Weathered Quilt Crate

For quite some time I've been looking for the perfect solution for quilt storage.  I've gone through several baskets, displayed my quilts on our furniture, and I even considered building a quilt ladder, but living with four little men has taught me that a ladder would be used for climbing instead of displaying blankets. That's why when I saw these orchard crates for sale on our local yard sale page, I quickly snagged one for myself and several for my mother.

I liked the vintage feel that they would bring to my living room and felt that they would (hopefully) be a lot more sturdy than an basket. Our living room has undergone quite a change over the past few weeks as we've tried to move more towards a classic, vintage feel.  After two months of shopping for a new sofa, hubby and I finally found one (and saved $400 on it, but that's a different story). 

Are you ready to make your own weathered quilt crate?

For this project you will need:

• crate
• stain
• foam brush and rag
• craft paint
• vinyl number
• small round plate (or other round object)
• sander (optional)

To start out, you will need to thoroughly clean your crate and remove any dust and splinters.  (Remove quilts too! Ha!)

Next, grab the stain (I chose Weathered Gray by Rust-Oleum) and apply a light coat with the foam brush.  Rub the stain with the rag to remove excess. 

Allow crate to completely dry.

Next, you will need to grab your plate (or round object) and center it in the middle of one of the sides of the crate.

Using a contrasting pencil, carefully mark around the edges of the plate to create your circle.

Then, using your craft paint, lightly paint the inside of the circle.  I did a light coat to help it look more distressed and weathered.

Then I took a sander to it to distress it even more.

Finally, center your vinyl number in the middle of your circle and apply.

That's it! Now you have a crate to tuck all of your quilt into.  Or toys.  Or books.  The possibilities are endless.