them into your box or container. I didn’t pin anything together before sewing so it made it even easier.
I’m definitely on the lazier side when it comes to something like this. Let’s be honest, if it’s for a baby, they will lose interest pretty quickly or drool all over it to tell you how much they love it. Also, I don’t think Baby is too worried about a few little flaws here and there.
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links while at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
Jump To:
That is also why I have a hard time spending a ton of money on baby toys. Although, the pretty wood ones I find online are so aesthetic, and they make me want to have a whole wall dedicated to Montessori activities. So here I am making my kid some toys myself to save money.
Are The Tissues Hard to Make?
This is a very beginner friendly project. It only involves sewing around a border. The only slightly harder part of this is sewing the button hole. It sounds more intimidating than it is. Basically, for this one, I just sewed around in a triangular carrot shape a few times.
Also depending on what you use to make your container, it may be more advanced to cut a hole is something wood as opposed to cardboard. So this is all dependent on your tools.
How Much Does it Cost to Make?
This is dependent on the supplies you have on hand already. If you’re a craft supply hoarder like me, this will cost you nothing to make! In my case, I had all the fabric on hand already. I’ve built up a collection of fat quarters that I haven’t used, so I thought this would be a perfect project for some of them.
My container was from the dollar store, so it cost me $1.25 + tax. You could also splurge on something like this. That would make your project slightly more expensive.
What are Fat Quarters and How Do I Use Them for This Project?
Fat quarters are a quarter of a yard but instead of cutting 1/4 yard of the reim of fabric, the yard is cut into four corners. Think hamburger instead of hotdog?
You only need 4 Fat Quarters if you’d prefer to go this route. If you want to pick out and buy your fabric, and want different patterns, you could consider looking at the fat quarters at your local fabric store. They usually cost a bit more than buying fabric by the yard.
What Can I Use For a Magic Tissue Box Container?
You can really use anything you can find for a tissue box. Some ideas are:
- Tupperware
- Yogurt container
- Coffee can
- Empty Tissue Box
- Shoe Box
- Buy a Fancy Wood Tissue Box
How Big Should The Hole Be In A Magic Tissue Box?
The hole size is pretty much up to you! If it is too small, it is harder for your baby to pull the tissues out. I tried a 1″ hole at first, and there was too much tension on the fabric to pull them out easily. I ended up with a 2″ hole and that was much better.
Some may want a slightly bigger diameter so that baby can put tissues back in the box eventually. If you end up making a bigger hole, you can glue the felt on so that the hole expands enough for a little hand, yet still holds some tension for the tissues to separate. Think like a regular tissue box!
What Do I Need To Make a Magic Tissue Box?
Here is the list of supplies that you will need:
- 1 Yard of fabric OR enough scrap fabric to make 16 – 9×9″ squares of fabric
- Cotton quilting fabric or flannel would work best for these
- Contrasting or Coordinating Thread
- Scrap paper or cardboard
- Fabric Scissors
- Sewing Machine
- Container (See Ideas Above)
- Hole Saw and drill (optional)
- Sand Paper (optional)
- Felt (optional)
- Hot glue gun (optional)
Step By Step Instructions
1. Make a 9×9 Square Pattern Out of Paper or Cardboard
I used the edge of a Walmart+ paper bag. It was just thick enough that it was perfect as a double layer
2. Use Pattern To Cut Squares Out of Fabric
I didn’t use pins for this, I just held in place while I cut around the edges. I really only needed to cut to edges if the other two edges lined up with the fabric corner.
You can cut up to four layers at a time to save on time and effort.
3. Pair Up Squares
This is the fun part! Pair squares up together. You can choose to have contrasting sides or matching sides.
4. Face Right Sides In
Take your first fabric pair and face the “pretty” sides toward eachother
5. Sew Together
Sew around edges leaving a 1/4″ edge. Stop on fourth side, 3-4″ before you get to your starting corner.
6. Turn Your Work Right Side Out
Turn your work inside out so that the “pretty” side is facing out. Press the edges down so that your square lays flat.
7. Tuck Raw Edges in and Press Flat
Fold those leftover edges in so they line up with the rest of the edges. If it helps to use a pin for this, you can pin it in place. We will sew over it to keep it down in the next step.
8. Sew a Border Around The Edge
I used the zig-zag stitch to sew around the entire edge of the square. This is more of a decorative thing. You can use any stitch you would like. You can probably also skip this step if you wish. If you skip this step, you will still need to stitch the open hole shut.
I also sewed a diagonal line across one corner. This is just to easily see which corner to pull through the button hole when you’re reloading your tissues back into the container for your baby.
9. Make a Button Hole
I made a carrot shape and went over it three times. The “V” shape of the carrot is about 1″ long. You can use a straight stitch or a slight zigzag stitch to make this.
When you are done stitching, just cut the middle out with your scissors.
10. Repeat With All Your Remaining Squares
Finish the rest of your square pairs to make 8 total tissues.
11. Make Container By Cutting Hole In It
I used a 2″ hole saw to cut the hole out of my lid. When you are done cutting, use sand paper to file down any sharp pieces. You can pretty much use any grit but I would say 80-120 grit would be easiest.
12. Glue Felt Over Hole
Glue felt piece on the underside of the hole and cut a small slit in the middle of it.
This step is optional and I didn’t need it. You may decide to make a felt slit where the opening is. You would need this if your tissues aren’t easily separating from each other when you pull them out of the tissue box.
How Do You Use the Magic Tissue Box?
Setup is easy (and unexpectedly fun). Take the button hole from your first tissue. Take the diagonal stitched corner from your second tissue and put the very end of the corner through the first button hole. Just enough of the tissue should stick out so that the tissues stay together while pulling. If you put too much through, they may not come apart.
Stuff the tissues in the box. Start with putting the last tissue in the bottom of the container and work your way to the top one. Put the corner of the top one through the hole in your lid. Screw or shut the lid in place.
Play!
