Organize Yourself with this Fabric Basket Tutorial

I'm an avid crafter, so there's no shortage of craft supplies in my home workstation. Sometimes the clutter on the table gets to be too much, and the next time I go out I'm tempted by all manner of cute organizational bins and baskets. But sometimes, I don't really see what I'm looking for. I wanted a small, but cute basket to house my knitting essentials, and, as you can see below, with a bit of imagination and effort, I was able to make my own customized storage baskets. You can too, just follow along with the instructions ;)

Materials:

• A fat quarter (18 x 22 inches) fabric of your choice.
• A fat quarter (18 x 22 inches) of lining fabric.
• Thread
• Scissors 
• Template (below; the pattern includes 1/2" seam allowance)

These are the dimensions for the basket's template. Using a ruler, trace the measurements for the main fabric and lining patterns into a piece of kraft paper (a nice strong paper that will last). Once you cut out the template you will end up with 2 pieces just like the ones above.

 

Here you can see the two squares of fabric which you will cut according to the template you created. On the left side is the main fabric I chose; I found this fabric at my local fabric store and it was only $3.00 a meter. This fabric is a medium weight canvas, therefore I didn't use any kind of interfacing. It was stiff enough on its own to keep the shape of the basket. The lining was a left over from another project. Total cost of this project was $5.00. I still have some fabric left to make a couple more of these cute and handy fabric baskets. =)

Place the pattern on each piece of fabric and cut one of each. One lining and one main fabric as shown above.

Fold the main fabric in half with right sides together and sew the sides. Repeat the same steps with the lining. I used contrasting color thread on both pieces for you to visualize the stitch line and the 1/2" seam allowance.

Fold the corners and sew them to create the sides and the base; repeat the same steps with the lining. Turn the main piece right side out. After you sew the corners of both main fabric and lining,you will end up with a rectangular basket like the one shown on the right side of the picture above.

The lining extends 2 inches up over the edge of the basket. Fold and press the top edge of the lining over 1/2 an inch, like a hem. Insert the lining inside the basket and fold the remaining 1.5 inches down over the edge of the basket as shown in the picture on the right. Top stitch with your sewing machine at 1/8 of an inch from the lower edge of the fold, all around the basket to attach the lining to the basket. You can also glue the fold in place, it is much easier. Press the inside of the basket with a steam iron, one side at a time, (except the bottom) being careful not to burn your hands.

This is the finished piece. You can see how the 2 extra inches of lining fabric, once folded over, becomes the finishing edge of the basket. Now you can use your basket to store your crafting/sewing supplies, or your yarns like I did. You can use it for just about any storage purpose!

Happy sewing!