Kitty Litter Box Turned Garden Helper

There really are a ton of uses for those fabulous buckets that kitty litter comes in. Although with  five cats, the oldest one being 15, if you do a little math you'll soon see that I should have enough to build a house from those buckets.  I use them as storage, cleaning and hauling buckets, recycling cans in the craft room, you name it!  Here's my recent project:

It's a fantastic little helper in the garden keeping all your tools together, providing a place to put all those weeds and even acting as a stool to rest your weary behind. Here's how I did it:

Grab your supplies:
1. Kitty litter bucket
2. Old pair of jeans, cords or other heavy-weight material
3. Velcro (Industrial strength/earthquake velcro AND clothing velcro)
4. Scissors and a sewing machine

To make the skirt, measure how much fabric you'll need to cover the flat surface of the bucket and add a bit for seam allowance.  Measure that amount out on your material and cut off the excess leg material.  You'll have something that looks a little like a pair of daisy dukes.  Then cut the zipper (and crotch, if it is still intact) out.  Continue to trim from the zipper area until the fabric fits your bucket (just leave an inch or two of overlap where you can add a velcro closure).

 

Now you can finish your edges around the bottom hemline and up the center of the skirt.  A quick tip; the waist band will be very thick if you fold it over on itself and sew it as you would for a hem.  So I cut a bit of the waistband smaller than the rest of the skirt (see picture) and just did a simple zig zag stitch to keep from unraveling.

Then just fold over the remainder of the material and stitch it up!

Here's a fun detail to add...The pants I was using had a big of stretch to them.  If you add a gently tug to this fabric as you sew the bottom hem you'll get this fun wavy hem, like the one in my first picture.

The last thing you'll need to do is add some velcro.  You will want to use the hook (rough and sturdy) side of industrial strength velcro (AKA earthquake velcro) on the bucket.  It's a simple peel and stick deal.

You'll need to attach the loop side of regular ole clothing velcro along the inside of the waist band.  I used fabric fusion velcro but I think you'll do better to sew it in.  The thickness of the waistband makes it difficult to get a good bond.  Finally, add just a bit of hook and loop for the closure and attach your skirt to the bucket.

Once it's attached, you can start filling up the pockets.  The belt loops are great for attaching carabiner hooks and such.  Easy removal allows for cleaning when needed.

Cute, right?  I definitely think I have the best dressed weeding bucket on the block!