Today I’m sharing a project that I made without a tutorial to accompany it. The Easter rag basket was put in the mail with sock bunnies and a bunny outfit for my niece.
I’m so in love with the way this turned out it was hard to send it off but I know she’ll be able to enjoy it for years to come. :)
This was the first time I’ve made a rag basket so I pulled inspiration from several sources.
Jacki from Crafting Mom shared an excellent tutorial on how to make a rag basket. She shows how to make three different shapes and sizes. I used her “stitching” method for my rag basket.
Vanessa from Moda Bake Shop wrote another great tutorial about how to make a Fabric Easter Basket. For her basket, she used a honeybun of fabric strips, two sizes of piping, and sewed the basket coils together.
Easter Rag Basket
The final rag basket is about 1 foot wide by 1 1/2 feet tall with the handle. I used 18 yards of 12/32″ piping and about 2 yards of fabric scraps torn into 1 to 1 1/2″ strips.
I stitched the ends of the cords together where they met to help keep it secure. This step could probably be skipped or some masking tape can be used in place of sewing.
The rag basket handle is 4 cords wide and is one continuous loop of piping from the basket to the handle. I added extra “stitches” of fabric scraps to ensure it’s secure to the basket.
Rag Basket Tips
Starting the rag basket spiral is the hardest. I recommend adding a “stitch” every inch as you get started and pull very tight. This will help the bottom of the basket stay flat and give it a nice hard base. Once you start building up the sides, the stitches can be farther apart.
The longer your fabric strips are, the better. I recommend at least 20 inches long. As you add strips you’ll need to overlap the previous strip so the longer they are, the easier it is to work with.
Make the stitches closer together and pull tight on the handle for added strength for wear and tear.
The final rag basket is so sturdy and I look forward to making another.
I cant locate the Pattern for this project. Am I just not seeing the link?
You’re right, the link was disabled. I’ve fixed that in the post, you can also find it here.