Tissue boxes have gotten much prettier in recent years, but they still may not be just right for your room. Personalize the look with your own tissue box cover. We offer a free pattern download to fit a square-style box. All our testing showed these boxes are 4⅜” wide x 5” high x 4⅜” deep – no matter the brand. The tissues themselves cleverly pop out through a Dritz® plastic grommet on the top of the cover.

This project can be finished with about a half yard of fabric and a few of your favorite scraps to create the pretty patchwork accents. We used some fabric bits from the Citron-Gray color story by Michael Miller Fabrics.

Four short side seams create the box shape, but before these seams are sewn, the top accent square, the grommet, and the patchwork side bars are all sewn while the main panel is flat. It’s easy to keep everything precise and get a continuous wraparound look for the side bars.

We used a simple white quilting cotton for the base panel, which sets off the pretty colors of the accent fabric. If you’ll be going through a lot of tissues, and so removing and replacing the cover often, you might want to consider a décor fabric instead for a bit more stability.

Contrasting thread to topstitch the top square and the side bars into place adds a fun little dash of color, but you could certainly use matching thread throughout.

If you’re brand new to working with the Dritz® Home Plastic Grommets, you’ll find them super simple! We have a full tutorial you can review prior to starting.

A cover along with several boxes of tissue would be a cute baby shower gift since there’s almost never a time you don’t need a tissue around the nursery!

If you like this project, you may also like our full size tissue box cover as well as our Pocket Tissue Covers.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Sewing Machine and standard presser foot

Fabric and Other Supplies

NOTE: This project is sized for a standard small, square-type of tissue box, such as this one from Kleenex®

• Pattern pieces – Download using the links below in the Getting Started section
• ⅝ yard of 44″+ wide solid fabric for the tissue box cover base: we used plain white quilting cotton
  NOTE: You may be able to get away with just ½ yard of fabric. If using scraps, assemble the pattern then place directly onto to your fabric to see what fits best.
• Scrap fabric for the top patchwork square; you need one 4″ x 4″ square – we used charm squares from our stash, originally from the Citron-Gray Color Story by Michael Miller Fabrics
• Scrap fabrics for the EIGHT patchwork pieces that make up the box side accent stripes; each piece is 2½” high x 3⅛” wide: we used 8 different charm squares from our stash, originally from the Citron-Gray Color Story by Michael Miller Fabrics
  NOTE: We recommend fussy cutting each small rectangle to feature a cute part of the fabric’s motif.
• Scrap of mid-weight fusible interfacing to stabilize the grommet on the top; you need one square that is at least 4¾” x 4¾” – we used Pellon Décor Bond
• 1 small grommet for the tissue top opening: we used Dritz Home 1″ Drapery Grommets in Brushed Silver
• All purpose thread to match fabric
• See-through ruler
• Tape measure
• Fabric pen or pencil
• Seam gauge
• Seam ripper
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Iron and ironing board
• Straight pins

Getting Started and Pattern Download

1. Download and print FOUR copies of our Tissue Box Pattern.
   IMPORTANT: This pattern consists of ONE 8.5″ x 11″ sheet. You must print the PDF file at 100%. DO NOT SCALE to fit the page. There is a guide rule on the page to insure your print out is to scale. Print FOUR copies of this page.
2. Cut out all four pieces along the solid lines. Butt together the four pieces at their center triangles to create a single pattern piece that resembles a “+” sign. Follow the assembly diagram on the pattern (also shown below). Make sure you butt together the pieces; do not overlap. Tape together to secure the full pattern.
   
3. Pin the assembled pattern to the solid fabric (plain white in our sample), and cut out the base for the cover.
4. From the scrap of fabric you picked for the top square, cut one 4″ x 4″ square.
5. From the scraps of fabric you picked for the side accent strips, cut EIGHT rectangles, each one should be 2½” high x 3⅛” wide. Fussy cut your rectangles so you feature a pretty part of the design motif on each.
6. This stripe wraps all the way around the box cover. Lay out your eight cuts in a pleasing order, mixing and matching to best alternate lights and darks, small and large motifs, and color repeats.
7. From the fusible interfacing, cut one 4¾” x 4¾” square.

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

1. Flip over the base piece so it is right side is down and flat on your work surface.
2. Place the 4¾” x 4¾” fusing square in the center of the base piece, adhesive side down, so it is evenly spaced ½” in from the cut corners. Following manufacturer’s instructions, fuse the interfacing to the fabric.
   
3. Turn the base piece right side up and set aside.
4. Find the 4″ x 4″ top accent square (Charcoal Dumb Dot in our sample).
5. Fold back ¼” along all four raw edges. Press well.
   
6. Pin this pressed square in the exact center of the base piece. The base piece should be right side up AND the top accent square should also be right side up. You’ll be able to see the interfacing square on the back side of the base piece; use this as your centering guide for the top accent square.
7. Edgestitch the top accent square in place around all four sides, pivoting at the corners. We used a contrasting yellow thread as an accent.
8. Place the grommet template in the exact center of the top accent square, and trace a circle.
   
9. Following the manufacturer’s directions, or our own tutorial on these great grommets, cut out the circle and snap the grommet in place.
10. Collect the eight side accent stripe pieces, keeping them in the order you picked out above. Separate them into four pairs, and pin each pair together along one 2½” edge. If you have any directional motifs, make sure everything is running the right way up before stitching.
11. Sew each pair together, using a ¼” seam allowance. Press each seam allowance open. Fold back the two long edges of each pair ¼” and press well.
    
12. Pin one finished pair to each of the four sides of the base piece. Each sewn pair should be placed so its bottom folded edge is 2″ up from the bottom raw edge of the base piece.
    
13. Edgestitch each sewn pair in place along both the top and the bottom.
14. Fold each of the four sides of the base piece right sides together along the raw edges. Make sure to line up the accent bands so they create a perfect match on the seam line. Pin in place. Stitch each side, using a ½” seam allowance. You are stitching from the bottom raw edge up to the folded point.
    
15. Press these side seams open and flat.
16. Make a double-turn hem along the bottom raw edge. To do this, fold and press ¼” along bottom raw edges, then fold and press an additional ½” to create a ¾” clean finished hem.
17. Edgestitch the hem in place all the way around.
18. Turn the tissue box cover right side out, and gently push out corners with a long blunt-end tool, such as a chopstick or knitting needle.
19. Place the cover over your tissue box and pull the first tissue through the grommet hole.

Project Concept: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation and Instructional Outline: Gregory Dickson