By ALDONA BIRD
Newsroom@DominionPost.com
Whether you are preparing to celebrate the upcoming Easter holiday or doing some spring cleaning and organizing, customizable baskets are a great DIY.
Baskets have multiple uses, and making your own allows size and shape customization to make the perfect container for your particular needs.
You can DIY many types of baskets. Fabric scrap and rope baskets are an easy start that uses up scraps of fabric left over from other projects or from no longer wanted clothing. Not only can you make any size and shape, the color (or pattern of colors) is also totally up to your creative whims.
For rope baskets, you will need:
- Clothesline rope or other cloth (not plastic) rope
- Fabric scraps
- Sewing machine and thread
- Pins or binder clips
While a sewing machine makes this craft quick and easy, you can also do it by hand, using thick thread and looping stitches over the fabric-covered rope. The rest of these instructions will be for a sewing machine capable of zig-zag stitches.
Fabric scraps should be in rectangular pieces, from three-quarters of an inch to one and a half inches wide and at least a few inches long.
Pick one color or pattern of fabric or a variety of shades to make a gradient, or use many colors for a fun, vibrant look. The best fabrics to use are those which do not fray a lot and which do not stretch much. Experimentation can be helpful in choosing which fabrics will yield the result that suits your home or project.
The thickness of the rope is another creative choice. Thinner rope results in thinner coils.
After choosing rope and cutting fabric strips, start wrapping and sewing. Wrap the fabric scraps around the rope in a spiral, so the rope is totally covered, and the fabric overlaps with itself slightly.
Wrap all the rope before sewing or as you go. To keep the fabric tight around the rope before sewing, use a pin or binder clip at the beginning and end of each scrap. Overlap the ends of each scrap by a little bit to continue keeping the rope covered.
Once all, or a foot or so, of the rope is wrapped, set the sewing machine to the widest zig-zag setting. Spiral the wrapped rope into a coil, and sew in a spiral across two pieces of rope such that they are secured together. If starting is difficult, don’t begin at the very center of the coil — start a few circles out and later go back to sew over the center, which is much easier to sew after the surrounding coils are secure.
Spiral the wrapped rope and sew until you have the size you want for the bottom of the basket.
To start the sides, simply hold the bottom perpendicular to the sides which you are sewing, and continue to spiral and zig-zag.
Once the sides are high enough, stop and give the end an extra zig-zag to secure it. Alternatively, add small handles on either side by skipping sewing over two opposite sections for the last few rounds. Make one big handle by looping the coil across the basket in an arch. Add a cute decorative element by scalloping the last coil, as shown in the photos.
Use this DIY project to make home décor baskets to use as organizational containers, to make gift baskets or to make an Easter basket.
If making an Easter basket, consider filling it with fair-trade chocolate, a card and other goodies from River Fair Trade or eco-friendly egg dying kits and other kids crafts available at Hoot and Howl downtown. Other locally or handmade items from your favorite artisan or gift shop are also a great idea.
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