How To Make Fabric Baskets

The sample was made with 100 percent cotton fabrics and fusible fleece. I’ve also made this basket using regular cotton quilt batting, fusible interfacing, and heavy canvas interlining.

The seam allowance for this project is 1/4 inch, throughout.

Step 1. Sew the 3.5 inch strips to the base fabric, along the 9.5 inch sides

Step 2. Press both seams open.

Step 3. Fuse fleece to wrong side of fabric. If you are using batting, pin in place.

Step 4. Top-stitch on both sides of the seam lines. Following the inside of my 1/4 inch foot, I am able to stitch 1/8 inch away from the seams.

Step 5a. Pin the lining fabric to the outer fabric, right sides together.

Step 5b. Stitch along the shorter ends. Using a pencil or water soluble pen, mark the middle of the un-stitched sides of the fabric. Make a little mark in the seam allowance on both the lining and the outer fabrics.

Step 6. Press the seams open. It’s helpful to have a pressing bar.

Step 7a. First, shift the seams to the middle. Match and then pin them together. Press everything flat, making sure to get the folds on opposite ends. If you marked the centers of the lining and the outer fabrics, you can check that those are the places where the fabrics are folded.

Using some form of marking instrument, such as a water soluble pen, mark the corners as illustrated. Note that the lines that are perpendicular to the folds are slightly shorter than the opposite sides.

On the lining fabric, mark a small area (2.5 inches) with pins. Do not stitch between the pins. This hole will be used for turning the fabric right sides out.

Stitch the open sides, making sure to backstitch when you stitch over the lines you drew. This will help prevent the stitches from coming out when you cut away the squares from the corners.

Step 7b. Cut the corners on the lines.

Step 8a. Press open the seams you just stitched. If using a pressing bar, just slip it through the cut corners.

Step 8b. Pinch each corner closed, and pin to secure. Match the seam to the crease created from ironing the fold.

Step 8c. Proceed to pin and stitch the four corners. Press the stitching, and then turn the basket right side out, through the hole in the lining.

Step 9a. Using the tip of an ironing board, carefully press the top edge of the basket, working the lining to the inside, and creating a neat edge.

Step 9b. Press sides lightly.

Step 10. Top-stitch close to the upper edge.

Step 12. Attach tabs to sides of basket using buttons.
Sew up the hole in the lining. See my tutorial for Ladder Stitch.

I hope you enjoy this project!  Please check out the tutorial mentioned above for how to do the Ladder Stitch.  It is also very well written and easy to follow.