Fabric Basket with Ties: Tutorial + Pattern

These fabric baskets are a breeze to make and take very little time to whip up, with gorgeous results when you use your favorite fabrics.

They have so many uses and are perfect as a gift on their own, or with some homemade sweets or cookies. Valentines Day is approaching and you could use some heart or lovely red fabric, and at Easter you may find yourself making loads and filling them with chocolate goodness.

Here is what you will need to make your very own Fabric Basket. Please read the instructions in full before you start this project.

Materials

A piece of sturdy cardboard, accurately cut to size 9” x 9”; I purchase cardboard in large sheets from the project section of my local stationery store. (You know, those big sheets that the kids need for their school projects.) The cardboard is similar to a sturdy cereal box only a tiny bit thicker… You can recycle a cereal box for your first attempt. The main thing is that the cardboard holds its shape after you score it; see more below.
 

Two fabric squares 9¾” x 10”: Your outside fabric square should be a gorgeous design and inside can be a matching solid. This is a perfect use for any unused layer cakes you might have around.
 

Four small jewelry rings (often referred to as jump rings) or large beads with holes big enough to thread ribbon through. At the end of this tutorial I refer to a method that does not require the rings or beads, but it is up to you what look you want.
 

40“ (1 meter) of ¼ inch ribbon. The ribbon should match the color of your fabric.
 

Tracing Wheel: Clover makes one and so does Birch. The tracing wheel is used to score the lines on the cardboard. If you don’t have a tracing wheel on hand then you could use a knife, but be careful not to cut all the way through the cardboard.

Step One:
Accurately measure and cut your cardboard into a 9” x 9” square, and then measure and mark 3” squares as per the diagram. Include a diagonal line in each of the corner 3” squares.

Now using your tracing wheel, score along all those lines marked.

Gently fold along all the scored lines until you have a shape like the photo and then flatten out again because you will be inserting this later into your fabric pocket.

Step Two:
Cut your feature outside fabric and solid inside fabric 9 ¾” x 10”. Accuracy is key to a successful fabric basket. * With right sides together and using a ¼” seam allowance, sew along both 10” sides and one 9 ¾” side (this leaves one edge open for inserting the cardboard).

Trim the two corners and turn inside out. Use a chopstick to gently push your corners out. Press the square and turn the open ends in a half inch and press again. This will assist when you are sewing the seam shut.

Step Three:
Now insert your cardboard. Important: Insert with the corner angle folds facing up towards the plain fabric (see photo). 9”-9”-3”

Now pin the opening and topstitch the fabric with the cardboard inside, being careful not to stitch the cardboard.

Step Four:
Hand sew one of the jump rings or beads in each corner then thread through the length of ribbon through each ring. This will give you the shape of your basket.

* Alternative instructions for sewing the ribbon into the basket seams.  

This creates a different closure but just as nice, and a little bit quicker than the other way. At step two cut your ribbon into four equal pieces and tack two of the ribbons in the bottom two corners. When you sew the seams the ribbon will be secured in these two corners. Pin them out of the way then go ahead and sew the seams as per Step Two.

At Step Three insert a ribbon at the beginning and end when you topstitch your fabric together, tucking the ribbon as close to the corner as you can.

Here’s a photo of the different methods, using the jump rings or sewing in your ribbon.

Voila! Now you have a gorgeous fabric basket ready for a gazillion uses.

For the mini version simply cut and mark your cardboard 6″ x 6″ with 2″ folding lines, and cut your fabric 6.3/4″ x 7″  All the other instructions remain the same.

I hope you enjoy making your Gorgeous Fabric Basket.