Sew sturdy fabric baskets
You can never have enough storage at home.
Fabric baskets are ideal to store craft or sewing supplies, bathroom accessories, stationery, small toys and even for flowers in a waterproof pot. In this tutorial I will show you how to sew sturdy fabric baskets in three sizes.
Materials needed
Refer to the table and image below for the fabric, interfacing and paper you will need for each size basket.
Download the table for fabric, interfacing and paper needed
Equipment needed
- Sewing machine with sewing thread
- Pen
- Scissors
- Fabric clips
- Ruler
- Iron and ironing board
- Marking pen or chalk
- Point turner
- Webbing for handles (optional)
Tip: old cushion covers, tote bags, curtains, jeans, tablecloths or even quilts can be upcycled into baskets. Have a look around the house or thrift store to see what you can use!
Notes
- Sew all seams with 1.5cm seam allowance, unless otherwise stated.
- Sew all seams with straight stitch and stitch length set at 2.5, unless otherwise stated.
How to
Step 1
Iron the outer and lining fabrics (1a and 3a) onto the corresponding interfacing pieces (1b and 3b).
Step 2
Fold the now interfaced outer fabric with short edges aligning. Find the centre and mark on the interfacing side. Repeat on the other long side.
Step 3
Align the short edges of paper rectangle A and crease the fold in the middle.Place the long edge of the paper against the long edge of the fabric, aligning the crease in the paper with the centre mark on the fabric and draw around the sides with a pen. Repeat on the opposite long side of the fabric.
Step 4
Cut out rectangles from the fabric.
Step 5
Fold the outer piece in half along the long edge, matching the short edges and secure with fabric clips along short edges.
Step 6
Sew the folded outer fabric along the left and right short edges. Mark the left and right corners of the folded bottom edge with a pen.
Step 7
Press the seams open.
Step 8
To close the openings (gusset), match the end of the side seam to the mark you made on the bottom fold. Match the raw edges and secure with clips. Sew and trim the edge to about 0.5cm. Repeat on the other side.Tip: if you haven’t sewn a gusset before, we have a quick YouTube How To here.
Step 9
Sew across the open side seam, at the top edge of the basket. This will keep the seam allowances open and lying flat.
Step 10
Turn the outer part of the basket right side out and shape the corners well. Use a point turner.
Step 11
Repeat steps 1 – 9 with the lining fabric (3a) and fusible interfacing (3b).
At the top edge, fold 1cm over to the wrong side and press.
Step 12
Repeat steps 1 – 4 with medium weight batting or foam stabiliser (2) and paper rectangle B.Fold it into a basket shape and push it into the outer part of the basket.
Step 13
Insert the lining and shape the corners well, using a point turner.
Step 14
Fold the pressed edge of the inner basket over all other layers (approx. 2 cm).Now you could sew the edges together, but I chose not to do that - this way you can take the basket parts apart and wash them separately if needed.
Optional
If you want, you can attach handles. To do this, position webbing on the side of the basket, fix with clips and sew.
I wish you a lot of fun tailoring and sewing!
I can’t wait to see what you make! Remember to tag in Brother on Instagram and Facebook, and myself too!
